Planet Lactose

Chef's Mission to Educate on Allergies

2008-05-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

Another in the series of posts on Food Allergy Awareness Week.

Chef Ming Tsai took up the cause a few years ago when his son David, now 8, was diagnosed with being allergic to seven of the most common food allergens. "Of the eight -- like eggs, wheat, soy, dairy and nuts -- the only one he isn't allergic to is fish," said the chef.

That's from the Staten Island Advance, one of a series of articles on Chef Tsai, this one by Jane Milza.

Because of the raised awareness brought about by his son's allergies, Chef Tsai is now a national spokesperson for The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).

"When you go into a retail store and buy a jar of food, every ingredient is listed. Why shouldn't every restaurant be just as safe," asked Chef Tsai. "It is the responsibility of the restaurant owner and chef to know what is on the menu -- any danger his customers might experience. It's the right of every American to know, to be told."

"We have to get past the small language barriers -- they want to exempt restaurants with 50 seats or less from having to list ingredients. But all the big boys do it, all the chains list everything," said Che Tsai. "It's not so hard for management or a chef to hand-write everything on the menu. It's not rocket science."

...

An Emmy Award was conferred on "Simply Ming" in its early years and since then the show has twice been awarded the CINE Golden Eagle Award. In the intervening time, the chef has segued away from the Blue Ginger restaurant long enough to author three cookbooks: Blue Ginger, Simply Ming and Ming's Master Recipes as well as to launch a Blue Ginger line of products in partnership with Target stores. Featured is Ming's quick-cooking, frozen dim sum, noodle bowls, rice bowls and stir-fry kits as well as flavored chips and sauces.

With the increase in allergy awareness, the wait staff at Blue Ginger comes in contact with 15 to 20 patrons per night who ask for assistance in ordering, said Chef Tsai, adding, "We've worked with them, and now we've developed a reputation for being an allergy-friendly restaurant."

"Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy"

2008-05-13T21:51:00.001-04:00

Food Allergy Awareness Week is this week and The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) unveiled the advocacy initiative I mentioned yesterday.

It's called "Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy".

1. School Guidelines: The development of guidelines for assuring the safety of food-allergic children in school is necessary to keep the 2.2-million school-age children with food allergies safe. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (S. 1232/H.R. 2063) calls for these guidelines to be developed, and the House of Representatives has already passed this legislation. Therefore, the Senate should move swiftly to pass the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act.

2. Food Allergy Information: There is a critical need for enhanced public information on food allergy, such as an information clearinghouse to provide guidance to the public and health care professionals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should create a National Information Center on Food Allergies.

3. Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergies: Currently, there is no consistent agreement on how to identify and treat food allergy reactions. Too often, patients go from physician to physician seeking a diagnosis and receive incomplete information and guidance on allergen avoidance, the severity of the disease, and the need to carry epinephrine at all times. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases should move forward with the development of food allergy diagnosis and management guidelines and work with private-sector organizations to assure broad distribution to health care professionals.

4. Research: Expanded research on food allergy and anaphylaxis is necessary to understand why the prevalence of food allergy is increasing, as well as how to prevent and treat food allergies. Congress should increase funding for food allergy research by $50 million over the next five years. Annual increases of $10 million each year for five years should be invested in basic and clinical research on food allergy and anaphylaxis, as recommended by the NIH Expert Panel on Food Allergy Research.

5. Improved Allergen Labeling: Since strict avoidance of food allergens is the only way to prevent a reaction, food-allergic consumers are heavily reliant on the information presented to them on food labels. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 improved some facets of allergen labeling, but the new law did not regulate the use of precautionary allergen statements, ranging from "May Contain" to "Processed in a Facility" to "Made on Shared Equipment." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should move to regulate the wording, use, and definition of precautionary allergen statements to further improve allergen labeling.

11th Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week

2008-05-12T21:41:00.000-04:00

May 11-18, 2008 is The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network's (FAAN) 11th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the
National Institutes of Health issued a joint release, Raising Awareness to the Personal and Research Challenges of Food Allergy, to mark the occasion.

It starts:

May 11-17 marks the 11th Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week, a time set aside to increase the public’s awareness of food allergies and the potential challenges they pose. In an average week in the United States, two or three otherwise healthy Americans will lose their lives, and nearly 5,000 will be hospitalized due to allergic reactions to foods. Approximately 6 to 8 percent of children under age 4 and nearly 4 percent of persons age 5 and older have a food allergy.

Aside from their immediate and sometimes life-threatening consequences, food allergies affect an individual’s health, nutrition, development and quality of life. These burdens disproportionately affect children. For children and their families, severe food allergies are accompanied by the fear of future serious reactions and the stigma of avoiding common foods, particularly in school lunchrooms and other social settings, where others too often do not understand the seriousness of the allergy.

FAAN will present an educational briefing tomorrow in Washington, D.C.

Reports state that FAAN will be starting a new advocacy initiative. More than 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies. That's only 4% of the population, a number far more reasonable than some claims that are thrown around but still a huge number of people who face issues with every bite they eat.

43 Reasons to Mock Intelligent Design

2008-05-11T23:23:00.001-04:00

Do you think your body was intelligently designed? Go to a mirror. Look at it. Naked. Are you telling me somebody did that on purpose?

Or milk drinking. Here's the way it's supposed to work. You get born. You drink breastmilk. You get weaned. End of milk-drinking. Your body turns off the lactase enzyme-making ability.

Every mammal works that way.

Except humans. Some humans have a mutated gene that never shuts down the lactase-making ability, so even adults can drink milk without symptoms of gas and diarrhea.

Well, maybe somebody pointed a finger and made that happen.

Uhn-uh. Scientists have discovered 43 separate variations of the lactose tolerance gene. You want to try to convince me we were deliberately designed forty-three separate times to do the same thing? And it still only reached 30% of the world's population?

No. That didn't happen. You can't believe in a designer that works that way. That belief mocks religion and faith and turns them into farce. No thinking human can accept that solution.

Here's one you can accept. Some few people have a random mutation of that gene. In a time of famine or the need to help a child with a dead mother, somebody suggests milking an animal and using that milk. It works. A life is saved. That person becomes healthy and grows and lives to become a parent. Now the gene is passed to the child. The child drinks good healthy animal milk. Better than beer or vine for vitamins and nutrients. One of the nutrients is calcium. Fewer mothers now die in childbirth. The milk drinkers are stronger and healthier than the non-milk drinkers. They become herders and domesticate more animals, giving them more meat and dairy byproducts. Milk drinking spreads. They meet members of other tribes and cultures who had a mutation of their own and find that together they make children who are more likely to survive. All over the world, these separate little groups, forty three of them had had the good fortune that the random touch of evolution made the tiniest possible change: a signal that doesn't get sent out, nothing more. And that change is more valuable and will affect more history than all the intelligent design claptrap that the gullible and deluded and deliberately misleading can concoct and burble in their propaganda.

What kind of an intelligent designer would deliberately create the sort of people who can't think for themselves, can't understand those who do think, and can't help trashing the words of those who can?

Satan, maybe? After all, a baby was just born, a very special baby, a one-of-a-kind baby: namely the baby that makes the world's population 6,666,666,666. Was this baby intelligently designed? Was the number of the birth deliberate? Or was it just random chance, because at the rate births were piling up some mother had to be the one who got picked for a special Mother's Day assignment. She delivered.

Now we have a couple of years to wait for the baby to be weaned. Which side will be picked? The milk-drinker and their 43 varieties of mutation? Or the lactose intolerants and their connections deep into history, back through monkeys and lemurs and pangolins and platypuses. Evolution fast or evolution slow? Those are the choices, the only choices.

You want intelligent design, talk to you mothers and wish them a Happy Mothers Day. Their influence is real. And sometimes we mutate ourselves away from our mothers too. Change never stops. The lactase mutation is a dominant trait. Some day, maybe near, maybe far, someday all the humans on earth will be lactose tolerant.

And not a designer's face ever will be shown, except for Mom.

Happy Mother's Day everyone. And Father's Day is coming soon.

Dairy-Free Smoothies

2008-05-10T23:33:00.000-04:00

Australian writer Louise Pickford has written the book on Smoothies: Over 100 Fabulous Blended Drinks from Breakfast Boosters to Indulgent Treats, with a whole chapter on Dairy-Free smoothies thrown in.

Product Description
In this mouthwatering new book, bestselling author Louise Pickford brings you more than 100 fabulous smoothie recipes, explain the health benefits of each recipe, with nutritional information about some of the key ingredients. Start with a Breakfast Smoothie to get you going or sip on a refreshing Fruit Frappe in the afternoon sun. If you're on a health kick try a vitamin-packed Vegetable Juice. A chapter on Dairy Smoothies and Shakes is a sophisticated update on the milkshake while Dairy-free Smoothies offer plenty of variety for those who which to avoid cow's milk. Low-fat Smoothie ideas range from Watermelon and Pear Frothy to exotic Rhubarb, Yogurt, and Rosewater Smoothie. Finally, Louise offers indulgent Smoothies--they're too good to keep for special occasions! *With over 100 delicious recipes for smoothies, frappes, shakes, juices, and more, here's a refreshing drink for every occasion. *Tempting photography by Ian Wallace.

About the Author
Louise Pickford had a successful career in London as a food writer and stylist before moving to Australia. She continues to work for both international and Australian publications, and is the author of more than 20 cookbooks, including the Ryland Peters and Small bestsellers Brunch and Barbecue.

Greg Burliuk of Ontario's Kingston Whig-Standard tried making several of the recipes.

Next up from the book's dairy-free section was a banana and granola soy smoothie with soy milk and soy yogurt.

I found the taste of the soy milk refreshing, but the soy yogurt runny with no body to it at all. However, in concert with the bananas, a tiny bit of granola and a little cinnamon, it was a great breakfast smoothie, although next time I'll crunch up some ice to go with it.

Yes, that means the book is available in Canada as well. Maybe even in Australia. Smoothies for everybody!

Different Allergy Tests: Different Results

2008-05-09T21:57:00.000-04:00

When you go to your doctor for a blood test to see if you have allergies, the test the doctor picks may or may not give you the right answer.

That's the depressing news from a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
"Correlation of serum allergy (IgE) tests performed by different assay systems," by Julie Wang, James H. Godbold, and Hugh A. Sampson, Volume 121, Issue 5, Pages 1219-1224 (May 2008)

Methods
Fifty patients from the Mount Sinai Pediatric Allergy practice were prospectively enrolled. For each deidentified sample, specific IgE levels were measured to egg, milk, peanut, cat, birch, and Dermatophagoides farinae at different laboratories, each using a different assay system (Phadia ImmunoCAP, Agilent Turbo-MP, and Siemens Immulite 2000). Results were analyzed to determine whether IgE measurements were equivalent. Food allergen–specific IgE levels were correlated with clinical data and around empirically determined thresholds that predict probability of clinical disease in 50% or 95% of subjects.

Results
Variable degrees of agreement existed among the 3 assays. Immulite 2000 overestimated all specific IgE levels compared with ImmunoCAP. Turbo-MP overestimated for egg but underestimated for birch and D farinae. Differences for milk, peanut, and cat were observed, without a trend toward overestimation or underestimation. Furthermore, several values for the food allergens were discrepant around the 50% and 95% positive predictive values for clinical reactivity.

Conclusion
Discrepancies in specific IgE values from 3 different assays can potentially lead to altered management and treatment. The predictive values for clinical reactivity associated with food-specific IgE levels determined by ImmunoCAP should not be applied to results from other assays.

This is a fairly specialized result, aimed at practicing doctors rather than patients. While it implies that current results are not always as accurate as they could be - hardly news to many people with allergies judging from the complaints I hear about testing - being able to tell in the future which test works best for different allergies can help to improve the accuracy of diagnoses, so if these results hold up they would be good news for allergy sufferers.

Tips for Buying Allergy-Friendly Foods

2008-05-08T20:58:00.001-04:00

I've written before about Enjoy Life, the fast-growing maker of gluten-free and allergen-free snacks. They had Gina Clowes, founder of the popular AllergyMoms.com blog, put together a list of tips for consumers buying allergy-friendly products.

Have an unbreakable rule: no label = no thank you. Never eat a food that does not have a label.

Always carefully read ingredient statements. Different versions of the same food can have different ingredients (for example, chewy Spree candy contains egg white while original Spree does not).

Know that different sizes of the same foods can contain different ingredients. (For example, some “mini” versions of Laffy Taffy do not contain egg, but the large size does contain egg.)

Don’t rely on common sense to determine if foods are safe. Tuna and flavored water can contain dairy, egg rolls and chili can contain peanut butter, licorice and soy sauce can contain wheat, and the list goes on.

Take all precautionary warnings seriously. Manufacturers use different statements to warn consumers like “may contain” or “processed in a facility with.” However, the language used does not indicate the level of risk.

Know that precautionary warnings are voluntary. If a product does not have a warning, it does not mean that the product is free of cross contamination. When in doubt, call the company to find out where and how the product was processed.

Don’t play ingredient roulette. Even if you or your child once ate a product with a warning, that does not mean the next batch will be safe.

Beware of hidden allergens. Potent allergens like sesame and mustard can hide behind the words “natural flavors” or “spices.”

Know where the food is made. Seek out products that say they are made in a "dedicated peanut-free, nut-free, soy-free or allergy-free facility," depending on your diet restriction. This provides even further assurance of the food's safety.

International Study on Special Diets Published

2008-05-07T23:48:00.001-04:00

Last year, many websites that promote a gluten-free or allergy-sensitive diet encourages their readers to take part in a survey of experiences while eating out or traveling.

The final study, titled Understanding Gluten and Allergen-Free Experiences of Guests & Hospitality Worldwide, summarizes the findings from over 2700 customers and businesses in 35 countries.

The reports states, not surprisingly, that 80% of of those with food allergies or celiac disease eat out less because of concerns with foods they haven't prepared or vetted themselves.

The full report will cost you $380. However you can get a free executive summary at www.allergyfreepassport.com or at www.glutenfreepassport.com. A related site, www.glutenfreeonthego.com, provides access to "the world's largest directory of gluten-free establishments."

Lactose May Be Good for Your Skin

2008-05-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

Katie Bird of CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com reported on a study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science.

[A] combination of retinol, lactose and glycolic acid significantly decreased the number of wrinkles and the length of the wrinkled area.

Forty women with fair complexions between the ages of 35 and 50 were involved in the study, applying a formulation containing the three ingredients to one side of the face and a placebo cream to the other twice daily over a 12 week period.

A significant decrease in the number of wrinkles was seen in comparison to the placebo cream after two weeks, report the researchers led by C. Bertin, and after four weeks the total surface area with wrinkles was found to be significantly smaller.

Other parameters measured by the team included the regularity and elastic properties of the skin. Although these properties improved during the treatment period there was no significant difference between the effects of the active and the placebo formulations, according to the team.

The team concludes that "with a well-chosen combination of active ingredients, a significantly better efficacy can be obtained with an anti-ageing cream in comparison with its placebo on photoageing signs".

The 'well-chosen combination' in this case was 0.1 per cent retinol, 5 per cent lactose and 4 per cent glycolic acid (a commonly used Alpha Hydroxy Acid or AHA).

Scientists from Johnson & Johnson were part of the research, for those of you worried about studies funded by corporations who have a stake in positive findings.

I should note that it is highly unlikely that even anyone with a sensitive dairy allergy would be affected by a small amount of pharmaceutical grade lactose applied to the skin, but that is always a factor to consider.

If Your Mother ♥'s Chocolate

2008-05-05T22:19:00.002-04:00

Mother's Day is almost here and you haven't bought a present yet, have you? You know who you are.

Chocolate Decadence, home of the

Dairy-Free ~ Lactose Free ~ Casein Free ~ Gluten Free ~ Vegan
dark chocolate experience wants to save your neck.

Last minute deliveries guaranteed
for this holiday if we
receive your order
by May 6th for Priority Mail,
by May 7th for 2nd Day Air,
and May 8th by noon for Overnight.

Special Mother's Day items include a Chocolate Heart Box, a Happy Mother's Day Heart, a "Mom" Mini Heart Box, and a Chocolate Record that has words inscribed on it that read "Just for the record, Mom, I love you."

Raw Milk Not For "Anyone, At Any Time, For Any Reason"

2008-05-04T22:39:00.000-04:00

Batten down the hatches, boys, a storm a-gonna blow.

Time magazine ran an article on raw milk in this week's issue, written by Alice Park, and it doesn't say that raw milk is like Louis Armstrong's trumpet mixed with Van Gogh's paintbrush. All the raw milk nuts in the world are gearing up to pound their poor keyboards like a red-headed stepmule.

I've gone off on raw milk myself, the last time not so long ago in Raw Milk Article Long but Flawed. Time's article, unlike that one, wasn't written by a long-term raw milk advocate. When somebody objective writes on the subject, the answers come out completely different.

What heresy did Time commit? Judge for yourself.

The available evidence suggests that without a bug-killing step like pasteurization, even the cleanest dairy with the healthiest cows cannot always expect to produce safe milk. In testimony before Maryland state delegates, the FDA's [John] Sheehan stressed that raw milk in any form "should not be consumed by anyone, at any time, for any reason." He cited 45 outbreaks of disease from 1998 to 2005 that were traced to unpasteurized milk or cheese--and pointed to the dangers of exposing the vulnerable immune systems of young children, the elderly and those with immune disorders to the colonies of bugs that can populate untreated dairy. Raw milk makes up less than half of 1% of milk sales in the U.S. but accounts for twice as many disease outbreaks as pasteurized milk.

Farmers like [Mark] McAfee counter that all raw milk is not created equal. Government surveys, they claim, lump together raw milk that is destined for pasteurization--and therefore doesn't have to be table-ready--along with milk, like McAfee's, that is produced for human consumption. But that doesn't convince Kathryn Boor, chair of food science at Cornell University, who grew up on a farm drinking raw milk--but won't do it now. "You can't always tell when a cow is sick," she says. "And cows can sometimes kick the milking machine off. Generally, what's on the barn floor is not something I want in a glass."

What scientists like McAfee and Boor are saying is that for raw milk to be safe, it has to be perfect every step of the way every single time. Most foods rely on some sort of processing to ensure safety, which is what pasteurization is. Without that needed check drinking raw milk is like, well, as McAfee said, "playing Russian roulette with your health". Not worth the risk.

BTW, you'd think that a magazine with Time's resources could answer a simple question.

Why drink raw milk at all? Fans are convinced that heating destroys the good bacteria--the same probiotic critters that retailers now add back into some yogurts--as well as enzymes that can be beneficial to your health.

So. Is this true? Isn't the absolutely most important point of all to say that this claim either is real or is completely phony?

Yes it is. So why raise the claim -- and then never address it in any way at any time in the article?

Bad journalism, Time. Not as bad as what The Boston Globe committed when it printed that article I critiqued in my earlier post, but still not up to my standards. We're talking peoples' health, here. Get it both right, which you did, and complete, which you didn't.

Breastfeeding Rates Up in U.S.

2008-05-03T12:35:00.000-04:00

All major physician, nursing, and health groups recommend breastfeeding for all mothers who are able to do so. Most studies also show that breastfeeding can play a major role in decreasing the likelihood or severity of dairy allergies in infants with family histories of allergies.

So it is very good news to learn that a variety of studies have shown that breastfeeding rates are up across the board in the U.S. over the past 20 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Mike Stobbe reported the numbers in the Seattle Times.

About 77 percent of new mothers breast-feed, at least briefly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"It looks like it is an all-time high" based on CDC surveys since the mid-1980s, said Jeff Lancashire, a CDC spokesman.

Experts attributed the rise to education campaigns that emphasize that breast milk is better than formula at protecting babies against disease and childhood obesity. A changing culture that accommodates nursing mothers may also be a factor.

The percentage of black infants who were ever breast-fed rose most dramatically, to 65 percent. Only 36 percent were ever breast-fed in 1993-1994, the new study found.

For whites, the figure rose to 79 percent, from 62 percent. For Mexican-Americans, it increased to 80 percent, from 67 percent.

...

At least three types of CDC surveys have shown breast-feeding rates moving upward since the early 1990s, officials said.

The latest CDC report found rates of breast-feeding were also lowest among women who are unmarried, poor, rural, younger than 20, and have a high school education or less.

May Is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month

2008-05-02T21:18:00.001-04:00

May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, which means that the National Osteoporosis Foundation is rolling out the heavy calcium for an awareness campaign.

Dairy products are the primary source of calcium in our culture. So how are the lactose intolerant, the dairy allergic, and the vegans among us supposed to cope?

Spine-Health.com conveniently offers 10 ways to get enough calcium if you're lactose intolerant.

Quit drinking soft drinks.
Get enough Vitamin D.
Don’t forget that sunlight also helps the body naturally absorb vitamin D.
Eat your beans (baked).
Canned Salmon.
Calcium fortified foods.
Oatmeal isn't just for breakfast. One cup of oatmeal not only provides 100–150mg of calcium.
Eat your veggies... especially spinach, broccoli and dark green leafy vegetables.
Go Nuts. Almonds and brazils nuts contain about 100mgs of calcium per serving.
Take an Over-the-Counter Calcium Supplement.

The original article provides more extensive comments on each of these, of course.

What happened to #10? They recommend drinking lattes made with soy milk. Or adding soy milk to regular coffee for those with sense. The problem with this advice is that soy milks vary enormously in the amount of calcium they contain. Some have more than cow's milk; some almost none. If you're making coffee at home you can control what brand you get to ensure that it contains sufficient calcium. You can't be sure of this in a store.

Why they don't just recommend drinking soy milk and skipping the coffee, which isn't good for you in a dozen different ways, is a mystery.

Sugar Substitutes

2008-05-01T23:11:00.000-04:00

Creating sweet powders to substitute for sugar in beverages and recipes is a science today, not a matter of accidents in the lab. Creations go well beyond those little colored packages in a bowl on your restaurant table.

DiabetesHealth.com reprints an article by Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades that goes over the pros and cons of about a dozen sugar substitutes. It doesn't excerpt well, so I advice you to take a look at the full article.

Substitutes considered include:

Acesulfame K
Aspartame
Cyclamate
Erythritol
Saccharine (Sweet 'n' Low)
Sorbitol, Mannitol and Maltitol
Stevia
Sucralose (Splenda)
Tagatose
Xylitol

NOTE: Though tagatose is derived from lactose, it undergoes additional processing steps before the final product is marketed. I know of no evidence that it should be considered a dairy product or dairy derivative. Tagatose is found naturally in very small amounts in milk, which may lead to some confusion, but that is not the route taken for commercial manufacturing.

Guidelines Issued for Treating Atopic Eczema in Children

2008-04-30T21:36:00.000-04:00

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued clinical guidelines for all healthcare clinicians for the treatment of atopic eczema in children. The new guidelines are reviewed in the April 1 Online First issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Dr. Laurie Barclay gave a summary on Medscape. She lists a number of major points there. I'll excerpt the ones relating to dairy allergies and replacement foods.

• Food allergy should be considered in children with eczema in whom immediate symptoms developed after they ingest a certain food. Food allergy should also be considered in infants and young children in whom moderate or severe uncontrolled eczema persists despite optimum management, particularly if there is associated gut dysmotility (colic, vomiting, or changes in bowel habits) or failure to thrive.

• Bottle-fed infants younger than 6 months of age with moderate or severe eczema uncontrolled by optimal treatment with emollients and mild topical corticosteroids should undergo a 6- to 8-week trial of replacing cow's milk formula with an extensively hydrolyzed protein formula or amino acid formula.

• Children following a cow's milk–free diet for longer than 8 weeks, for whatever reason, should be referred for specialist dietary advice.

• Children with eczema and suspected cow's milk allergy should not be given diets based on unmodified proteins of other species' milk (eg, goat or sheep milk) or partially hydrolyzed formulas.

• With specialist dietary advice, children at least 6 months of age may be offered diets including soya protein.

• Women who are breast-feeding children with eczema should be counseled because it is not known whether changing the mother's diet may reduce the severity of eczema. If food allergy is strongly suspected, a trial of an allergen-specific exclusion diet in the mother may be attempted, with dietary supervision.

Upscale Meets Fast Food for Safer Dining

2008-04-29T23:01:00.000-04:00

"The allergic reactions of the people are not going to go away in six months."

That's Dominique Tougne, executive chef at Bistro 110 in Chicago talking. It's part of an interesting article by Radha Chitale of ABC News on how chefs at good restaurants are beginning to learn what many chain restaurants already know. A huge audience for allergen-safe food and information about every bite people put into their mouths already exists, and the ever-increasing number of allergic children will ensure that the demand will continue to grow for the next generation.

Sloane Miller, president of the advocacy group Allergic Girl Resources Inc. in New York, has severe nut and salmon allergies as well as allergies to some fruits and vegetables. When she goes out to eat, she plans ahead carefully.

On a recent night out, Miller arrived at a steak restaurant for dinner, having called beforehand and being told that they would be happy to accommodate her. That evening, the staff was ready and waiting for her.

"The chef came out and walked me through the menu, step by step, dish by dish," Miller said. "I ordered with ease, the food came out. ... The chef came by to see that everything was prepped to the specifications, and I called the next day to thank the general manager."

Miller said she enjoyed the meal all the more because she was relaxed and confident that her food was safe.

"It's a hospitality business," Miller said. "That's what they want for everyone."

Visit the First 'Allergy-Friendly Community'

2008-04-28T23:13:00.000-04:00

Baabe lies about as far northeast as you can go in Germany, a seaside resort town on the island of Rügen in an archipelago sticking out from the mainland into the Baltic Sea near the Polish border.

It has a pretty, if shallow, white-sand beach that must be nice in the summertime. Winters probably get blustery, though.

I'm sure it's a pleasant vacation spot if you live in Hamburg, Germany, about 200 miles away, the closest city I can find whose name I recognize. By why should anyone else pay attention to it?

Because next week it'll named the world’s first "allergy-friendly community" by the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF).

An article in The Local (Germany's News in English) gives us the details.

[Uta Donner, the town’s marketing director] said that so far 180 beds in rental homes, hotels and pensions, furnished with special mite-free mattress covers, have been certified allergy-friendly by ECARF. Restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries will also take part, selling allergy-sensitive products like gluten-free bread and milk-free ice cream. Even some hair salons will sell allergy-sensitive products and services.

Pollen-rich trees will no longer be planted in the town, and a special pollen-catching net is under construction so scientists can analyze the town’s pollen quantities, German news agency DDP reports.

Other amenities for the über-sensitive include specific food allergy provisions, special vacuum cleaners to reduce dust, and nickel-free cooking implements.

The article says that 30% of Germans suffer from allergies, a number that seems high to me, even if you add up every type of allergy in existence, even the extremely mild generalized dust/pollen allergy that I have. A high number is good for scaring, er, luring tourists to the tiny town, though.

And how can I argue with the easy availability of allergen-free food?

Now to persuade American tourist traps to set out their lures.

Silk Soymilk Recalled

2008-04-26T23:00:00.001-04:00

I don't usually post news of recalls of food items because they may contain traces of milk. There are other sites that cover this in detail.

In fact, I took the news of this case directly off the Food and Drug Administration website.

Mount Crawford, Virginia -- April 23, 2008 --- WhiteWave Foods Company is voluntarily recalling 11-ounce plastic single serve bottles of Silk Soymilk Chocolate Flavor because it may contain undeclared milk protein. The individual bottles are printed with both a "use by" date of May 7, 2008 (printed as 05 07 08) and a Universal Product Code (UPC) of 2529360028. Consumers can find this information on the back of the individual bottle.

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk protein run the risk of a health problem or illness if they consume this product. Some reactions have been reported.

This affected product was distributed nationwide and reached consumers through retail and foodservice outlets. WhiteWave's sales team is working with distributors to actively recover any affected product remaining on store shelves.

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE RECALLED PRODUCT

This recall includes only 11-ounce single serve plastic bottles of Silk Soymilk Chocolate Flavor with both a "use by" date of May 7, 2008 (printed as 05 07 08) and a UPC code of 2529360028. Consumers should look for this information on the back of the bottle.

The Company apologizes for any inconvenience to its customers. Consumers who purchased the product may return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or exchange. Consumers with questions can contact the Company at 1-800-587-2259.

The Food and Drug Administration has been notified of this recall.

Milk contamination in any food is a serious issue. Milk contamination in soymilk gets right to the heart of the milk alternative community. Some reports of reactions have been collected in various areas nationwide, although none appears to be serious.

Because few firms can afford to dedicate plants to absolute non-dairy use, most foods are susceptible to cross-contamination in industrial processes. It's an important reminder that even vigilance in reading labels and trusting brand names can't always protect you or your families.

You can't go through life mistrusting every bite of food either. The best course is to regularly check the FDA (click on Recalls & Safety Alerts) or allergy sites that follow recalls or create a news alert through Google or Yahoo or one of the other services to flag recall announcements. And if you are dangerously anaphylactic, always carry an Epipen or the equivalent.

Kozy Shack Soy Pudding

2008-04-25T23:12:00.000-04:00

Kozy Shack, a "company known for its convenient, ready-to-eat desserts" has just introduced its first soy puddings.

The press release says:

There's sweet news for those who crave a rich and creamy dessert, but are lactose intolerant. Thanks to a new twist on a favorite treat, everyone can indulge and enjoy delicious, all-natural pudding made with soy.

That's because there's a new certified-organic version of a popular, ready-to-eat refrigerated dessert that can be enjoyed anytime.

The product, Kozy Shack Soy Pudding, comes in two flavors- chocolate and vanilla. In addition to great taste, it contains no hydrogenated oils, no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives and 0g trans fat. It's also cholesterol, lactose and caffeine free and is considered suitable for a vegan diet.

And of course they tell you to get more information at their website, kozyshack.com. And of course, there's not one word up there yet about soy puddings.

I'll give a nickel to any marketer who can explain this to me.

Pinkberry Scandal!

2008-04-24T18:00:00.000-04:00

You remember Pinkberry, the yogurty frozen yogurt concoction that was so addicitively delicious that people compared it to "frozen heroic juice."

And it was supposed to be good for you, too. Fresh fruits. Organic ingredients. And that buzzword of buzzwords, natural.

Oops.

Out of sheer coincidence, Pinkberry finally posted its ingredients on its website just after it settled a court suit about deceptive advertising. (No connection between the two events, says Pinkberry.)

And as The New York Times writer Julia Moskin wrote:

The ingredients list for Original Pinkberry has 23 items. Skim milk and nonfat yogurt are listed first, then three kinds of sugar: sucrose, fructose and dextrose. Fructose and maltodextrin, another ingredient, are both laboratory-produced ingredients extracted from corn syrup.

The list includes at least five additives defined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as emulsifiers (propylene glycol esters, lactoglycerides, sodium acid pyrophosphate, mono- and diglycerides); four acidifiers (magnesium oxide, calcium fumarate, citric acid, sodium citrate); tocopherol, a natural preservative; and two ingredients — starch and maltodextrin — that were characterized as fillers by Dr. Gary A. Reineccius, a professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota and an expert in food additives.

And that "all natural" claim? Well, the yogurt was natural. The others? Not so much.

Some of them can be characterized as natural, while others are clearly not, he said.

"Isn't it amazing how many additives it takes to make something taste natural?" Dr. Reineccius said.

Many of the ingredients give Pinkberry qualities that nonfat frozen yogurt would not have naturally, Dr. Reineccius said.

"They are there to make something smooth, sweet and tangy that would otherwise be gritty and flavorless in a frozen state," he said.

So how good for you is Pinkberry (or their competitor, Red Mango)?

Pinkberry and Red Mango now enjoy the Live and Active Cultures seal of the National Yogurt Association, certifying that their frozen yogurt contains at least 10 million live cultures per gram at the time of manufacture.

But the specific health effects of live cultures — now called probiotics — and how many of them are needed to provide a beneficial effect have not been determined.

In January another yogurt-related class action lawsuit was filed, against Dannon, challenging the company’s claims that the benefits of its trademarked probiotics were "clinically" and "scientifically" proven.

Pinkberry announced its certification two weeks ago, just as a preliminary settlement was reached in the class action suit. While saying it had done nothing wrong, Pinkberry agreed to donate $750,000 to hunger and children’s charities, and to pay the plaintiff’s legal costs.

Look. In moderation Pinkberry is fine. So is ice cream, even the super-premium kind, if you can tolerate it. The key word is "moderation."

If you can't keep it down to a scoop or less, then any of these fancy desserts will pack on the pounds. Loading them up with added candy and other bits of pure sugar won't help any.

If you are sensitive to artificial colors and additives, however, then Pinkberry ought to go onto your forbidden list.

And "natural" gets another big black eye from a careless - or worse - marketer.

Lactose and Fermentation

2008-04-23T21:13:00.001-04:00

If there is a nation whose understanding of food, nutrition, and digestion is even worse than Britain's, it is India. Although the British influence could be showing it's hand there too, I suppose.

Case in point, "Fermented delicacies" by Vibha Varshney on the DowntoEarth.org website.

Other fermented foods also have medicinal uses. Dahi is said to check diarrhoea. Nutritionists say it regenerates damaged gut epithelium. “Fermentation converts lactose into glucose and galactose, which is easily digestible by even the lactose- intolerant. Also, milk does not have essential vitamins like B₁, which bacteria in the curd provide,” says P R Sinha, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.

First, dahi.

Strained yoghurt, yoghurt cheese, labneh (Arabic لبنة), or Greek yoghurt is yoghurt which has been strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter, traditionally made of muslin, to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yoghurt and cheese, while preserving yoghurt's distinctive sour taste. Like many yoghurts, strained yoghurt is often made from milk which has been enriched by boiling off some of the water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk.

Now. It's digestion that splits the compound sugar, lactose, into the simple sugars glucose and galactose.

Fermentation turns the lactose into lactic acid, which accounts for the sour taste of most unprocessed commercial yogurts. Fermentation is produced by various bacteria and yeasts, which produce the lactic acid as a waste product. It is the lowered lactose content that makes yogurts and other fermented foods well tolerated by the lactose intolerant.

Could you say that the bacteria split the lactose into glucose and galactose and then produce the lactic acid as a secondary step? This is not the way it's usually described. In fact, the bacteria in your colon are normally considered to be either lactose fermenters or lactose digesters. The fermenting bacteria are the ones that create the gas that so plagues those of us who eat lactose-containing products.

And wait a second. Milk doesn't have vitamin B₁? The U.S. National Dairy Council begs to differ.

Significant quantities of this vitamin are found in milk with an average of 0.04 mg per 100g. AS the RDA for thiamin [vitamin B₁] varies between 1.0 and 1.5 mg for the adults, two glasses of milk per day would supply about 12 to 19 percent.

Nope, I'd say this is a confusing mistake. I don't know whether the man from the National Dairy Research Institute is to blame or, more likely, whether the reporter garbled the account. Either way, don't take it as read.

Lactose Not Associated with Fertility

2008-04-22T22:52:00.000-04:00

A study of the role that dairy plays in causing infertility has been getting a lot of press attention.

"A prospective study of dairy foods intake and anovulatory infertility."
J.E. Chavarro, J.W. Rich-Edwards, B. Rosner, and W.C. Willett.
Advance Access published online on February 28, 2007
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/dem019

According to Newsmax.com:

Drinking whole fat milk and eating ice cream appears to be better for women trying to become pregnant than a diet consisting of low-fat dairy products such as skimmed milk and yoghurt, according to new research published in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction.

Researchers in the United States have found a link between a low-fat dairy diet and increased risk of infertility due to lack of ovulation (anovulatory infertility). Their study showed that if women ate two or more servings of low-fat dairy foods a day, they increased their risk of ovulation-related infertility by more than four fifths (85%) compared to women who ate less than one serving of low-fat dairy food a week. On the other hand, if women ate at least one serving of high-fat dairy food a day, they reduced their risk of anovulatory infertility by more than a quarter (27%) compared to women who consumed one or fewer high-fat dairy serving a week.

Interesting, but not something I would normally bring to your attention.

However, the last sentence in the article took me by complete surprise:

Previous studies had suggested that lactose (a sugar found in milk) might be associated with anovulatory infertility, but Dr Chavarro's study found neither a positive nor negative association for this, and nor was there any association between intake of calcium, phosphorus or vitamin D and anovulatory infertility.

I wasn't familiar with any such studies. Even after a search I'm not finding any studies claiming this.

The closest association between lactose and infertility I found was a weak possibility that since low-fat milk products affected fertility more than high-fat milk products, lactose was the cause, since low-fat milk products tend to be slightly higher in lactose.

But if you take a look at my Lactose Percentages page on my website, you'll see that the difference is extremely small and probably completely meaningless. Why they didn't blame the fat instead baffles me.

If this weren't a study from a respected medical journal, I'd think that the use of "lactose" was a typo for "galactose." Galactose is another sugar. It's produced when lactose is digested. And galactose is known to affect fertility.

See Adult Hypolactasia, Milk Consumption, and Age-specific Fertility by Daniel W. Cramer, Huijuan Xu and Timo Sahi. American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 139, No. 3: 282-289

Their conclusions about lactose is that lactose tolerance, the ability to digest lactose, leads people to drink more milk and more milk leads to greater infertility. That's the opposite of lactose causing infertility.

Whatever the previous thinking, this new study is an indication that consumption of lactose is irrelevant to those trying to get pregnant.

Don't go out and eat buckets of high-fat ice cream, though. That's as bad an idea for your health as it is tasty to your tongue.

Lactose Intolerant Hedgehogs

2008-04-21T22:23:00.000-04:00

Greenish diarrhea.

As if it's not bad enough that I have to, er, that's I'm privileged to read all those emails of yours about your adventures with diarrhea, I now stumble upon diarrhea in the wonderful world of hedgehogs.

My day is complete.

I blame Kurt Knebusch of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. He writes an ask-it column - Smart Stuff with Twig Walkingstick[!] - that I found, in of all places, the North Texas e-News.

A reader asked:

Hedgehogs are lactose-intolerant. I read that in a book. How would anyone know that?

You're all smart enough to know that, especially if you've been reading my blog for any length of time. You know that all adult mammals are lactose intolerant, and that would include hedgehogs.

But Knebusch can't leave it at that. He wrote:

"Greenish diarrhoea," Wildlife Online (http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/) colorfully points out, "has been documented in captive (hedgehogs) fed on a diet of cow's milk and bread."

And documenting greenish diarrhoea, of course, is something you’d notice and learn from, I bet. Especially if you were the hedgehog. Or a scientist. Or a scientist who was a hedgehog who had greenish diarrhoea.

OK, so now you're all panting to know why in the world anyone would feed milk to hedgehogs. Even our old friends the British, who as a nation famously know nothing about proper nutrition.

Hedgehog lactose-intolerance comes up, so to speak, is an issue, you could say, in at least two ways: First, when people raise pet or abandoned wild baby hedgehogs; experts suggest giving them sheep's milk, goat's milk or soy-based formula for human babies instead of cow's milk.

Second, people in England sometimes put out bowls of bread and cow’s milk to feed wild backyard hedgehogs (which don't live in North America, you might remember). It's a traditional thing. A kind thing. But also, alas, it can give them the wind. "Put out clean water, but never milk," says the Wildlives Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, U.K.

We may not have hedgehogs in the U.S, but we do have badgers and possums and all sorts of critters that somebody might want to rescue. If you do, keep this good advice in mind. It's OK, even necessary, to give milk to baby animals. Adults should get water, though, and not milk of any kind. Unless you're a fan of greenish diarrhea. Or brown, black, white, or possibly rainbow diarrhea.

Clear Lake Lactose-Free, Gluten-Free Vegan Cookies

2008-04-20T20:10:00.000-04:00

Clear Lake makes the kind of cookies you want.

We cater to your to our customers needs by providing healthy, delicious, vegan, wheat free, refined sugar-free cookies to our customers who demand this. Clear Lake Specialty Products gluten free, dairy free and casein free cookies are made with all natural ingredients straight from the heartland. We have the ability to produce Gluten Free and Vegan cookies that are suitable for the Wheat intolerant, Lactose and Gluten Intolerant community– more commonly referenced as those people with Celiac Disease and Lactose intolerance. Any of these products can be produced in Organic or Non-Organic varieties.

What's different about them is that they don't sell directly to you. Instead, you can order their cookies to sell as fundraisers for your organization.

From their press release:

Clear Lake Specialty Products, Inc., an organically certified food product manufacturer in Clear Lake, IA that distributes products nationally, offers organic -- http://www.clearlakespecialty.com/organic/ -- and gluten free / vegan products to their fundraising, foodservice, and retail customers.

Organic and gluten free / vegan products available include baked cookies, pre-portioned cookie dough, and pail cookie dough.

Clear Lake Specialty Products, Inc. -- http://www.clearlakespecialty.com -- is a division of Joe Corbi's Fundraising -- http://www.joecorbi.com -- a national food fundraising company based in Baltimore, MD that develops fundraising programs for community organizations through sale of pizza kits, cookie products, calzones, and baked goods. Like Joe Corbi's, Clear Lake is committed to nutrition and has the ability to make gluten free and vegan cookies -- http://www.clearlakespecialty.com/gluten-free/ -- that the lactose intolerant, wheat intolerant, and gluten intolerant community can consume. Thus, people who have lactose intolerance and celiac disease can enjoy the products at Clear Lake. Clear Lake's dairy free, gluten free, and casein free cookies are made with 0 trans fat, all natural ingredients.

Clear Lake sells its wheat free, vegan, and refined sugar-free cookie products to the retail, private label, fundraising, and food service industries and can assist with product development, formulation, and packaging design.

Customers include businesses looking for private label products, fundraising distributors, schools, retail stores, restaurants, supermarkets, and others.

Contact:
Tim Hartnett
General Manager
Clear Lake Specialty Products
http://www.clearlakespecialty.com
1.800.647.8667

The Clear Lake website has much mope information.

Vegan Mac 'n' "Cheese" for Kids

2008-04-19T16:19:00.000-04:00

Jennie Geisler has a home cooking column in the Erie Times-News newspaper and a two-year-old son with a dairy allergy. That's a recipe for non-dairy dishes to appear regularly in her column. ("That's a recipe," get it? Newspaper columns and headlines are full of these cheapest of all puns. Why oh why oh why? I thank Geisler for writing straight.)

Anyway, she borrows a recipe, Macaroni and 'Cheese' from V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking, by Angeline Linardis. Not only is is dairy-free, but cheese-free. Soy milk makes the milky substitute.

Geisler adds a couple of cooking notes that are relevant.

The recipe called for either carrots or red bell peppers as the puree base for the "cheese" sauce. I went ahead and used both. I chopped them up, put them in a big cereal bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and steamed them in the microwave for 5 minutes or so. Then I poured them into the blender, splashed them with soy milk and gave it a good whirl. That and a few seasonings, and we were ready to rock.

Nutritional yeast is a flaky yellowish substance that's different from regular yeast in that it will not help in leavening. It adds nutrition and flavor to whatever contains it. You can find nutritional yeast at the Whole Foods Cooperative, 1341 W. 26th St., in bulk. All you need is a quarter cup.

Nutritional yeast is also known as brewer's yeast. You can add it to any baked good at a proportion of 1 to 3 teaspoons per cup of flour. It offers protein, fiber and potassium to anything that contains it. The yeast is included here, according to the cookbook, because it has a fermented taste that suggests the flavor of real cheese.