26 - How to Milk Your Own Nuts

This week we are in the Fitlandia Kitchen with Lizz Hampton, CEO of GOODNUSS, a ground breaking milk-innovation company. Today, Lizz is going to show us step-by-step how to make our own nut milk. (Watch here). The commercial nut milk we buy in stores is typically watered down and pumped with fillers. Instead of getting the nutrients that are naturally derived, synthetic vitamins and preservatives are added by the nut milk manufacturers. While these additives help keep the price down, it is at the higher cost of a product with little to no nutritional value. The only way to guarantee we're getting all the nutrients out of nut milk is to cold press it ourselves. "If we really want nutrients, we have to drink something that actually has nuts in it," Lizz explains. "The average commercial nut milk product contains less than 2% nuts." In stores, many nut milks have carrageenan, which has been linked to ulcerative colitis and connective tissue disorders. Carrageenan is derived from seaweed and has no taste, smell or nutritional value and is added to many nut milks, yogurts, juices, puddings and salad dressings. Many of the vitamins being added to these nut milks are fortified the same way as cow's milk to mimic taste. Homemade nut milk is fresh and can be customized to our individual taste but it also helps us be completely sustainable. We can use the leftover pulp for baking, desserts or even a homemade face scrub. Here are some clever recipes on how to reuse your pulp: Three Creative Uses: Bread, Hummus, Chocolate "Fluff" Vegan Paleo Crackers Face Scrub Ready to milk your own nuts? Here are the ingredients needed for basic nut milk: Almonds Dates Goji berries Cinnamon Vanilla powder Himalayan sea salt The Basics of How to Milk Your Own Nuts Soak the nuts overnight. This starts the sprouting process and makes the enzymes more bioavailable so they're easy to digest. This isn't a necessity but helps break down the antinutrients from the nuts so we can get all the good stuff from them. Throw 1 cup of nuts into blender Add in 3-5 dates Combine equal amounts cinnamon and vanilla (about 1-2 tsp each) 2 tablespoons of goji berries to complement the dates. These berries are loaded with beta-carotene, a pigment that helps promote skin and eye health. Pinch of sea salt to taste Pour in 2-3 cups of water. Texture is customized based on how much water added. Blend 1 cup of almonds makes 24-32 ounces of nut milk. For skimmer milk add about 4 cups of water. Next, we're going to take our nut milk bag, a nylon mesh bag and strain the milk over a bowl. Lizz's Pro Tips Synch the bag up at the top as you get started Point one of the corners down and strain the milk into a wider bowl Close your drawstring bag The milk will have an orange tint, don't worry it's just the goji berries. And we're done! These mesh bags can be found in most grocery stores or from the DIY Kit on the GOODNUSS website. Lizz also recommends Earthwise nut milk bags which range around $10 on Amazon. Keep a look out for more products coming soon from GOODNUSS, including a device that allows you to strain into a cup for a single serving size. Their "Nut Buster" is a manual cold press device that you pour the pulp into and twist to enjoy immediately or to store for later. Both of these products are sure to be a hit for busy health nuts on the go. Learn more about milking your nuts and all the innovative products available. Milking your own nuts is a smarter way to drink milk and is completely Paleo, Vegan, Whole30, gluten free and dairy free. Christa says, "The flavor is like nothing I've ever had!" Join us and get a free two-week trial so you can download the Whole 9, 74-page food guide and enjoy milking your own nuts.   Never miss a tip, inspirational story of an expert interview; subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today. Leave us an honest review and we'll feature YOUR comments on a future podcast. Or comment below to get the conversation started. Explore more on our site at fitlandiafitness.com