What the fudge is it?

Well mylk is like milk, but not so much. Mylk is the term coined to reflect plant based milks – those made from legume, nuts or other plant based sources. The ‘hottest’ versions doing the rounds right now are soy, almond, rice and coconut – it seems e’rry new age fairy these days is ordering an almond milk latte with fairtrade coffee and unicorn heartstring. Am I right?

Who drinks it?

Well there are some people that, due to a lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome, opt for these plant based mylks as they are gentler on their tummies. Some people choose these mylks over their dairy counterparts because of ethical reasons, perhaps following a vegan or ovo-vegetarian diet. Some people also find that nut mylks are easier for them to digest and contain bundles of omega-3s which means less bloating, reduced inflammation and all around greater digestive ease. Personally, I avoid dairy for a number of reasons. I have the absolute pleasure of living with inflammatory bowel disease and one of the major kickers is dairy. In small doses I am all good but in a straight up cup of coffee or glass of milk dose, I’m a burpy, bloated, run to the bathroom kind of mess. From an enviro point of view, old Bessy’s milk sometimes isn’t the greatest option either. Unfortunately dairy cows are often factory farmed, kept in appalling conditions and pumped full of hormones, antibiotics and other nasties to ensure they a) give us oodles of milk (far more than they are naturally designed to provide) and b) they don’t get sick so that they continue to be milk making mamas for us. But the (pretty severe) downside of this is that every glass of milk we guzzle contains ALL of those nasties that the cows are given during the time that they are being regularly milked. You know how our mama’s couldn’t drink or smoke or take medications or eat too much fish when they were pregnant with and//or breastfeeding us – it’s because what is part of them, becomes part of us too. Without going too much into it – because I am COMPLETELY all for the ‘each to their own’ approach and understand that everyone makes their own informed choices – if you wish to learn a little more about the dairy industry in Australia, have a read of this post by Animals Australia.

How the frick do you get milk from a nut or bean or rice? Where are the boobies?

You don’t need a PhD to realise, almonds ain’t got no nipples. The process of extracting//creating milk from these bad boys is a little different. For the purpose of this post, I’m-a talk primarily about nut mylks. These are the most ‘do it at home friendly’ mylk that I’ve come across and they are delish. BUT because I love you, I have scoped the interweb for the best soy and coconut milk recipes for you to have a gander. You’re welcome sunshine.

Nut mylks are typically made from filtered water, nuts//seeds and flavour enhancers or additions to add your own spin. Typically the nuts are soaked (at least four hours, but I prefer to leave overnight), then drained and rinsed. They then are blended with the remaining ingredients (water and whatever additions you may have chosen) in a high powered blender. Using a nut mylk bag, you then line a bowl//jug and pour the contents from the blender. The bag serves as a filter, catching the pulp and allowing beautifully smooth nut mylk to pass on through. Check out this stellar post courtesy of ‘Healthy.Happy.Life’ with incredible recipes and flavour variations for the humble nut mylk. Coconut almond milk? Ah, yes please!

Where can I buy this delectable delicacy?

First up – almond mylk is especially easy to make at home. Using organic nuts and filtered water, you can make a really high quality product for you to enjoy. Plus you’ll get the bonus high of feeling all ‘I just made milk bish!’.

BUT if you are a little low on motivation or equipment or time, you’re in luck because these hotties are e’rrywhere at the moment. For fellow WA peeps – Raw Juice sold at the South Freo farmer’s markets on Sundays make a ridic cacao nut milk AND my friends over at Inner Ego do an incredible cacao spice nut milk as part of their juice cleanses OR for solo consumption. For my fellow Down South yokals – Sweet Dreams from Raw Bliss Cleanse in Margs is RIDICULOUS! And my babes at Samudra do their own incredibly delish nut milk that they use as a base for their freshly brewed chai (my favourite cup of joy) or if you want to have your socks blown clear off your vegan little toesies, do yourself a favour and try their ‘Date Me’ smoothie. It’s insane.

I hope you liked the first (of many) posts in this ‘New Age Newbie Series. Keep popping by the blog for more new age nuggets and let’s keep rollin’ along on this learning train homies.

Blessings and a smiley mylk moustache x

Images sourced from Here // Here // Here