oat milk

I have been making oat milk lately, as buying almonds and hazelnuts to make nut butter and then making nut milk can become quite expensive.

In minutes, you can produce plant-based milk that is fresh, delicious and rich in nutrients and enzymes.  The soy, almond, rice, oats or hemp ‘milk’ sold in boxes contain synthetic vitamins to “enrich” (such as Vitamin A Palmitate, calcium carbonate, Vitamin D2, etc.).  These have been shown to deplete your body of the vitamins it needs and keep your body from ingesting the naturally occurring vitamins in the almonds, oats, or coconut milk.  These kinds of milk are very nutritious without the added isolated vitamins.  Also, the extremely high heat processing in making these store-bought milk renders the contents ‘dead’ and quite hard for the body to utilize.

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benefits and uses

Oat milk is high in fibre and iron.  It also provides many important vitamins and minerals, including manganese, potassium, phosphorus, and many B vitamins, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A.

Oats have long been known for their warming, thermal nature, sweet taste, and soothing and restoring properties. They also have skin-clearing properties, and drinking oat milk has been known to clear acne, improve the overall health of the skin, and strengthen and repair hair.

I use the left-over oat pulp mixed with a little warm water for a face and body scrub in my morning shower. It rejuvenates and relieves dry and itching skin (a pitta imbalance), leaving my skin feeling soft and silky.

oat milk

FRESH OAT MILK

Oat milk has a very soothing oat flavour, which I like, but unlike regular nut milk, it has a pasty texture. (Refer to Francis’s comments below to avoid this by sprouting!) Because of this, I am less likely to drink it straight, but it’s perfect for a green smoothie, baking, or pouring over porridge. If you want the milk to be creamier, you can experiment with adding less water. This ratio below was my favourite.

ingredients

1 cup organic whole oat groats

4 cups filtered water

equipment

1 piece of nut bag/muslin for a fine sieve

1 large glass container

pre-soak

  1. Place the oat groats in a bowl, cover with twice the amount of water and leave to soak for 6 -8 hours or overnight.

preparation

  1. Rinse well and place in a blender with 4 cups of filtered water. Blend on high for 1 minute.
  2. Place the nut bag or cloth over a wide-mouth jug and pour the blended mixture into it; strain the milk until only the pulp is left. Use your hand to squeeze out the last of the milk.
  3. Pour into a sterilised glass jar.

Homemade milk does separate, so give it a very good shake before using it. The milk keeps for about three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

oat milk

References:

‘Earthly and Divine’ by Eva Cabaca

‘Healing with Whole Foods’ by Paul Pitchford

https://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-benefits-of-oat-milk-and-how-to-make-it-yourself.html

Goodness shared from Stacey