Mothers Intuition

Have you ever had an instinct? An instinct that begins as a gnawing...Then grows into a raging burn; a burning instinct that something is wrong...

Your baby continues to get sick from the very foods he is supposed to thrive on. I did. I am a mom of a little boy just diagnosed with FPIES.

And that burning feeling now? Extinguished. My instincts? Stronger than ever. Guiding me, with my faith, as we navigate through the murky waters of our new world created by something called FPIES.

"Faith is not about everything turning out OK; Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out."

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Hemp Milk


Hemp milk:

You will need:  
5-6cups of spring water
1 cup Hemp hearts (divided into 2, 1/2cup servings)
Sturdy/safe container to soak seeds in
Strong blender, such as a Vitamix 
Refrigerator and time

To make milk: 
1. Put 5-6cups of spring water in a safe container (sometimes I use the large gallon jar pictured here, other times I simply soak in my vitamix). 
2. Add 1/2 cup of shelled hemp seeds/hemp hearts (I use Manitoba Harvest and typically just buy right from their site, because it is my son's main source of nutrition for so long, we buy it by the 5lb tub!)
3. Soak, and refrigerate for minimum 3hrs (I have experimented with the soaking time and do not know if there is anything scientific to it but have found 12hrs to be best soaking time for my needs).   
4. Mix with high powered blender (such as a Vitamix) for 2-4minutes on high (start on low, work up to high)  
5. Add 1/2cup of shelled hemp seeds/ hemp hearts and refrigerate and repeat steps 2-4.
6. Pour and serve. 

Total time: 24hrs. 
Total volume: 5-6cups. 
Tips: I pour it into gallon jugs for pouring (typically the jug I got the spring water out of).  I let the sediment settle, and pour off only the creamiest white parts- the sediment at the bottom are the parts of the hearts that don't quite get mixed well -- although it is very, very fine (because it will go through a bottle nipple), I mainly do this to decrease the fiber content for my young son that has an intestinal allergy, with frequent intestinal inflammation- he needs the nutrition of hemp but often the added fiber can slow down the healing from an inflammatory reactions he may have.  Disclaimer: nothing scientific about this, just what I have done to meet my son's needs.  I have done various things to make this more calorically dense, such as adding maple syrup or oils; but this recipe is simply how to make the hemp milk. 




6 comments:

  1. Hi Joy,

    I made the milk hemp for my son using your recipe. We tried one once this morning. I'm crossing all my fingers.

    Eliana

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  2. Thank you for posting! I found Manitoba hemp hearts at Costco and figured it would be worth a try for my 10 month old. I just added a tsp to his peaches and pureed in the magic bullet...hoping for no reaction as it's only been 1 hour... It sounds like it would be a wonderful addition to his extremely limited diet! I will be making this if the trial goes well! Thank you!

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  3. We are starting our journey and have had two months of no weight gain in our 7 month daughter. I am on a TED very limited and can not make enough milk. I am so hoping I can pass this hemp milk recipe and then try hemp with her. Thank you for your blog, as I am one overwhelmed mom.

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    Replies
    1. My son is 7 months as well, with no weight gain...he was born on Valentine's Day. He has severe eczema and accd to our doctor burns all his calories scratching through the night. I have been nursing exclusively trying to eliminate foods and supplement with things that might hel, but we can't figure it out, and this is our fourth time through having a severely food allergic child. I had previously been able to help my other three by this point, but not so now...

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    2. Thank you Bigmammy! I hope hemp worked out for your little one?

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    3. Ya, did it help? My boy is 6mo old and losing weight at this point (13lbs 3weeks ago, down to 12.7 today). He cannot tolerate any formula (dairy/soy/corn) or eat anything without vomiting and extreme diarrhea. I'm feeling very desperate. Would this hemp milk be ok at 6mo to supplement him with?

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