Contents
On store shelves, you can often find almond milk cocktails with chocolate, vanilla or strawberry filling. However, almond milk is not just a delicious dessert, but also nutritious. Almond milk is widely used in the preparation of cosmetic and medicinal preparations, in cooking, in diet and breastfeeding. It is not necessary to buy a store-bought product, it will not be difficult to cook it at home.
Health benefits of almond milk
Few people know that almond juice, known as almond milk because of its similar color to milk, is a natural substitute for cow’s milk. The advantage of almond milk is that, unlike an animal product, almond milk does not contain lactose, which causes allergies in many people. Because of this, they cannot take milk, which contains substances necessary to maintain certain processes in the body.
The use of almond milk is widely used in medicine and cosmetology. Milk contains:
- proteins – 18,6 g;
- carbohydrates – 13 g;
- fats – 53,7 g;
- vitamins E, D, B, A;
- calcium;
- phosphorus;
- magnesium;
- manganese;
- zinc;
- copper;
- sulfur.
Unlike cow’s milk, which contains 62 kcal per 100 g, or goat’s milk with its 69 kcal per 100 g, almond milk is not very high in calories. 100 ml of almond milk contains 51 kcal, most of which are natural fats and carbohydrates. That is why it is given to children suffering from poor weight gain in infancy or at a time when a nursing mother cannot feed herself. Also, due to the increased natural fat content, almond milk is given to children and pregnant women suffering from constipation.
Due to the absence of animal fats in the product, almond milk is considered dietary, used for weight loss and to reduce blood cholesterol. Due to the presence of phosphorus and calcium, almond juice is able to restore damaged bones and strengthen them during senile osteoporosis and childhood rickets.
Ingredients
To buy nut milk, it is not necessary to go to the store, where the milk will contain dyes, preservatives and other unknown ingredients that irritate the stomach and are harmful to pregnant women, children and the elderly. All you need to make almond milk at home is the nuts themselves and drinking water.
The finished product itself does not have a rich taste. Almond milk is rather tasteless, so factory manufacturers add flavoring fillers to it so that mothers would be more willing to buy it for children. On natural almond milk, you can cook cereals, add it to coffee, cocktails. But to drink it for health purposes, it is permissible to mix it with additives such as:
- cinnamon;
- ginger;
- vanilla;
- cocoa;
- honey;
- sugar;
- turmeric;
- cardamom;
- pepper;
- nutmeg;
- coffee;
- fruit syrups.
When choosing additional ingredients, their compatibility should be considered. You can experiment with berries and fruits whipped in a blender, diluted with nut juice.
How to make milk
It takes 4 to 8 hours to make almond milk at home. The whole secret is to soften the nuts that contain the desired ingredient and get it out. The recipe is simple:
- First, prepare the nuts themselves. They must be raw, not fried.
- In order for the nut to become malleable for grinding, it must be softened. To do this, mix nuts with water 1: 3, that is, 1 cup of nuts in 3 cups of water. Pour the nuts into a deep bowl and let them soak overnight or at least 4 hours.
- When the nut swells and becomes soft, drain the water and start beating the product with a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained. The longer you beat the nut, the less pulp will remain.
- Whipped nuts should be filtered through cheesecloth.
- Mix the resulting mass with drinking water in a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 and add flavors as desired.
The remaining pulp from the nut can be used for cosmetic purposes, for example, to wipe the face. The product moisturizes the skin, supplying healthy fats that protect the epithelium from drying out. Cookies are also baked from the pulp.
Application of almond milk
Almond milk is a multifunctional product from which a variety of culinary dishes are prepared, along with regular milk. Its advantage is that ground almonds do not have their own taste, therefore they do not change the taste of the main ingredients. Various dishes are also made from the remaining pulp.
Almond milk is popular in the manufacture of cosmetics and skin and hair care products. In official and folk medicine, almond milk is also in demand. Almond oil is used to make cough, migraine, and anemia remedies.
In cooking
Almond milk itself is used as a substitute for regular milk. It is added to the dough, porridges and vegetables are cooked on it, smoothies and cocktails are whipped. Almond juice is a great addition to desserts. And if you freeze it in ice cube molds, you can add cubes to coffee. It is worth considering two simple recipes using milk.
Chocolate spread with hazelnuts
The dish is designed for 4 servings, its preparation will take 25 minutes. One serving includes 867 kcal.
Ingredients:
- 300 g of dark chocolate in bars or confectionery;
- 150 g hazelnut;
- 80 g butter;
- 100 ml of cow’s milk;
- 100 ml of almond milk.
Method of preparation:
- Separate the hazelnuts dried in advance from the husks and beat with a blender to a powder state.
- Mix both types of milk, butter and chocolate broken into pieces, beat everything until smooth.
- Add hazelnuts, mix.
The pasta is ready, it can be spread on bread or added as a filling to cakes, cookies and croissants. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Walnuts can be used instead of hazelnuts.
Thick raspberry smoothie
The recipe describes the preparation of one serving, that is, one glass of smoothie. This dessert nutritional drink is dietary and suitable for drinking in the morning. It contains 1043 kcal. It consists mainly of vegetable carbohydrates.
Ingredients:
- 75 g fresh or frozen raspberries;
- 1 banana;
- 50 g of almond milk;
- 1 teaspoon of liquid honey;
- half a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Method of preparation:
- Rub the raspberries through a sieve, set aside.
- Cut the banana into slices and let stand in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients in one bowl and beat with a blender until smooth.
Drink chilled, but not frozen. You can decorate a light pink smoothie with a mint leaf or a whole raspberry. If the drink seems too sweet, you can add more lemon juice or lime.
In folk medicine
Almond milk is not used in folk medicine; recipes are prepared only from a whole nut. But if there is a certain amount of this vitamin-rich product in its raw form, then part of it can be used to make milk from almonds, and the other part can be used to make medicines.
Where can you use almonds:
- Raw bitter almonds break down alcohol. If you need to stay sober in a company drinking alcohol, then you need to swallow 5 pieces of kernels, which will reduce the effect of intoxication.
- If you suffer from tachycardia and there is no appetite, you can eat a sugar cube dipped in walnut oil. To do this, it is necessary to ceiling it so that it begins to secrete an oily liquid, and add sugar there.
- For constipation, it is recommended to eat almonds due to the presence of a large amount of vegetable fat in them. For the same purpose, nursing mothers consume nut products if the baby suffers from constipation.
The kernels cleanse the liver well. When diagnosed with jaundice, eat 5-8 pieces 2 times a day for three days to promote a quick recovery.
In cosmetology
Almond milk is also used for topical application. The product has a moisturizing and softening effect on the skin. Milk is used as a tonic for the skin of the body and head. Also, the composition serves as one of the ingredients in the preparation of homemade soaps and creams. Face masks are made from the remaining pulp, and if you add ground walnut peel to the composition, you get a natural body scrub that polishes the top layer of the skin.
- To prepare a hair mask, you need to grate the almonds to a state of porridge, then mix with milk to a state of sour cream. Once every 2 days, apply the mask on the scalp for 30 minutes, wrapping with cellophane and a towel on top. This recipe is designed to heal the follicles responsible for hair growth.
- In the Middle Ages, the Armenian doctor Amirdovlat Amasiatsi discovered that if you mix ground bitter almonds with red wine and rub your head with this remedy, you can get rid of dandruff.
- Bitter almond root is used to make a remedy that whitens skin, freckles, sunburn and bruising.
Almond husks can be used as an ingredient in a facial cleansing tincture. To do this, mix 2 tablespoons of husk with 3 cups of boiling water and leave for 4 hours. Wipe the skin of the face with filtered infusion.
Caloric value
The nutritional value of almond milk includes only 51 kcal per 100 g of juice with water. Its name milk is based only on the similarity with a natural animal product. But in essence, it is a nut juice with water, which cannot replace milk. You can adjust its concentration by diluting the product with water 1:2, 1:3 or 1:4, increasing the caloric content and nutritional value, as well as similarity to real milk in consistency.
The prepared mixture is considered a light, dietary product suitable as the main ingredient in dishes allowed during the period of weight loss. A person cannot eat a lot, but it is necessary to take useful substances from somewhere in order not to have problems with teeth and hair. In this case, a low-calorie vegetable substitute is the best option.
Противопоказания
Like any other product, almond milk has contraindications and side effects. It should not be taken by people with nut allergies and allergic dermatitis. It should also be borne in mind that excessive consumption of any nut affects body weight gain. People who are prone to obesity should eat almonds and their milk with caution, in small doses.
People suffering from cardiovascular diseases may experience side effects from eating almonds due to the essential oil contained in the product. If a person has such a diagnosis, then even for cosmetic purposes, the nuclei are contraindicated for him.
The fruit of the almond tree excites the nervous system. Therefore, it can not be eaten at night, so that there are no problems with sleep. This also applies to people suffering from neuralgia, headaches. The daily intake of kernels should not exceed 20 pieces.
Terms and conditions of storage
Almond milk is distinguished by its durability during storage. It can be kept out of the refrigerator for up to two weeks at room temperature. This is due to the fact that the almond product does not contain biologically active bacteria that provoke fermentation and are contained in ordinary milk. In the refrigerator at a positive temperature (from 0 to 20 degrees), almond milk will last 12 months.
It is better to store the mixture in a glass container than in plastic. But if there is nothing but a plastic bottle, before pouring milk into it, it should be washed and dried well.
Conclusion
The diverse use of a product such as milk from almonds makes nut kernels a sought-after commodity in various areas of its application. You do not need to be a scientist and a physician to find the use of this gift of nature in home cosmetology and cooking.