Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to us in October, a time when the cooling weather and change in seasonal produce lead us to reach for our favorite fall comfort foods. Spiced ciders, doughnuts, and pumpkin everything are a few of the season’s best indulgences, but as indulgences they should remain, or we’ll find ourselves entering the holidays with bloated stomachs and ill-fitting clothes.
Nut milks have gained increasing popularity over the past several years as a healthy dairy alternative. The connection between dairy and breast cancer, as either a protective or harmful food group remain unclear, and although it appears safe for women to consume at least a limited amount of these foods, substituting some of the cow’s milk in the diet with nut milks is a proactive move towards eating a mostly plant-based diet. Nut milks sold in most grocery and health food stores are decent – I’ve found the Brooklyn-based OMilk to be the tastiest and healthiest I’ve tried. But a number of popular brands include additives, thickeners, and sugar, which take away from their taste and quality. Additionally, in order to reduce calories, many of these products have removed some of the healthy fats found naturally in nuts.
Homemade nut milk is surprisingly easy to create and incredibly delicious. Though some of you may scoff at the concept (who has time for that??), take my word: it’s worth the effort. Additionally, the nuts and spices in homemade nut milk offer a host of nutritional benefits, aside from their fall-comfort-provoking flavors. You may even find yourself less apt to reach for that notorious sugar-loaded Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is awfully tempting this time of year…
This nut milk recipe is delicious in coffee, cold or hot as a spiced beverage, or used in cereals such as this. I use a combination of nuts and spices each with their own unique health promoting qualities. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg each have anti-inflammatory, digestive, antibacterial, and NF-kB regulating properties. (NF-kB is associated with inflammation and tumor growth promotion.) Nutmeg also contains myristicin, which is thought to have cancer preventive effects. Walnuts are another anti-inflammatory food and one of the few plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids. They also contain a compound called ellagic acid that has shown some promise in laboratory studies for reducing the effect of estrogen in breast cancer growth. Lastly, cashews are a rich source of oleic acid, which is the monounsaturated fat in olive oil associated with a regulation in breast cancer cells.
Whether nut milk is something you’ll try or not, use this month to think about what you are willing to do improve your health. Take walks in cozy sweaters, cook up the seasonal produce, and think about the women who have inspired us.
Fall-Spiced Nut Milk
- 1 ½ cups raw, unsalted walnuts and cashews (I use more walnuts than cashews)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups water
Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix* or other high-powered blender (see instructions for regular blenders below). Blend on high speed for about 10 minutes, until the milk is well combined. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated. This milk keeps from about 5 days – 1 week. Note that the milk tends to separate because there are no added emulsifiers. Do not ne alarmed by this! Simply shake, and drink up.
*This recipe requires a Vitamix or other high performance blender. If you do not have one of these, I recommend soaking the nuts overnight then straining them before blending with water. After blending well, strain the nut milk through cheesecloth and firmly squeeze out all the liquid from the pulp. Mix in the spices and seasonings, and store in an airtight container.
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Alexandra Rothwell, RD, CSO, CDN, is a registered dietitian and specialist in oncology nutrition. She has worked within the Tisch Cancer Institute for the past 3 years, now focusing on breast cancer nutrition for the Dubin Breast Center. Alexandra provides individual counseling in the areas of wellness, weight management and symptom/side effect management, in addition to creating patient education programs in this realm.