Rita Rivera

​The world of plant milks and vegan foods came to me unexpectedly, impacting my health and charting a new career path.



Living in NYC and studying to be a professional dancer requires energy, stamina and a finely tuned sense of the body. The physically demanding schedule and training of a professional dancer lead to my interest in how I was fueling my body. I wanted to feel the best that I could feel and went on to study and explore many philosophies around food and eating, including a macrobiotic lifestyle and also a vegetarian lifestyle.



I have had a fulfilling career as a performer, choreographer, teacher of dance and hold a certification in the Alexander Technique. Dance, movement awareness and the body have been my passions throughout the years, along with an equal interest in food, nutrition and “eating for health & wellness”.



Many years ago while visiting a friend on the Big Sur coast of California, I was introduced to freshly prepared almond milk, vegan and raw food cuisine. During that beautiful, warm weekend we spent many hours in the kitchen experimenting making milks from different nuts with a variety of flavorings and sweeteners - silky, creamy, delicious elixirs!



A few days after returning home, I began to crave fresh almond milk. The craving was so strong that I continued to make fresh milk and I also began to research the nutrient value of nuts. As an experiment, based on my reading and research, I decided to eliminate dairy and soy from my diet and incorporate freshly made plant milks.



Over the years I have had chronic sinus and digestive issues and over the course of a week, after removing dairy and soy from my diet, my “allergies” and digestive issues began to subside and completely disappeared in two weeks!

Wow... that was quite an awakening. I was able to heal life-long health issues with diet!



I became consumed with perfecting almond milk recipes! One thing led to another and I began to sell almond milk out of my kitchen to friends and neighbors who were thrilled to get fresh almond milk. More and more people began calling...



In 2006, I started MilksAlive, selling fresh pressed plant milks, specializing in almond blends, artisan coconut milks, and dairy-free desserts at local farmers markets in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

Now, several years in the making, my first book on plant milks with 140 recipes is born - and a second book is in the works.The time is right to re-define milk.

Visit my site at www.MilksAlive.com

Thanks for visiting - Rita Rivera

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