Dairy-free "milk" is made by soaking (usually 12-24 hours - which makes them easier to digest and increases the nutrition because they also sprout), then blending, nuts/seeds/grains with water in a high-speed blender. Once blended, you separate the pulp from the liquid in a nut milk bag (or other finely woven food-grade cloth). You can order nut milk bags at Amazon.com. The remaining milk is good for 3-5 days, but has a much shorter refrigerator life than cow's milk or the commercial version of nut milk. Look at the health benefits and nutrition profile of different foods used for making dairy-free "milk". You will find lots of how-to videos on YouTube. They will vary in the amount of nuts to water ratio, and that's something you can decide for yourself. I make a concentrated form, and will add more water if I need a thinned-down version for cooking or drinking. Some add sweeteners, vanilla, dates, cinnamon, etc. I make and use it "straight", nuts and water. The remaining pulp is also usable. I make cookies, crackers and a granola-like "cereal" with the raw pulp, which is high in fiber and protein. When the pulp is dried in a dehydrator, it works as a substitute flour. Almond pulp, once dried (I also give it a quick zap in a blender to make it a fine flour) is used in recipes calling for almond flour. Coconut milk is made with unsweetened coconut and water. The pulp is dried and finely ground to use for coconut flour. Both almond and coconut flour are popular flours in gluten-free and paleo recipes. You can find many varieties of non-dairy milk available at stores, I just don't like the added ingredients, they are heat processed to make them shelf-stable at the store, which kills the all important enzymes and destroys the healthy fats and nutrients, and the added cost when you compare it to making your own. Make your own nut milks, oat milk, rice milk, etc. Soy is another option, but I consider soy anything BUT healthy and a dangerous food and food additive. You can do your own research and make your own decision about soy, or the health benefits of any of these non-dairy "milks". As with most good-for-you things, when they commercialize these products they add some not-so-good-for-you ingredients such as soy, vegetable oil, carrageenan, synthetic vitamins, flavorings, sweeteners, and they destroy much of the good things during processing. But we have many of the diseases we have because we've gotten away from eating real food. Another real food product I would suggest is homemade kefir. More health benefits than yogurt. The curd is smaller than yogurt curds, so it's easier to digest. And once again, avoid the commercial kefir. It has little in common with kefir made with real kefir grains. Do a little research on milk kefir grains and water kefir grains and the health benefits. And yes, consult a professional, but a professional who knows about real food, not just the accepted protocol using products that are full of chemical vitamins and inorganic minerals. What about the good fats, probiotics, enzymes? Calories don't feed us, nutrition does. -Grainlady

"I WISH I could like the green smoothies but I just don't! Maybe I need to add more fruit to give it a sweeter taste." You could add more fresh fruit and/or dried fruit. An alternative is to give your tastebuds more time to acclimate to the "green" taste. When I first started making smoothies, they had quite a lot of sweeter fruits in them, and a lot of carrot juice. These days, I've not only increased the proportion of vegetables substantially while decreasing the proportion of fruits and sugary vegetables, but I've also switched to lower-sugar fruits, like berries, including unsweetened cranberries. What's interesting is that now, I don't like sweeter smoothies as much. For example, I made one a few days ago with unsweetened pomegranate juice, and it seemed like a dessert to me. golddust, you said this: "I can't believe the difference in my skin. It feels softer and less puffy." The same here. But there's more. How many of you have face creams, eye creams, special creams for nighttime, body creams and lotions? Special ones for feet, for cuticles. For every single body part or so it seems? I realized the other day that I'm no longer using anything. After showering, I always needed the whole gamut of creams and lotions; the same after washing my face, which always felt unpleasantly tight. These days, my skin always feels soft, and no creams or lotions are needed. Of course, I can't scientifically ascribe the change to green smoothies, nor would I. I also can't say it's because of what I now eat, or because of what I no longer eat. It's probably due to a combo of all those factors. (It might well be due to something else entirely, of course.) But whatever, I don't want to estimate the cost of all those partially jars and bottles! Because I doubt I'll ever finish up any of them.

I haven't actually tried this one, but I hope it's what you're looking for. PEACH VINEGAR INGREDIENTS: 2 ripe peaches (about 12 ounces total), peeled, pitted, and chopped 1 cup Japanese brewed rice vinegar, or a good distilled white vinegar with an acid content between 4 and 5 percent 3 Tablespoons sugar PREPARATION: 1. Puree the peaches in a food processor, then pour the puree into a medium-size bowl. (There should be 1 cup of peach puree.) Combine the vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a medium-size saucepan. 2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the vinegar mixture into the peach puree. Let cool. 3. Sterilize a 16-ounce bottle (or two 8-ounce canning jars). Sterilize the cap (or lid) according to the manufacturer's instructions or have ready a clean cork. Skim the foam, if there is any, then strain the vinegar mixture through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. 4. Drain the bottle, then fill with the strained vinegar. Seal with a clean cork (or sterlized lid). Store in a cool, dry place or refrigerate. Variation: Mango-Passion Fruit Vinegar: for the peaches, substitute 3/4 cup mango puree plus the strained pulp of 1 large passion fruit (about 1/4 cup). Proceed with the recipe

12 Questions You Need to Have Answered Before You Eat Splenda From Janet Starr Hull's Health Newsletter, December 2003 The following interview was conducted with Janet Starr Hull on the safety of sucralose found in Splenda. Q: What exactly is Splenda? A: In a simple sentence, you would just as soon have a pesticide in your food as sucralose because sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorocarbon. The chlorocarbons have long been known for causing organ, genetic, and reproductive damage. It should be no surprise, therefore, that the testing of sucralose reveals that it can cause up to 40 percent shrinkage of the thymus: a gland that is the very foundation of our immune system. Sucralose also causes swelling of the liver and kidneys, and CALCIFICATION of the kidney. Note: if you experience kidney pain, cramping, or an irritated bladder after using sucralose in Splenda, stop use immediately. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: So sucralose is not found as a natural compound in nature, like real sugar? A: Absolutely not. No sugar molecule is compounded with chlorine anywhere in nature. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Do you know how it is made in the laboratory? A: I found this information from a statement from the manufacturer, actually. 'Sucralose is made from sugar, but is derived from sucrose (sugar) through a process that selectively substitutes three atoms of chlorine for three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sucrose molecule. No artificial sweetener made in the laboratory is going to be neither natural to the body nor safer than unprocessed sugar', they claim. People need to stop searching for excuses to eat all the junk food they want without penalty. In the long run, no one benefits from this product but the corporations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: The corporate researchers claim that the chlorine atoms are so tightly bound; they create a molecular structure that is exceptionally stable under extreme pH and temperature conditions. Do you agree? A: They are testing these conditions in lab rats, and these types of corporate studies have forced and 'selective' results, in my opinion. Aspartame research is the proof of this! Test these chemicals on a child and see how stable it is--but that would be cruel. So, why then do we buy it and give it to our children? I don't buy into manufacturers' claims when it comes to human beings using ANY man-made chemical. Plus, I have learned over the past 25 years of aspartame research to value independent research above that which is funded by corporations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: The corporations say sucralose is safe. A: They said the same thing about aspartame, and look at the rampant disease and obesity taking over America since aspartame was put into the food supply over 20 years ago. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can sucralose cause cancer? A: Any animal that eats chlorine (especially on a regular basis) is at risk of cancer. The Merk Manuel and OSHA 40 SARA 120 Hazardous Waste Handbook states that chlorine is a carcinogen and emergency procedures should be taken when exposed via swallowing, inhaling, or through the skin. It all depends upon how much you use and how often, your present and past health status, and the degree of other toxins you are putting inside your body. Good luck with this one ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Sucralose has been thoroughly tested, they claim. Actually they have stated that sucralose is the most tested food additive in history. I quote, " ... more than 100 studies on the safety of sucralose designed to meet the highest scientific standards have been conducted and evaluated over the course of 20 years. " A: I don't believe that for a second. They stated verbatim the same thing about aspartame. We are looking at the same scenario in so many ways. As with NutraSweet, no human studies, corporate payrolled researchers, selective result reporting, government involvement and personal financial interests and controlled media. I will say that sucralose is not as dangerous as aspartame. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Splenda is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar. How can that be? A: As I stated before, the product is a forced product, not a natural sugar the body uses for fuel. People forget that sweetness is a by-product of foods--a bonus so to say. Forced sweetness, revved-up sweetness, and artificial sweetness--all altered foods that are a trap for people to get addicted to the sweeter tastes. People with eating disorders, children who are just learning about food, and people with illnesses are all being 'sold a bill of rubbish' in my opinion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: The manufacturer claims sucralose doesn't react with other substances in the body and is not broken down in the body. A: They claimed the same thing about saccharin, even though I feel saccharin is the only artificial sweetener with true merit. To answer your question, if the body is digesting properly, anything you put into the body will be assimilated. If it happens to be rancid, the stomach will throw it out immediately by vomiting or diarrhea. It is totally out of the realm of biological science to think the body will not immediately attack a toxic chemical. Henceforth, migraines from aspartame and diarrhea from Splenda. Now, to add a note to this: if the body is fed an indigestible product such as plastic (like in margarine) that it is incapable of dissolving through normal digestion, it will pass through undigested (if it doesn't get stuck in the gall bladder, that is.) So, if sucralose is indigestible due to its laboratory compounding, then we have yet another serious health problem to consider, don't you think? Technology is great, but we sure don't need to be eating it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and government food authority committees and the Health Ministries in countries such as Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, and Brazil have confirmed the safety of sucralose. So have the countries of Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, Romania, Lebanon, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Tajikistan, China, South Africa, and Tanzania. What do you think of all these countries confirming Splenda's safety? A: The history of aspartame has unfortunately proven that individuals within government agencies cannot and should not be trusted to make such empowering public decisions behind closed doors. Now, re-read this list of countries ... Mexico, Jamaica, Tajikistan and Tanzania? These are the countries in which Splenda is now marketed? (See the final question.) As an international geographer, I can comfortably say that these countries are not nations with the same technology and mass marketing strategies to be compared with the United States. These countries are more concerned with birth control, food staples, hostile take-overs, and drought--not diet sweeteners. Compare apples to apples. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Is sucralose safe for children? A: The manufacturer actually made this statement for disclosure: "One should note, however, that foods made with low-calorie sweeteners are not normally a recommended part of a child's diet, since calories are important to a growing child's body." Pay attention ... Children should not be encouraged to grow up on fake foods. But just like cigarettes and alcohol, do what I say and not what I do? And we wonder why the younger generation is angry, ill, and ridden with ADD/ADHD and diabetes?? How many kids do you see taking a sip of mom or brother's diet cola?