Product of the Week: Hemp Milk

Being on an Elimination Diet can be difficult for people who love Milk. Taking Dairy out of a child's diet is not recommended because Cow's Milk is similar to Breast Milk in the sense that it is full of Calcium And Vitamin D. Calcium plays a huge role in Bone development, and Vitamin D in Brain development. Needless to say, switching to a Non-Dairy Milk should not be done casually. When it comes to a child's development you must be considerate of all nutritional values.

Here's a list of Dairy replacements:

• Rice Milk
• Soy Milk
• Almond Milk
• Coconut Milk
• Hemp Milk

I broke each one down, did some research, and good old fashion comparison of Nutrition Labels and here's what I found. Rice Milk has literally no nutritional value. It's packed with Carbohydrates and lacks Protein as well as Vitamins and Minerals essential to a child's development. Soy is not the drink of choice because it's full of Fat and again, lacks Protein, Calcium and other vital nutrients. Almond Milk is a great choice, it has the same Calcium and Vitamin D content as Cow's Milk. Two problems with Almond Milk though. 1) It lacks Calories, 30 calories just doesn't cut it for the kiddos (For an adult it's great though). And 2) Almond Milk is not recommended for people on an Elimination Diet because it contains Tree-Nuts. Other than the allergy part of it, Tree-Nuts can cause inflammation in the digestive tract. Almond Milk is not recommended for people with Auto-Immune Disease, Eosinophilic Disorder, or Inflammatory problems. So, that leaves us with Coconut Milk and Hemp Milk. Coconut Milk, like Rice Milk lacks nutrition. It does contain lots of great Fatty Acids, but it's also full of Sugar. Not a good choice when substituting Milk in a toddlers sippy cup. However, Coconut Milk is great for baking!!!! Unlike Almond Milk, Coconut is not considered a tree-nut. It's hypoallergenic and was recommended by my Allergist!

Since the Elimination Diet excludes Soy, Dairy, and Almond Milk, and both Coconut and Rice Milk are unhealthy,  what do I replace Cow's Milk with for my little tot? I present to you....

Hemp Milk!

Full of Calcium and Vitamin D, in fact it has as much as Cows Milk! It contains Protein, lots of great Fatty Acids, and comes in a Vanilla flavor that does NOT contain processed Sugar! What?! I'm not kidding. See for yourself. 

I purchased mine at Sprouts, but if you don't have a Sprouts in your hometown here is a link for you to order. Pacific Hemp Milk.

No Sugar and only 1 gram of Carbs!!!!! Sweetened with Natural Vanilla! Wait, did you see it has 70 Calories and is full of Healthy Fats? That's a Caloric equivalent to Cow's Milk and twice as much as Almond Milk. Better than Cow's Milk though, it is Healthy Fat, not full of Cholesterol. I thought I died and went to Heaven when I found this for Zachy. It gets better, the taste is wonderful! He drinks about 2 sippy cups a day of this stuff. I can rest assure he is getting proper nutrients to foster Bone and Brain development. Yes, Vitamin  D helps stimulate brain development. Cheers to the smart kids that this stuff is helping create! 

One very funny question I was asked by someone, was whether or not you can get high from drinking it. Although hemp is from the Marijuana plant, it does not contain THC. So, whether that is good news or bad news for you, it's the truth. No getting high here. 

The last note before I leave for today... Because it is made from a seed, it has an oil that will separate from the grain. Make sure you give the carton a good shake before pouring. And if you re-refrigerate sippy cups like I do...Shake it well before giving it to your child. 

There you have it. The product of the week. I will keep them coming!