Almond Pista Milk « Arun Shanbhag

Almond Pista Milk

September 9, 2007 by Arun Shanbhag

Last year on my return from the Kailash Manasarovar yatra, I had a severe case of acid reflux which was affecting my throat and vocal chords. Apparently, eating foods cooked in an unknown quality of oils and lying in sleeping bags (without pillow) can cause this. Of course, my intense running also brings up stomach acid and aggravates it. In addition to medications and other dietary changes, my doctor recommended that I stop drinking coffee! I could not imagine starting my day without a double shot of espresso. But I loved running more. So for several months I drank green tea in the mornings (and yawned at my desk). I came upon Masala Milk Mix in the grocery store and loved its refreshing taste. My mother noted that it was easy to make the powder at home and that got me started on grinding my own Badam Pista Milk Mix.

Now, I start my day with a warm cup of Badam Pista Dudh. I still drink about half a cup of coffee after lunch. My acidity problems have been essentially resolved and I feel great.

Easy to make.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup almonds (roasted, unsalted)
1 cup shelled pistachios (roasted, unsalted)
seeds of 30 cardamom cloves (about 2 teaspoons of seeds)
1 teaspoon kesar (saffron)

To prepare:

Grind almonds, pista and cardamom seeds, separately in a dry grinder
Add kesar at the very end by simply crumpling it with fingers
Mix well and store in a dry cool place.

To make Badam Pista Milk:

1/2 teaspoon of powder
1 cup of milk; 1% low fat!
microwave for 2 minutes.
For sweetening, I use a teaspoon of kolhapuri jaggery, instead of sugar. Jaggery thickens the milk, and has a lower glycemic index. Thus you avoid the sugar high and is particularly good for diabetics.

Early mornings as I sip the badam milk, I do my floor stretches. Rejuvenated, I am ready for the day!

Health benefits of Almonds and Pistachios:
Everyone touts the health benefits of almonds, but I was pleasantly surprised to find good scientific data indicating these nuts do indeed improve cardiovascular health. A daily snack of almonds is effective in lowering Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) the bad cholesterol, by upto 16%. Pistachios increase High Density Cholesterol (HDL) the good cholesterol; and both these nuts lower total cholesterol. I have provided links to a few references below.

References:

Effect of Pistachio Nuts on Serum Lipid Levels in Patients with Moderate Hypercholesterolemia
Pistachio Nut Consumption and Serum Lipid Levels
Nuts and Plasma Lipids: An Almond-Based Diet Lowers LDL-C while Preserving HDL-C”
Effects of Plant-Based Diets High in Raw or Roasted Almonds, or Roasted Almond Butter on Serum Lipoproteins in Humans
Critical Review: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Nuts on Blood Lipid Profiles in Humans

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Posted in Fitness, Food, Health, Recipes | 31 Comments

31 Responses to “Almond Pista Milk”

on September 9, 2007 at 10:40 pm1 mona1610

Thanks for the recipe! Do you grind the almonds with the skin or peel it off (after soaking in milk/water) ? Masala milk brings so many childhood memories. Mum used to make some after we came home drenched from soaking in the first rains!
on September 9, 2007 at 11:27 pm2 Arun Shanbhag

Hi Mona -
Glad this brought back fond memories. I grind almond whole with the skin. BTW, these are roasted almonds and I additionally warm them to remove moisture and make them easier to grind. Ditto with the shelled pistachios. Hope you get to make the mix and please share your experience.
on September 9, 2007 at 11:38 pm3 Katie

Mmm. This drink sounds lovely. I’ll have to try it.
on September 9, 2007 at 11:58 pm4 Arun Shanbhag

Katie
Give it a try. Premade mixes are readily available at any of the Indian grocery stores in Cambridge. Try and see if you like the taste.
on September 10, 2007 at 12:22 am5 shalu

aaah, brings back sweet memories, this does. haven’t had a wholesome cuppa of this brew in ages. i will assemble the mix today itself! milk is acidic- does this concoction have a basic pH? i’m going to look up each of these references, thanks. you know, i had a bad case of acid reflux too. mercifully, post Ph.D. and post moving to bangalore, it just went away on its own. i still have trigger factors like raw onions and aerated drinks but i’m essentially reflux free. thankfully i’m addicted to green tea and not coffee in the mornings
on September 10, 2007 at 12:48 am6 Arun Shanbhag

hi Shalu -
Let me know how your mix turns out. BTW, for variation you could add cashewnuts and even a hint of nutmeg!

Milk is only slightly acidic (pH ~ 6.7) and it has a large buffering capacity due to milk proteins. So it does ‘calm’ the stomach acidity, which can reach pH 3 - 4. Importantly, milk does not trigger stomach acid production; For me - “Garam Masala” (likely cloves and cinnamon in it) is the primary trigger, so I avoid it. Also tomato sauces used with pasta, is a big no-no!
Stress is an important trigger for acidity and could have caused your acidity issues during the PhD. Congratulations! what in?

Lucky you! You will live long with that green tea!

PS, the references are pretty good, but not large multi-center trials - but they make the point well.
on September 10, 2007 at 1:12 am7 Entropy

As such, interesting & inspiring blog in terms of range & depth of contents and presentation.. will certainly, visit again to read, share & explore..
on September 10, 2007 at 1:50 am8 Arun Shanbhag

Thanks Entropy (Deepak?)
you have a nice site too. Nice place in pune! Browse and enjoy to your heart’s content.
on September 10, 2007 at 5:16 am9 Rachna

Hey Arun… love this badam pista milk…yummy…

wat is kohlapuri jaggery… so can i replace my bown sugar with jaggery in my tea?… to help regulate my weight… if it helps so much and doesnt give the sugar high im trying to control…

my dad has always vouched for badam and even badam rogan… he blanches them and pops a few in his mouth (like pills) as a daily medicine!!!

love the pic with the cute cups too
on September 10, 2007 at 5:46 am10 Arun Shanbhag

Hi Rachna:
Kolhapuri jaggery is just a brand name of jaggery from Kolhapur (one of the largest sugar producing districts in Maharashtra). The brand we get here is labelled “Kolhapuri Jaggery.” But all jaggery should work. Yes, you could easily replace the brown sugar with the jaggery in tea. Actually in rural karnataka, they only use jaggery for their tea and coffee, coz it is cheaper!
The jaggery does change the taste slightly - I like it better; it makes the tea thicker and a more ‘broader’ taste.

I keep the jaggery in a jar on the counter and use a spoon to scrape out a teaspoon (roughly equals 2 teaspoons of sugar). Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Your father is wise. About a handfull of almonds a day can reduce cholesterol and also contains important anti-oxidants.

BTW, was referring to your pedas on another site. See this thread! Hope you didn’t mind! :-))
on September 10, 2007 at 6:46 am11 Asha

Hope you recovered completely from Acid reflux Arun, it can do some damage if severe. I don’t eat anything after 6.30pm to give the body to process before we sleep.
Pista Badam milk look wonderful.We make Badami Halu with Obbattu, don’t we? Addition of Pista makes it yum, and colorful.Enjoy,take care:))
on September 10, 2007 at 7:46 am12 Arun Shanbhag

Asha -
you are supposed to be resting, no? thanks for taking the time to browse. Yes, my acid reflux is ‘nearly’ taken care of. Apparently, distance running and the acidic gatorade I drink is not good. Will have to find something to substitute for the gatorade.
Sensible rule you have about not eating after 6:30pm.
Ohhhh! Obbattu! Just received a package of obbattu from mom! (may she live long!). I generally douse it with warm tuup and eat; but should try it the traditional way too. Thanks!
and hope you are recovering well.
on September 10, 2007 at 7:49 am13 bill

Excellent, absolutely fabulous
on September 10, 2007 at 8:27 am14 Arun Shanbhag

Enjoy it Bill! Great after a workout!
on September 10, 2007 at 9:31 am15 Sirisha Kilambi

Nice one Arun…….looks yummmm
on September 10, 2007 at 10:30 am16 Arun Shanbhag

Thank you Sirisha! Enjoy!
on September 10, 2007 at 11:43 am17 Dove

Wow, looks/sounds delish… I’m not big on recipes though, lol I’m glad I can just get it my almond milk ready-made at the local co-op I eat lotsa nuts/seeds daily, but I don’t know that much about pistachios… As I understand, almonds are alkaline, so I try to eat them more, along with my almond milk (which I’m hoping is alkaline)…and I eat them when I’m eating something I know to be pretty acidic, like egg whites, oats, beans… I’ve recently starting eating a few brazil nuts here and there, I read that just a couple of ‘em pack a good supply of selenium. Cardamom is a wonderful thing to add to the diet, as well cinnamon (helps blood sugar) and coriander — they counter a lot of the “baddies”

I need to find me a guy who’s into recipes, lol…and would just adore mixin’ me up stuff like this mah-vuh-lous-sounding milk

Dove
on September 10, 2007 at 8:23 pm18 Arun Shanbhag

Dove - you are wonderfully enthusiastic about foods! You seem to have a very healthy diet - rich in nuts, oats and beans. Kudos for having the discipline to keep to it.
And almond milk at the local co-op? Lucky you!
A local farm house here does stock banana milk, but it is in ‘whole’ milk’

I love cardamom - really adds that extra zest to desserts (even to icecream).

If you have an indian grocery store nearby, they prolly have a ready mix powder of this which you just have to mix in milk and warm it up.

BTW, interesting stuff on your site! Need to spend more time.
Best and thanks for browsing!.
arun
on September 10, 2007 at 10:38 pm19 thorkhild

the cups look like the real ones!
on September 10, 2007 at 10:47 pm20 Arun Shanbhag

Tatiana -
Thank you. We love those cups!
on September 11, 2007 at 2:47 am21 Rachna

Arun, it would be an honour for me …that you find my humble pedas worth discussing!! … the link took me to a dead end though…
on September 11, 2007 at 5:58 am22 Arun Shanbhag

Sorry Rachna - just realized it was part of a friend’s ‘private’ post. Oops! We were only saying how it is making us drool and think of pedas, only! :-))
on September 12, 2007 at 2:40 am23 lathanarasimhan

I din’t know you post recipes too! Badam milk is good for health!Your kailash yatra is amazing!
on September 12, 2007 at 1:17 pm24 Arun Shanbhag

Hi Latha:
you are right, I generally don’t, but I have been inspired by all the food blogs of you and your friends and wanted to share this which I am passionate about.
yes, that Kailash yatra was a once in a lifetime experience. the vistas are stunning. Thanks for visiting!
::a::
on September 14, 2007 at 6:38 pm25 Priya

The kesar-badam mix sounds really yumm…I used to love it, but someone mentioned its too fatty 1% milk and 1/2 tsp of the mix definitely does not sound like too much harm to me Thank you soo much for the recipe
on September 15, 2007 at 8:43 am26 Arun Shanbhag

Hi Priya:
The readymade mixes do contain a lot of sugar. The ones I make are very healthy. See some of the scientific papers I referenced; they recommend a daily intake of ~ 15 grams (a handful) of nuts each day. When mixed with 1% fat milk, there is only goodness in it. And it is so refreshing in the morning! Give it a try!
I cut other things out of my diet, such as muffins, pizza, bagels etc, which are far more harmful for you!
Have a wonderful Ganesh Chaturthi!
on November 7, 2007 at 11:11 am27 VegeYum

Oh I am so glad that you led me to this post. I am going to make this on the weekend. It sounds as though it would also be a wonderful night time drink.

I love the taste of jaggery. I dont use sugar a lot at all, but use jaggery almost exclusively when I do need some. White sugar in my place is only for visitors.

Good luck with your acidity problems. Sounds like there was a lot in your diet that needed correcting, and wonderful that you were given a chance to.

Glad that you liked my posts on teas too. I do love my saffron tea.
on November 7, 2007 at 11:38 am28 Golden Saffron Spiced Tea and the Four Cs of Spices « A Life (Time) of Cooking

[...] Drink! Enjoy! Also have a look at: Saffron Almond Milk(Badam Pista [...]
on November 7, 2007 at 12:25 pm29 VegeYum

Oh, also, I love your teacups!
on November 7, 2007 at 9:29 pm30 Arun Shanbhag

Jennifer - yes, you can drink it a bedtime too, but not recommended as it has the jaggery.
Yes, I now have a tin of jaggery on the counter for all my drinks! I like it. Also, it feels so much more closer to ‘organic’ than the superprocessed white sugar.

my marathon training aggravate the acidity, but after wathing my diet closely has helped it immensely. I also feel i am eating more healthy stuff.

Heh, see this post on the making of jaggery!
http://arunshanbhag.com/2005/10/24/sugarcane-fields-making-jaggery/
on May 4, 2008 at 9:48 pm31 Tulip Mania « Arun Shanbhag

[...] drizzly and cold. Snuggled under the goose down till well past waking time; sipped some warm almond milk and crawled back [...]