Lay Off the Drugs!

You ever think that you can't possibly give up milk, cheese or some other dairy product?  Have you ever wondered why you are so addicted to this food?  Maybe you think it's just too delicious, and that's the reason.  Well, guess what?!  There is a physiological reason for your addiction to dairy products.  I'm sure there are oodles of physcological reasons as well, seeing as food is so intertwined in our social habits and family traditions, but our addictions go even deeper than that. 

Have you heard of the protein casein?  Well, this is a protein found in dairy products.  In Dr. T Colin Campbell's book "The China Study, he links animal proteins, like casein, to cancer development.  In fact, he found that casein promoted cancer in all stages of its development.  This connection is so profound, that they found they could turn cancer off and on in laboratory animals just by altering the amount of casein in their diets.  He also found that plant proteins have no such effect on cancer growth. 

When casein is broken down in digestion it forms a protein fragment called casomorphin.  Just as its name suggests (-morphin) it has an opioid effect!  That's right, you're getting high on dairy!  Just like other opioids it is incredibly addicting.  Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says

"If you examined a casein molecule under a powerful microscope, it would look like a long chain of beads (the "beads" are amino acids-simple building blocks that combine to make up all the proteins in your body). When you drink a glass of milk or eat a slice of cheese, stomach acid and intestinal bacteria snip the casein molecular chains into casomorphins of various lengths. One of them, a short string made up of just five amino acids, has about one-tenth the pain-killing potency of morphine."

There you have it.  Now kick the habit!  There is absolutely no reason you need to be drinking or eating the secretions from another animal.  That milk is for calves, not humans.  We are the only species that drinks and eats the secretions from the mammary glands of another animal.  We are the only species that drinks these secretions after infancy.  Don't you think there is something wrong with this picture?  In an age where obesity and chronic diseases are killing us and draining our health care system, we need to be mindful of what we're putting in our bodies.  Do you want to enhance our life and health or do we want to slowly kill ourselves with unhealthy habits?  Consuming animal products is just a habit once you break it down.  So just cut the habit.  Plain and simple.  Sure it will be hard, but it is so worth it.

Treat yourself with mylks that are good for you.  Ones that are plant based and raw!  My favorite mylk recipes from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.  These are simple, quick, and delicious.  I love seeing only 5 ingredients and knowing that this drink is healthful and free of artificial sweeteners and other additives that popular processed mylk drinks have.  Making your own raw mylks provides the maximum amount of nutrients and flavor!  I just put mine in mason jars.  (These are a great investment and save on packaging, so I suggest you buy some of your own.)  So far I have made Vanilla Mylk, Chocolate Mylk, and Cinnamon Banana Buttermylk.  The last is most certainly my favorite!  Give me cinnamon banana anything and I'm there, but especially this creamy, satisfying beverage.  It has the consitency similar to a shake.  I especially love this drink after a hard work out, because it's packed with potassium, calcium, protein and vitamin E.  Ani says this mylk "helps increase circulation and blood flow to stressed muscles, while building lean muscle tissue."  Did I mention it's incredibly easy to make?  Win win and win!

Vanilla Mylk
Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pitted dates
1 vanilla bean
Pinch sea salt
5 cups water

Put the almonds, dates, vanilla bean, salt and water in the blender and blend until smooth. *Note: I sliced my vanilla bean open and scraped out the inside into the blender, as opposed to throwing the whole bean in there.

Will keep for four days in the fridge.

Chocolate Mylk
Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pitted dates
3 tablespoons cocoa powder or cacao nibs
Pinch sea salt
5 cups water

Put the almonds, dates, cocoa powder, salt, and water in the blender and blend until smooth.

Will keep for four days in the fridge.

Per serving: calories: 141, protein: 5g, carbohydrates: 15g, fat: 8g, potassium: 7%, calcium: 6%, iron: 7%, vitamin E: 21%, riboflavin: 9%, phosphorus: 10%, magnesium: 17%, zinc: 5%, copper: 16%, manganese: 23%, dietary fiber: 16%

Cinnamon Banana Buttermylk
Makes 4 servings

3 ripe bananas
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup cashew butter or almond butter
Pinch sea salt
4 cups water

Put the bananas, cinnamon, cashew butter/almond butter, salt and water in the blender and blend until smooth.

Will keep for two days in the fridge.