Coconut Oat Milk
This is the main plant milk that I use in most of my recipes, unless I'm using cow's milk. I have tried other combinations, but this one tastes the closest to cow's milk in most recipes. The coconut gives a creaminess, and the oatmeal mellows out the coconut flavor.
The main reason I started drinking plant milk was that one of my doctors found that I had very high levels of the rBST hormone in my body. That's not surprising if you see how much milk and cheese people receive on WIC. Even after I stopped receiving WIC, we kept eating the same amount of milk and cheese, because it was cheap at Costco. The downside of everything being in bulk. rBST lowers a woman's chances of getting pregnant by 40%. If she has any other reproductive issues, it can be nearly impossible to have children. The EU, Canada (they still sell American milk products that can contain rBST), Japan, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina have banned it for this reason. Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Dakota, Montana, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts are the only states that have banned it. Just so you know, it isn't required in the US that milk companies label whether their milk has it or not. The American Cancer Society also put out a statement that individuals with prostate, colorectal, and breast cancer showed higher levels of the rBST hormone in their bodies. There are current studies with infants linking their type 1 diabetes to their mother's ingestion of milk containing rBST during pregnancy.
The other reason I wanted to touch on the importance of plant milks is that people who are either lactose intolerant or allergic to cow's milk. Something I only recently learned in my classes, we all, as we age, become lactose intolerant. I live in an area where a lot of people are lactose intolerant. Between every tribe in Arizona claiming at least 75% intolerance, adding other races like African Americans, Middle Easterners, Jews, Southeast Asians, Hispanics, Italians, and Greeks, who also have around 75% intolerance, and this being a retirement state (18.57% of the population). It's estimated that the senior population goes up to 22% in the winter, with the snowbirds who winter here. This is a problem that is being unaddressed.
The costs. For those who find the $3.29 a gallon to be a little much for cow's milk. It costs me $1.34 a gallon for coconut oat milk. If you really need to stretch your pennies. It only costs $.28 a gallon for oat milk. I admit I still buy cow's milk. My son and I are lactose intolerant, but my husband is not. I'm very rural, and I only go grocery shopping once every two weeks. A gallon of milk isn't going to last two weeks for us. This was my solution for everyone to have milk whenever they want it.
Nutrition, when I used to buy plant milk at the store. I didn't realize they fortified the milk with extra protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Here's the breakdown between the two milks. They also add nasty preservatives, emulsifiers, and gums.
- Protein, Coconut Oats Milk has 2g of protein per cup, compared to Cow's Milk, which has 8g per cup.
- Fat, both contain around 5g of fat per cup.
- Carbohydrates, Coconut Oat milk contains 9g per cup, whereas Cow's milk contains 12g per cup.
- Fiber, Coconut Oat Milk contains 1g per cup, whereas Cow's milk contains 0g per cup.
- Sugar, Coconut Oat Milk contains 1g per cup of fructose, whereas Cow's milk contains 12g per cup, mostly in the form of lactose.
- Calories, Coconut Oat Milk is 100 calories per cup, whereas Cow's Milk is 120 calories per cup.
- Vitamins. Coconut oat milk is rich in Manganese, Copper, Iron, Selenium, Magnesium, Potassium, and Phosphorus, whereas cow's milk is rich in Calcium and Vitamin D.
1/2 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1/2 cup Old-Fashioned Oats
About 5 cups of Water
1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
Pinch of pink salt
This milk is about as easy as making my Oat milk. Unlike nut or bean milks, it doesn't require soaking. I put all the ingredients in my Miomat and put it on the cereal milk setting. Strain it and it's done. You don't have to have the coconut oil in the milk. It makes it taste slightly creamier. Gives it more of the texture of refrigerated brands.
If you don't have a miomat, any blender can also be used to make it. After straining the milk, place it in a pot on the stove and bring the temperature up to 203F/95C for 20-25 minutes. Let it cool before storing in the fridge.
Bonus tip: Don't throw the pulp away; it can replace up to 50% of the flour in your baking recipes. I add it to breads for extra fiber. I even use it to make gnocchi.
There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies.
- Winston Churchill
Vegan Hotdogs or Beer Brats (needs milk pulp)
Comments
Post a Comment