Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Two part question:

Am under the impression that most almond milk is made from blanched almonds. Is this true in all cases?

Anyone know of an almond butter made exclusively from blanched almonds?

Eat almond butter as a once a week treat, and am looking for a blanched version to avoid certain things in almond skin. I sometimes use almond milk to make paleo/primal custard.

flag	asked Feb 7 2011 at 2:19 TheOriginalKaz 869●2●8

Paleo_Hutch · Answer 1 · 2011-07-08 20:46:31Z UTC

Hi, found this question as I had a related question about Almond Milk in another post. An answer there suggested making your own milk. We've done it and it's very simple. As ChronicHope says.

An alternative recipe though, courtesy of Mark Sissons, is:

Soak 1 cup raw almonds over night in cold water. Leave it on the counter covered not in the fridge.
The next day discard the water and drop almonds in boiling water for 20 seconds or so. Remove from water and the skin will easily peel away.-
Next put the almonds in a blender and add enough cold water to desired consistency, about 1-2 cups should do it.

You could then use it as it is at this stage but I strain mine through a cheese cloth to make a smoother milk.

ChronicHope · Answer 2 · 2011-02-20 04:59:49Z UTC

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It's very easy to make your own almond milk. I just soaked ground almonds overnight and it came out great. With that being so simple I'd really go the DIY route if I was concerned about how it was processed.

answered Feb 20 2011 at 4:59

ChronicHope
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Tina · Answer 3 · 2011-08-30 19:47:22Z UTC

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Almondie almond butter. I have a paralyzed digestive tract and have horrendous reflux & malnutrition. Almondie tames the acid & helps me maintain weight.

answered Aug 30 2011 at 19:47

Tina
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Thanks Tina, I actually found this and tried it a couple months ago. Only complaint is they need a chunky version, I guess without the skins included almond butter becomes very low viscosity. – TheOriginalKaz Sep 26 2011 at 0:35

Jack Kronk · Answer 4 · 2011-02-14 18:13:29Z UTC

i dunno what 'certain things' is, but soaking/sprouting the almonds (with the skin) and then dehydrating drastically reduces the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. almonds are very rich in minerals and nutrients.

then i just make homemade almond pecan butter with the raw sprouted nuts. and i eat a big spoonful pretty much daily. i don't see a problem with the o-6 poly content, since most of the nut fat is monounsaturated anyway and i get a good amount of o-3 from natural foods like salmon, sardines, eggs, pasture butter, cod liver oil.

TheOriginalKaz · Answer 5 · 2011-02-19 23:38:54Z UTC

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Jack, thanks for the reply. Actually, I am concerned about sitosterols and their potential adverse effects on the endocrine and neuro-endocrine systems. Sitosterol levels are sky high in . . . wait for it . . . vegetable oils (canola is the worst, any minimally processed or expeller pressed vegetable oil will have high levels). Some nuts have high levels as well, notably pistachios and the outer skins of almonds. Thus the search, may have to make my own almond butter from blanched (skinned) almonds.

answered Feb 19 2011 at 23:38

TheOriginalKaz
869●2●8

	hmmm.. that's very interesting. i've never been particularly concerned abut the levels of beta-sitosterols in almonds. i mean, i definitely do not ever eat canola oil or any vegetable oils, so i'm with you on that, but is there a real reason for your concern about the potential effects on the endocrine and neuro-endocrine systems? most of the info i've read about sitosterols leaned more toward positive than negative, but i will leave room for me to be off base here. – Jack Kronk Feb 20 2011 at 2:45
	Jack, just like say selenium, too much may be no good. Sitosterols are suspected to downregulate 5a-reductase type 2. That same enzyme is critical to the synthesis of allopregnanolone and THDOC in the brain. Have a half dozen references to point to, needs its own thread - but see this discussion for some background: millerarts.com/discuss/… – TheOriginalKaz Feb 23 2011 at 1:30

TheOriginalKaz · Answer 6 · 2011-03-26 14:39:02Z UTC

Not sure answering my own question is ok, but I did contact a major U.S. producer of almond milk recently. While they did not want to be quoted on the record, they did indicate that their almond milk was made from skinned almonds, which makes sense (including the skins would make the milk darker I would think).

Still looking for a source of almond butter made from blanched or skinned almonds. It is only a weekend treat, but the search continues. Guess I should take the suggestion above and learn to make my own.

Shawn · Answer 7 · 2011-08-31 01:04:45Z UTC

I think you could easily make your own. I haven't made Almond Butter for some time, but when I did, the almonds were blanched. I posted my formula for Almond Milk at MDA not too long ago which uses blanched almonds and coconut water. I usually buy them pre-blanched.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups whole blanched almonds
4 cups water (I use coconut water, but price is a factor so filtered water works fine)
extra water for soaking

Hardware: Blender, Strainer, Cheesecloth or Nut Milk Bag

Soak almonds overnight
Strain almonds (discard soak water)
Place in blender with about 1.5 cups water of choice, blend to a nice paste. 3b. NOTE - I do not sweeten or flavor my almond milk, but you could add honey, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa etc at this point.
Add the remaining water and blend completely - 3 - 4 minutes depending on power of blender
Strain this milk through several layers of cheese cloth or even a nut milk bag (check amazon). This is key because a strainer will not filter enough of the nut meal out of your smooth milk.
SQUEEEEEEZE the milk through this cloth into a new container.
Profit!

The meal left over can be dried out in a low heat oven and used in place of almond meal.--

Almond milk or butter made from blanched almonds only?

7 Answers