1 Chai Tea Bag
16 ounces vanilla almond milk (or coconut milk)
Few drops of liquid stevia (or Truvia to taste)
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Starbuck's Chai Latte = 315 calories, 39 carbs, 0 fiber, 37g sugar
"Healified" Chai Latte = 80 Calories, 4 carbs, 2 fiber, 0 sugar
For those of you who think you are doing yourself a favor by drinking soy, think again. Many people are becoming aware of the health problems connected with pasteurized dairy products, so a lot of people are turning to milk substitutes like soy and rice milk. But they both have some issues too.
Soy and rice milk often contain polyunsaturated vegetable oils which contributes to an imbalance of essential fatty acids in your body. A chronic imbalance of these fatty acids caused by regular consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oils is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Polyunsaturated fats that contribute to this harmful imbalance are found in corn, soybean, sunflower, and cottonseed oils...pretty much everything on the grocery store shelf. Some brands of soy and rice milk also contain rice syrup, evaporated cane juice, or some other natural sweetener. Natural or not, most sweeteners put significant stress on your pancreas and liver. They also raise your insulin levels, which significantly increases your risk of suffering from unhealthy weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, premature aging, and several other negative side effects. While small amounts of fermented forms of soy like miso, tempeh, and natto can be okay choices for some people, non-fermented soy products can cause a variety of health problems if consumed in large quantities on a regular basis, including changing our estrogen levels. A jail was recently in big trouble because they were feeding the prisoners soy meat, milk, soy butter...you name it, they were trying to decrease the testosterone in the prisoners!
You can make a rich and creamy alternative to cow’s, soy, and rice milk with raw almonds and a good blender.
All-Natural Almond Milk
1 1/2 cups of raw almonds, soaked in water overnight
4 cups of filtered or spring water
Blend 1 ½ cups of raw almonds that have been soaked overnight in 4 cups of water. Blend with pure vanilla extract if you like your milk with a hint of sweetness. Strain once to remove almond granules. The result is a delicious, creamy milk that is free of harmful vegetable oil, and sweeteners. It can be stored safely for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
