Almond Milk

Almond milk is an excellent dairy substitute to be used in shakes or meal replacements with the addition of protein powders, fruits and juices. Freshly made almond milk tastes better, has more nutrients and does not contain any suspicious ingredients other than water and almonds. In all cartons of almond milk, even those labeled as organic, besides a weak and watery mixture of almond milk you also get: cane sugar or some other form of sugar, sea salt (why add salt and sugar together), locust bean gum (a gelling agent), sunflower lecithin (fat), gellan gum (another gelling agent), or carageenan (another thickener allowed in organic foods in the US but banned in Europe), plus an added vitamin or two which are completely unnecessary. Organic isn't always the best but home made with pure and natural ingredients certainly is.

Ingredients for almond milk: 4 cups

1 cup almonds

4 dates

3 cups water

1. Soak almonds overnight in a large cup of water with the dates. 2. Blend almonds, dates and water in a blender for a minute. 3. Use a cheese cloth to separate the liquid from the solids then squeeze out as much of the milk as you can into a bowl. 4. Transfer your fresh almond milk into a glass bottle or jar and refrigerate. 5. Refrigerate the left over pulp as well (you can leave it in the cheese cloth) so that it dries out and then transfer into a small jar. This delicious and insanely nutritious blend of almond bits, skin and date pulp (all dry the next day) can be eaten with yoghurt as an almond granola, bread mix, mixed in with cake batter, any cookie mix or as a topping in your morning cereal. You can keep almond milk and meal in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.  Make sure you shake the milk before drinking or blending into a satisfying and delicious smoothie. 

Cool Cucumber

Cucumbers are available during late spring and throughout summer. Cucumbers are 95% water, so during summertime when our body requires more than it's usual intake of liquids, they hydrate and cool the body whether eaten whole or juiced. They replenish the body with vitamins and electrolytes, adding many essential nutrients lost during dehydration. The high water content and dietary fiber in this super vegetable is very effective in ridding the body of toxins from the digestive system and aiding in digestion. Daily consumption of this vegetable is good for constipation, reduction of bad cholesterol and controlling blood pressure.

I don't regularly add tomatoes to my cucumber juice but this particular tomato (pictured above) looked so delicious that it was just aching to be juiced! To my usual combination of cucumbers and lemon I top with a few mint leaves and a touch of black rock salt. If you're extremely serious about your juice add a spoonful of spirulina powder for a double dose of nutrients. Personally an addition of spirulina tastes incredible with the cucumber and mint mix.

It’s best to leave the skins on when juicing most fruits and vegetables as this is where most of the nutritional value lies. Seeds and skin are a great source for essential oils and nutrition that are sadly neglected from juicing. Avoid apple seeds as they contain small levels of cyanide which isn't particularly harmful if you ingest a few seeds now and again. For juicing to happen on an optimum level I advise investing in a good quality juicer. A great  juicer should have the capability to juice leafy greens. If you can find one that does then it will be a friend for many years as juicing greens more than fruits is the secret to your vitality and health.

Cool cucumber juice blend:

2 large cucumbers with skin

1/2 lemon/lime with skin

a few mint leaves added later to the glass of juice

touch of black sea salt

1 tablespoon spirulina powder (if you like but not necessary)

Detox Morning Juice

Some tips that I have collected over the years through personal studies, friends and or health nuts for juicing are quite valuable. For example, did you know that the best time to drink a glass of fresh juice is early in the morning, when your body is ready to absorb the most nutrients? It's also best to juice mostly vegetables. Use vegetables with a low sugar content so they will not cause spikes in your blood sugar as too much sugar can lead to a Candida overgrowth in your stomach which can be quite disastrous for your daily well being. Some symptoms of Candida overgrowth are: fatigue even after a full night's sleep, yearning for caffeine as an energy booster, yeast infections, irritability, gas, constipation, bloating and acid reflux amongst others.

Ingredients:

5 medium sized carrots (do not peel) 

2 medium sized whole beets

1/2 green apple

some ginger with skin

small piece of raw turmeric root

Do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes after drinking this juice for it to benefit your system. Ginger, turmeric and beet are known to be blood purifiers. Carrots contain a pigment called carotenoid which has hundreds if not thousands of phytonutrients with cancer fighting properties. These roots and vegetables are full of fiber which remove impacted wastes from the lining of the colon and allow for the maximum absorption of nutrients.