The Alternative to Dairy Milk

Homemade brown rice milk is the most macro way to go.

As a vegan I can go into a whole bunch of reasons why dairy milk is bad for you and how it exploits the reproductive system of cows and goats.  But I decided to post this as a tool so you can immediately just jump into it and discover milk alternatives yourself.  

The most common alternative is soymilk, which is a good transition milk for new vegans.  I would suggest starting here, experimenting with yummy soymilks like chocolate and vanilla from Silk, then transitioning into more nutritious unsweetened soymilks.  Once you get use to that, a transition to other milk alternatives should take place because macrobiotics says to limit your consumption of alternative milks, particularly soymilk which can be hard to digest.  Soybeans are yin to begin with, and after additional ingredients and refining, these products become extremely yin.  As discussed previously, extreme levels of constant yin intake makes them acid forming and over time very weakening.  Does this mean that you should cut out soymilk all together?  No, it's so much better than dairy milk and is an every now and then treat.  Once again, transition is key.  I would suggest trying a more macro friendly milk like almond then towards the most macro milk which is brown rice milk.  Like other milk alternatives, it is best when homemade because you eliminate all added salt, sugar, and preservatives. 

Homemade Brown Rice Milk - It was last about 2weeks in the fridge and makes 4 liters.  I find this to be way too much for me so what I do is either half or quarter the recipe.   I use very little of this 2-3 times per week for puffed whole grain cereal as a snack.  

• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)
• 2 tsps vanilla extract (optional)

1. Put the rice in a large pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 3 hours. You can also use a rice cooker like I do and set it to porridge setting.
2.  Fill a blender halfway with the very well-cooked rice, and add another part water (i.e. another 8 cups of water for the whole batch). Blend for a minute or two until the rice is fairly smooth.
3. The most efficient way to strain your rice milk is to use a mesh bag or cheesecloth.  Put the cheesecloth into the container you want to store your rice milk in. I like to use glass jars. Pour the rice mixture into the bag.  Pull the mesh up through squeezing the water out of the rice.

Although it is cheaper to make your own, I recommend these if you'd rather purchase your alternative milk ;)