One Degree of Change #23

 One Degree of Change #23

The market in Marrakesh!

To begin my blog for this week I want to welcome all the readers from France, Switzerland and Russia!  I am honored to share a One Degree of Change to the rest of the planet!  This week as I prepare my weekly post, I am grateful to be sitting in Morocco in the Riad Stilane in Marrakesh.  I'm on a two week adventure in a part of the world that is so intriguing.  During my journey I will share the culture, especially the nutrition culture.  Our first night we feasted on a rooftop over looking the Medina.   It was a 6 course meal for $18 USD!  The first course was green and black olives with fresh baked bread (heirloom wheat, I might add).  The second course was comprised of five bowls of vegetables, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, and a medley of different veggies.  All are freshly selected early that morning.  Next a beautiful platter of cous cous with roasted potatoes, zucchini and carrots.  The best tasting carrots I have ever had.  The next course is the protein course which included lemon chicken, another chicken dish and of lamb.  To finish the meal, as if that wasn't enough, we were brought mint tea and coconut macaroons and almond cookies.  Grateful to have to trek back to the Riad.

One Degree of Change #23: Replace Cow's Milk with Nut Milk!  I always tell my patients that we are they only mammal that never weans.  Meaning, you don't see a full grown cow still nursing from it's mother, do you?  The dairy farmers would lead you to believe that milk is the most healthy nectar, but I beg to differ.

I have been preparing for a continuing education course that I will be teaching to doctors on Nutritional Deficiencies.  In this course I will cover food allergies and in my research I found some extremely interesting studies concerning food allergens and children.  The number one food allergy across the board, rich. poor, ethnicity or gender is cow's milk! Let's take a look at why cow's milk is so traumatic to the system.  Here are 10 reasons why you shouldn't drink cow's milk (sorry commercial dairy farmers).

1. Cow's are pumped full of hormones to increase production. This acts as an endocrine disruptor on humans.
2. Commercial dairies use a boat load of antibiotics.  Why do you think we have so many antibiotic resistant bacteria these days??!!
3. Number one cause of food allergens in children
4. Good milk drinkers are more likely to die from heart disease.
5. Among women, who drank milk, are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis and hip fractures.
6. Heavy milk drinkers are prone to cancer, most likely due to the hormones used.
7. Two thirds of the dairy cows have mastitis (infection of the udders), the powers to be allow a 100,000 somatic cell count per milliliter which means that the milk contain what is actually pus.
8. Manure from dairy farms contaminates hundreds of square miles of  groundwater, rivers and streams. 
9. Cow's milk protein plays a role in triggering Type I diabetes by a process called molecular mimicry.
10. Milk contains D-galactose which is a pro-inflammatory and increases the effects of aging.

And that is just a list of 10.  The studies that I read preparing for my upcoming teaching stint were quite shocking.  Even more than I already knew.  Holy cow, Batman, now what do I do?  Here's your 5 step action plan:

1. Go to your local health food store or grocery and go to the aisle where you can find the boxed milk on the shelf.  Usually near the coffee and tea aisle in a big box grocery.
2. Pick two boxes of nut milk.  I suggest almond and coconut.  Least likely to be an allergen.
3. Read the labels!  You do not want a nut milk with added sugar.
4. Put one box in your refrigerator and one box in your pantry/cabinet.
5. Let the family try both types. Try Hemp/Chia seed or cashew milk next.  I like cashew the best.  It is creamy and similar to milk.  Take a vote and pick one to replace the cow's milk in the fridge.

Now, that wasn't difficult.  And you will enjoy cooking with the nut milk also.  If you get really daring and ready to step outside the "box" (pun intended), try making your own!  It is very simple.  This is a very simple recipe.  Give it a try!

• 1 cup raw organic nuts soaked in water overnight (12 hrs) cover with spring water and add 1/4 tsp of salt. Breaks down the enzymes to improve digestion.
• 4 cups spring water
• vanilla extract or vanilla bean (optional) I use a Madagascar Vanilla
• 1/8 cup of dates, honey or stevia (optional) adds a hint of sweetness

1. Drain and rinse nuts.  
2. Put half the  nuts and water in blender, Nutribullet, Blend-tec, Vitamix or Ninja.  The mixture expands as you blend it.
3. Blend several minutes until creamy and smooth.  
4. Strain mixture by pouring through cheese cloth or kitchen towel into a large bowl.
5. Put liquid back in blender with the vanilla and your choice of dates, honey or stevia.
6. Store in a glass jar or container in the refrigerator.  Keeps for one week.
7. Save the nut meat, spread on a cookie sheet, dry it in the oven and then put in the blender to make nut flour!

Alright, you go make some nut milk!  I will continue my Moroccan journey.  We walked through the Souk (market) last night on the way home from dinner.  The stands of fruits, nuts and dates were plentiful.  I wish we had these intense markets at home!

We are off to the Atlas mountains this morning.  We will be hiking over the river and through the streams to a village, where we will take in the splendor!  If we are one degree off our course, we will not make it to our destination.

Stay on course!  One Degree of Change at a time!

PS. sorry no pictures, limited wifi and couldn't post with my tablet!