Milk-Based Cultures in Stonyfield Soy Yogurt

I've seen several questions pop up about Stonyfield's O'Soy Soy Yogurt. Although it's a soy yogurt and none of the ingredients contain milk, the packaging contains a "CONTAINS SOY AND MILK" warning. Why? Because two of the six cultures that they use to make the yogurt are milk-based.

Michelle Civalier went the extra step and called the company in concern.

The representative informed me that this specific product has six probiotic cultures, two of which are grown in milk. (The details are proprietary, however, the spokeswoman did say there is no alternative method of growing those two cultures at this time.) The cultures ingest lactose, casein, and milk protein, meaning that those three things should not be present in the final product. What’s left of the milk after those parts are removed is present in the yogurt in amounts no greater than 5 ppm (parts per million). Stonyfield does not believe that these levels are high enough to cause a reaction in most sensitive or allergic people, but if there is concern, please consult a doctor before eating any of the product.

It's true that I've never heard of a documented reaction from anyone eating an O'Soy product. From the description given only the most extremely allergic would have even the possibility of a reaction. I'm sure most parents of allergic children would be concerned deposit this.

Civalier was. She asked:

Stonyfield promised to send my complaint to product development, though that didn’t provide me with any satisfaction as to why cultures that require milk to grow are being used in soy yogurt.

That's an interesting question. I haven't found any other soy yogurt to use milk-based cultures. They all claim to be dairy free. The Nancy's Yogurt FAQ page even explicitly states:

My son is allergic to dairy. Which of your products are completely casein-free?

All of our Organic Cultured Soy products are completely casein and dairy-free. We use nondairy cultures to culture our soy yogurt.

So it's not necessary to use milk-based cultures in soy yogurt. It's a choice that Stonyfield makes. Thus far it's been a successful choice, but it's one you need to think about.

You can find soy yogurts on the Nondairy Milk Alternatives - Other Nondairy Products of my Product Clearinghouse. I've made a note to the O'Soy Yogurt listing that states that it's made from milk-based cultures.

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Pseudoscience Has a Defender

I hope you all had a change to read my post on Nutripuncture - The Ultimate in Pseudoscience on Wednesday. I found the press release that was issued about the "treatment" to be both jaw-dropping and hilarious. If I ever start my own science fiction magazine, I couldn't do better than to title it "Oscillating Polymetallic Circuits."

The post almost immediately received a response from Dr. Meg Jordan of the California Institute of Integral Studies, the university where the demonstration took place. She defended Nutripuncture and alternative medicine in general. And she lifted my hopes only to see them dashed to the ground. She wrote:

Your copy is fun to read -- similar to other quick-witted bloggers who enjoy dishing out ridicule and heavy-handed opinion.

Quick-witted! Even though I'm sure she was being sarcastic, I'll take the compliment. I wonder if she'll let me use it as a blurb on a book.

The second half of the sentence is what buoyed my spirits. The implication is surely that some, many, scores and hordes of other bloggers have been similarly mocking the pseudoscience that is Nutripuncture.

Are you out there? Please, please let me know. I feel so lonely being the only one.

And the only one I appear to be. I searched for Nutripuncture. What I found was the following.

Nutripuncture class with Dr Veret.

I attended Dr. Veret's class last time he was in Austin and had some very interesting results.

Thirty years ago, I lost a child and often felt a deep sadness. In 45 minutes of needless acupuncture, I was able to release the emotional pain with no charge on it at all. I still remember my precious child and I am free of the sadness.

The protocol is called NUTRIPUNCTURE, needleless acupuncture and it can work on the physical, mental and emotional levels.

Heidi's Heart.

since last December, when I had my uterus scraped (a uterine oblation) because I was bleeding up to a pint a day, my psychic ability has diminished to nil. I hadn't made the connection before between the ground of my sexual being and psychic experiences. For example, I have not seen beings of light in my living room or out and about in the world for almost a year now, whereas I used to see them several times a day.

An intuitive healer recommended that I try nutripuncture, which is a blend of acupuncture theory and homeopathy. He prescribed yin-yang, uterine, and thyroid combinations for me, and I've been taking them for the past two weeks.

Immediately, my dreams became much more vibrant and real. And I am beginning to remember the messages upon waking, like the one this morning: "Things that you need to shout to the world, even though the world may not be listening."

I have also begun to see energy fields again, not yet full-blown beings of light, angels, some might call them, but at least energy fields. These vibrations are very clearly discernible against the backdrop of objects and persons in the "normal world."

innervoya.

I guess what I am finding is that Nutripuncture gives one an exciting definable experience. In my case, for example, after taking the oedipal sequences, my relationship with my parents improved dramatically and of course it took time and push-back and doing other things too but the Nutripuncture feels very solid in resolving many of my body's knee-jerk responses to them

Caught in the Illusion - Nutripuncture.

NUTRIPUNCTURE richly combines the elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine with breakthrough research in potentiating cellular membrane function and balancing and revitalizing the informational pathways of the body to provide rapid healing results without adding any additional disturbances to the body as many medicines and even natural remedies are well known to do.

Nutripuncture is based on the work Of Nicola Tesla and George Lakhowski on Cellular Oscillation and on the wok of Barbara Mc Clintock which earned her a Nobel Prize in 1983. This energetic form of acupuncture is able to locate and address disturbances in the vital currents. These disturbances are the root cause for pathologies in your body, mind and spirit.

lightbugirka.

Unbelievable - what I saw in the last month - one can do diagnosis of another person via voice (nutripuncture & our own Jean Loup at BM), via musical chetki (shamanic ceremony), via breathing (opencenter.org)... But it all an addition to a developed intuition and pereception and skills...

POWERFUL NRG.

He advised me to get off a prescription med which was just blocking my bodies natural instinct. He wisely gave me some all natural herbal supplements and added some NutriPuncture to my regular intake. Holy Shitballs!!! I FEEL FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. Back to the high energy I am used to having. My attitude is pumped again. I am back on track and ready to be a seriously productive, fun loving freak getting some shit done.

Holy Shitballs!!! indeed. Is there anything Nutripucture can't do? I'm so pumped on this.

But wait. What's this? A dissenting voice? True, it's now seven years old, but I'm sure Dr. Jordan has a better memory than I do. And unlike those posts from believers who would support anything alternative, this post - called, wonderfully, "A Higher Level of Nonsense" was made by Stephen Barrett, M.D., who is Board Chairman of Quackwatch, Inc., and Vice President of the National Council Against Health Fraud, before whom I bow down and proclaim "I'm not worthy."

He wrote:

Nutripuncture uses "homeopathic nutrient pills" that are said to work like acupuncture needles. Proponents claim that small tablets incorporated with tiny amounts of nutrients have "an immediate action on cellular levels of the body's organs" and "restore the information and the function of the organs and emotional blockages." (In other words, insignificant amounts of nutrients are swallowed to influence an imaginary body electrical system to "balance" imaginary body forces that supposedly are related to organ dysfunctions.)

A proponent Web site lists 38 nutrient products, 38 organs, 38 symptoms, and 38 psychological states -- all numbered to tell the practitioner which product should be used for which organ, symptom, or psychological state. There is no scientific evidence or reason to believe that large amounts of the listed nutrients can do what the proponents claim. But even if they could, the amounts contained in the nutripuncture products would be too small to have the same effect.

One seven year old post. Balanced against the ability to diagnose via voice!

Dr. Jordan you're winning the war against the war against ignorance. Ignorance is rampant across this country. And across France as well, judging by the number of blogs in French that I couldn't read. In the battle of quick wits against half-wits, I guess we know who's coming out ahead.

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Essence of Unreality

To end the week's run on press releases you should ignore I go back to the old reliable, homeopathy. I did a warning about a homeopathic allergy medication that claimed to cure practically everything except the derivatives crisis back in March. But these claims never go away. They are evergreens in the deciduous world of pseudoscience.

ChiroEco.com, Your Online Chiropractic Community, has added a slew of articles touting homeopathic remedies. Yes, I do consider chiropractic practices to be among the pseudosciences and it's touting of homeopathy is one major reason why.

Specifically, a release by Frank J. King Jr., ND, DC, which should speak for itself.

LAW OF SIMILARS

It may be necessary to search out additional homeopathic formulas to address all underlying causes. Since homeopathy is based on the law of similars, look for formulas that relate to your patient’s symptomatic patterns, such as sinus, headache, skin irritations, asthma, snoring, etc.

There are homeopathic formulas for other specific allergies that can have a compounding effect with other allergies. There are homeopathic formulas for animals, dairy, dust, eggs, fragrances, fruits, grains, nightshades, nuts, and shellfish.

Other factors that can inflame seasonal and year-round allergies include toxicities. There are also homeopathic formulas designed to connect common toxicities, such as caffeine, cosmetics, household chemicals, outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution, food additives and preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, and water chemicals.

Also to assist with toxicities are homeopathic formulas that activate the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms to work properly, such as blood, kidney, lymph, liver, and acid formulas.

There's some trouble in the Middle East as well. I recommend essence of gefilte fish.

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Don't Listen to Experts!

And today's entry in our continuing series on humorous press releases starts with the sentence:

The nation's leading health experts insist that we drink plenty of milk and eat dairy foods to protect our bones.

And then tells you to ignore all the nation's leading health experts and listen to...
health writer Michael Castleman.

Yes, exactly. It is always sound advice to ignore leading health experts. In fact, I'll go farther than that. It is always sound advice to ignore all leading experts. On everything.

Wait. I'm a leading expect. That means it's sound advice to ignore what I just said.

Please do so.

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Nutripuncture: The Ultimate in Pseudoscience

I thought it was satire. I assumed it was from The Onion or some other site using scientific-sounding words to mock the Examiner.com nimrods who post their total lack of understanding of nutrition.

I mean, look at this. Who could believe it's to be taken seriously?

When Anna walked into the university auditorium at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), she was limping in obvious pain, barely able to put weight on her left knee. "It's nothing but bone on bone; I need a knee replacement," she said.

But after a few brief moments of Nutripuncture delivered by French scientist and medical doctor Patrick Veret, Anna walked around in a circle, upright and spry, as if no surgery was needed. "I'm stunned. What just happened?" she asked.

The California Institute of Integral Studies? That's a made-up name, right?

Wrong. It's real, although reality is a loose concept from here on in. And Nutripuncture is "real" as well, even though it sounds like what it is, a ridiculous mishmosh of nutrition and acupuncture.

The nonsense stunning my system began when I read a press release titled Nutritional Acupuncture Restores Health in Stunning Demo.

Read this.

Dr. Veret is an expert in the science of Nutripuncture, a medical breakthrough developed in France based upon the original findings of scientist George Lakhovsky who worked with oscillating polymetallic circuits. Veret and his colleague Cristina Coumo, an Italian practitioner and movement therapist, offered two days of demonstrations before CIIS faculty and staff.

Oscillating polymetallic circuits? Remember that game of choosing one word from column A, one from column B, and one from column C and making them into an impressive-sounding but meaningless phrase? That's the kindest description I can give of oscillating polymetallic circuits. Nothing like that exists in science. It doesn't even exist in pseudoscience. A Google search for "Oscillating polymetallic circuits" returns only one hit: the press release.

It gets loonier the farther you read. Try this section:

according to Veret, Nutripuncture operates on additional dimensions, including psychological, spiritual, emotional, physical and an energetic plane that can only be described as pre-manifested or the process of incarnating into human flesh.

The more Veret tried to explain how Nutripuncture works, (in French with Cuomo's translations) the more the assembled parties wanted to see another demonstration. Soon people were asking for "whatever Anna got" No matter what physical complaint was presented to Veret, he began the same way. He asked the person "What is your name?" over and over. As the person responded, Veret listened carefully for the way the person embodied his or her identity, and from there, uncovered which lines of vital force in the body were laboring under miscommunication or sustained trauma or any number of breakdowns in energy flow. He then tested the muscle strength (applied kinesiology) while having the client chew a sequence of tiny mineral supplements—little chalky pills that contain trace amounts of substances such as calcium, zinc, and potassium, flavored with a little stevia and bound with "neutralized" lactose.

Ah, yes. "Neutralized" lactose. No wonder Anna's knee miraculously cured. If he used non-neutralized lactose, she might have exploded. Into rainbows and puppies.

You know that this is quackery, pure and simple. Nobody, not the deepest-dyed woo-woo among you, can take instant cures based on "oscillating polymetallic circuits" seriously.

But what about Patricia Biesen's Your dairy-free first aid kit from *shudder* examiner.com? Would you understand as quickly that it is just as meaningless?

Sometimes even with the best of intentions, you may have an “oops” moment. “Oh no there was sour cream in that?” Next, you wind up not feeling so good. Here comes your first aid kit to the rescue, what every lactose intolerant foodie should have on hand for “emergencies”: ...

Digestive or Swedish bitters. Can be taken as a liquid medicinal or capsule form. Swedish bitters are a traditional herbal tonic, composed of 11 herbs: aloe, myrrh, saffron, senna leaves, camphor, rhubarb roots, zedvoary roots, manna, theriac venezian, carline thistle roots and angelica roots in a base of water and alcohol.

Biesen also confused lactose intolerance with cow's milk protein allergies. And she shills for other "alternative" products like Natren’s Mega Dophilus, Unikey’s high potency Magnesium, and Neti pots, none of which will do the slightest bit of good for any LI individual who has ingested milk. None.

There are degrees of pseudoscience, but that's like saying that zero comes in flavors. Skip the woo-woo. Science ain't perfect but the alternative is just plain nuts.

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Malta Gets Lactose-Free Ice Cream. Why Not Us?

Americans, if they think of Nestlé at all, might have an image of chocolate bars and other comfort foods. In fact Nestlé S.A. is an insanely huge multi-national conglomerate based in Switzerland, whose products and activities span the globe. The U.S. market sees only a tiny fraction of the brands it makes internationally.

For some people that's a good thing. According to the British newspaper the Guardian Nestlé is one of the most boycotted brands in the world. A boycott has been fitfully instituted against the company since the 1970s because of the way it markets milk-based baby formulas to poor mothers in third-world countries. The vast majority of those mothers would be likely to have healthier children if their breastfed their babies.

Can you put the two sides of the company together? In reality, we do every day. Few of us notice which multinational conglomerate is the ultimate source of the products we fill our shopping carts with. Few of us can keep accounts of the pluses and minuses of their activities in 200 countries or follow the accusations made by activist groups supported or disabused by the business press. Doing so for every one of the tens of thousands of products in a supermarket would drive us all even nuttier than we are today. The modern world and capitalism depend on it being too large for any individual to comprehend.

I'm driven to these thoughts by, of all things, a press release that a newspaper on the island nation of Malta printed as a news article.

Ice creams for coeliacs and lactose intolerant consumers

Coeliacs and lactose intolerant consumers can this year enjoy a wide range of Nestlé ice creams which have been produced to address the needs of such conditions.

The Nestlé gluten-free ice creams, which include the Hello Kitty cup and stick, Indiana Jones cup, Nesquik sandwich and stick and Cremeria Fior di Latte and Lemon Sorbet are the result of specific manufacturing processes studied down to the finest detail, right from the selection of ingredients until the manufacturing stage. Nestlé continues to monitor its processes in all the packing stages, in order to ensure the utmost compliance with the standards that have enabled the company to attain the cross grain symbol. The symbol, which is printed on the product, indicates the product’s safety and guarantees no gluten presence in the product.

The lactose-free range of ice-creams, which include the Cremeria chocolate and vanilla tubs are produced with the same specific manufacturing processes but address the needs of consumers who usually, due to this condition, do not take any milk based ice cream. Although these ice creams have a very low lactose content of 0.4 per cent they still enjoy a genuine flavour and are made with only fresh Italian skimmed milk which is highly digestible.

The gluten-free and the lactose-free ice creams are available in all supermarkets and leading stores throughout Malta and Gozo.

The Republic of Malta, which includes the islands of Malta and Gozo, is home to fewer than half a million people, smaller than the county in which I live.

Yet the Maltese people will have access to a range of lactose-free and gluten-free ice creams greater than everything sold in the United States by all companies combined.

I can't comprehend this. I'm happy for the Maltese, obviously. I don't want to take away their good fortune at the expense of ours. Perhaps they're being used as nothing more than a living test market. These products are apparently available nowhere else in the world. Perhaps these treats, if well accepted, will one day sit on freezer shelves on every continent. (Antarctica excepted, to be sure.) In the meantime what explanation can be given for the fact that the millions of American consumers lack these basics?

Why?

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The Super Allergy Cookbook

Lisa Lundy is another in the long series of mothers who have used their own experiences for their allergic children to try to help others. "From a Mother Who Knows" is her trademarked catch-phrase.

She's written The Super Allergy Girl Gluten-Free, Casein-Free, Nut-Free Allergy & Celiac Cookbook.

More than a cookbook, this publication is actually the definitive textbook on the study of cooking for (and living with) food allergies, celiac disease, and intolerances. Whether you or someone you know are allergic to gluten (wheat), casein (dairy), lactose, eggs, nuts, or other foods, Lisa's book offers cooking tips and a survival guide to what you should and should not eat. Overall, there are 225 recipes and over 100 pages of useful information to help you get your life back!

You can order it directly from her site for $28.95.

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Betty Crocker Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Mixes

One of the biggest problems for those on any specialty diet is that cooking everything from scratch is difficult, but buying pre-made products or mixes is chancy. Chancy in that you have to experiment with many brands to find the taste and quality that suits you and that the companies who make specialty products are small, often have limited distribution and variety, and can go out of business quickly.

Few national brands have been willing to enter the relatively small specialty food market. That's understandable. Firms fight for every inch of shelf space, often paying out thousands of dollars per store to get the room they want. Specialty foods don't get this visibility, being confined to back corners or at least lesser-traffic areas of large supermarkets. Large advertising campaigns are usually the norm for big companies. These aren't affordable by the tiny companies but the large outlays require even larger returns, and these often aren't forthcoming.

So when a major company like Betty Crocker enters the gluten-free market, it's big news. It's also news that apparently the entry costs into a niche market like this are lower than they used to be, which may mean that other big firms will follow the lead of General Mills, the parent corporation.

A good place to start on this topic is For General Mills, Wheat-Free Items Are Tricky to Make, Cheap to Market, an online Wall Street Journal article by Ilan Brat.

Mass marketer General Mills Inc. is carving out a niche in gluten-free food after realizing it could reach eager customers without costly ad campaigns. It started with a gluten-free version of its Chex cereal last fall, for which the response was great.

The company's Betty Crocker brand is introducing gluten-free mixes for cookies, brownies and cakes. The mixes are the first gluten-free offering from a major, mainstream brand in the cake-mix aisle. Gluten is a key protein in wheat, but many people react badly to it.

Ann Simonds, General Mills's president of baking products, says the company decided to pursue gluten-free products last year after its customer-relations department noticed that customer inquiries about food allergies and sensitivities most frequently centered on whether items contained gluten.

"It used to be, as a marketer in the food industry, you needed a $50 million idea to make the business model work," says Ms. Simonds. "Today, you can meet an unmet need that will be a $5 million business . ... That would be worth it for a company like General Mills."

Two major hurdles remain. One is that the market for gluten-free products is likely to be similar to the market for dairy-free products.

Although only about 1% of the U.S. population has Celiac disease, General Mills says its research shows about 12% of U.S. households want to eliminate or reduce their gluten intake...

In the dairy-free world, people say they are interested but that doesn't translate into actual purchases. If 12% of households buy these goods, General Mills will have a major hit. If 1% buy them, they will disappear from the shelves.

The other hurdle is quality, consistency, and ease of use. That's always been a major issue for anyone trying to bake without wheat. A point you should know: the mixes are made in a dedicated gluten-free factory.

From September to December, General Mills food scientists baked more than 1,000 pans of brownies, cookies and cakes while conducting about 75 experiments with different formulations, says Jodi Benson, director of baking products research and development.

In initial experiments with yellow cake, the rice-flour mix wouldn't rise, leaving flat, dense and moist matter in the bottom of the pan, Ms. Benson says. The mix needed something to trap air.

Can ordinary people duplicate the successes the test kitchens finally achieved?

Tiffany Janes, an Atlanta writer at Examiner.com, baked up a pan of cookies and blogged about the results in Gluten-Free chocolate chip cookies and pan bars. Evidently, you need to follow the instructions exactly, even when they seem not to be working.

The gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix from Betty Crocker is not as easy to mix up as the brownie mix - by a long shot. The mix was so crumbly that it seemed it would not make very good cookies without extra liquid added. There was no unsweetened applesauce on hand to add so an extra egg went into the bowl. That was a mistake to say the least.

Even with the extra and unnecessary egg, the cookies passed the toughest test, the cookie eater:

The cookie lover in our household is the gluten eater, who upon smelling the cookies was happy to give them a try. He scarfed down five huge cookies in as many minutes, and simply said "I think they're really good but you can taste the butter sliding down your throat". This is understandable considering the mix calls for an entire stick of butter. The cookies were very good and certainly if you didn't tell people they were gluten-free, they would never suspect it.

Didn't I say these are dairy-free? I did. But the recipe calls for butter and margarine may not work as a substitute.

Betty Crocker understands this and has a whole page on its Gluten-Free Dessert Mixes site devoted to "no butter" instructions for all its mixes.

Technically, the mixes are already out and available. You may not see them yet in your local store, because General Mills is slowly adding them by chain and region. They should be widely available by the end of summer. If you can't wait, you can go to Amazon.com, although you have to buy them six boxes at a time.

This could be the start of great times for us buyers of specialty foods. Or it could be such a bomb that no other company will touch them for years. That's what I love about reality. Unlike the reality shows on television, real life is unscripted.

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Cool Summer Dairy-Free Frozen Desserts

"Time for some sweet treats to beat the heat!" wrote Allison Ryan of the LaSalle, Illinois NewsTribune. Yes, it's the start of summer and no matter the temperature outside all the news outlets are going to give you summer beat the heat recipes. (Wait. Didn't I say something just like that only a day or two ago? Answer: Yes.)

No matter. Dairy-free recipes are always good to have and its going to swelter sooner or later no matter where you live. (I don't know if I have readers in Antarctica, but if you take the really long view...)

Ryan gave recipes for Mango-Watermelon Granita, Coconut/Soy Milk Ice Cream, and Banana Ice Cream, all dairy-free and vegan.

There's even a video to help you with the directions.



Take that, summer heat!

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Make Your Own Yogurt

The "Yogurt too tangy? Make your own," article by Jenny Lass and Jodi Bager of the Chicago Tribune got me thinking.

The recipe on that page seems fine and most people can use it. But the article also assumes that you already have a yogurt maker to make the recipe in.

Wait a second. If you already have a yogurt maker, don't you already have basic homemade yogurt recipes? I'll bet you get some in the same box as the appliance.

There are dozens of yogurt makers on the market. They go for about $25-50. What should you look for in a basic yogurt maker?

This Yogurt Maker Reviews and Buying Guide from Galt Technologies provides good information. It starts:

Just what should you look for in a yogurt maker? First, let's start with the top brands - Easiyo, Salton, Yogourmet, Donvier, Euro Cuisine, Waring Pro, Yolife and Cuisipro. They are sold in stores like Walmart, Target, and Sears in the kitchen appliance section. You can also find them online at websites like Amazon.com or Cooking.com. What size yogurt maker is best? You will find that most machines will make 1 quart of yogurt although you can find 2 quart makers like the Yogourmet Multi. We say stick with the 1 quart variety unless everyone in the family agrees on the same type of yogurt.

There's more there of interest, so click on the link.

If you want individual product reviews, you can go to Amazon.com as the above page suggests. A short-lived blog, Your Yogurt Maker, compiled about a dozen reviews of top names on one page.

And Stylefeeder.com puts some how to's and reviews on a single page that supplies all of the basics.

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Recipe From Nearly Normal Cooking

Celiac.com is one of the oldest and largest sites on the Net dealing with celiac disease. I've had it on my LI Links page for a decade and a quick search found several posts I've made that originate there, including A Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Dinner and New Gluten-Free Foods.

Today I saw a recipe on celiac.com for gluten-free potato gnocchi that is also dairy-free if you use soy milk instead of cream in the making.

That's mildly interesting but individual recipes aren't normally worth a special report. What caught my eye was the bio of the author.

Jules Dowler Shepard's popular cookbook, Nearly Normal Cooking For Gluten-Free Eating, and new book, The First Year: Celiac Disease & Living Gluten-Free (2008), highlight her creativity in the kitchen. Diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999, Jules draws on personal experience in her consulting and gluten-free cooking classes. Her truly all purpose gluten-free flour has revolutionized gluten-free baking. Get her free newsletter and recipes at NearlyNormalCooking.com.

I hadn't known about either cookbook. And Shepard's site has an enormous amount of material of interest on it.

So thanks to celiac.com again for their continued work on this difficult subject.

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Sorbet: Dairy-Free But Watch the Sugar

Though the northeast is suffering through a June that features far more rainy days than scorchers, the calendar and the astronomers proclaim that we've arrived in summer. And since editors are slaves to calendars, garnering material weeks or months early to appear on the proscribed date, frozen dessert articles are appearing like clockwork. If anybody under the age of 50 understands what that metaphor means.

Therefore we have Erin Lindholm on amNewYork, who provided a terrific reminder that most frozen desserts are sugar-filled candy confections. They taste great, they satisfy the craving for coolness in the heat, but they need to be occasional treats. You can't load up on the cool stuff and then eat your way through the rest of the day without taking these extras into account.

Sorbets are especially subject to this blindness. Because they're fruit-based and often dairy-free, even fat-free, most people will think of them as a light and less calorific alternative to ice cream. That might be true. Even so, you might be surprised at the sugar wallop they're packing.

While it’s true that sorbet’s a lower-calorie, lower-fat (often fat-free) alternative to ice cream, and it’s made of fruit and often dairy-free, that’s not a green light to eat the whole pint in one sitting.

“It should still be considered a treat or dessert unless it’s homemade, and you know what’s really going into it,” noted nutritionist Liz Stein.

The first step, said Stein, is to check the sugar. For all their appeal, “sorbets are still loaded with sugar.”

In the four market brands taste-tested for this article — Ciao Bella, Haagen Dazs, Sharon’s and Whole Fruit — sugar per serving ranged from 19g to a whopping 38g, which is a huge variable when we’re talking about a scoop of frozen delight.

Second, said Stein, is figure out where the sugar’s coming from. The fruit accounts for some of it, but "you want to choose a sorbet that has natural sugar, as opposed to high-fructose corn syrup." Case-in-point: In four samples, we found everything from cane sugar to plain old "sugar" to corn syrup.

I'm not as much a foe of high-fructose corn syrup as Stein. Sugar is mostly sugar, with four calories per gram no matter what the source. Cane sugar is the same thing as "plain old sugar." Corn syrup is the simple sugar glucose. Sugar is glucose plus fructose in equal parts, but converts to glucose inside the body. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is also glucose plus fructose, with a variety of blends from 42% fructose to 90% fructose depending on the needs of the final product. As a commercial syrup it also contains water, usually one-quarter of the total. This means that HFCS only has three calories per gram. It's made commercially starting from a corn syrup base.

I know that many people get hysterical over the tremendous amount of use of HFCS in consumer products, because it is much cheaper than sugar. (Remember that it's one-quarter really cheap water.) The science is not clear that HFCS promotes obesity or has any truly bad effects on the general population. My feeling is that any sugar consumed in large quantities is going to have an effect on obesity. It wasn't the switch to HFCS that made Americans obese, it was the change in habits, the lessening of physical activity, and the growth in portion size that made supersizing the new normal.

Back to the point. Go ahead, have a small sorbet as a summer treat. No reason at all to cut out treats entirely. Just remember that fruit or not, you're eating a cupful of sugar, with some cups having even more sugar than others. Moderation in all things, except moderation.

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The Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse Has Moved

I set up Steve Carper's Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse way back in 1997. The site was as primitive as a site could be. The connection was primitive too, CompuServe's Ourworld Homepages.

The site grew a tiny bit more sophisticated as I learned better html. It's still basic, but I hope readable. I've had compliments on how clear and straightforward it is. No flash animation to navigate, no babbling videos, no tricky links.

In a sign of how the web has changed, CompuServe is dropping support of hosted webpages entirely. As of June 30, the http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stevecarper/ site will be gone forever.

The site will live on. I've moved it to my own domain. Every page on lactose intolerance can now be found at www.stevecarper.com/li.

The only change is that my science fiction pages now have their own section, www.stevecarper.com/sf.

The URLs of the individual pages have also changed in another way. CompuServe still limited file names to 8 characters, just as if the clock had never ticked over from 1997. I've put the full page name into each URL. For example, the Milk-Free Bookstore is now www.stevecarper.com/li/milk-free_bookstore.htm. The Product Clearinghouse is now www.stevecarper.com/li/The_Product_Clearinghouse.htm. And so forth.

Those of you who have bookmarked any pages in the past will have to change those bookmarks now. Because the CompuServe service is being discontinued I can't even redirect you from the old pages to the new.

However, I moved the Links section here on the blog to the top of the left hand column. Those have the new links in them. From them you can go to any part of the Clearinghouse that you want.

The new site is completely up and running. Well, I say completely, but there may be a bug or two in the links. With over 100 pages, way more than 1000 page links had to be changed. I'll be clicking on links to doublecheck for any errors, but if you find any please let me know.

You can leave a comment here. Or you can still do that at my old CompuServe email address, stevecarper@cs.com. That hasn't changed and it's not going anywhere. Yet. Who knows what changes the future will bring?

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Goats Get Lactose Intolerance

Remember the old joke in which a teacher gives a class assignment to write about a pet peeve and some future delinquent writes about his pet, Peeve?

It's not very funny. I know.

Not funny. Just relevant. To me, at least. You can't imagine how many times I go on the Internet and find people dumb or oblivious or self-interested enough to proclaim that goat's milk is acceptable for people with lactose intolerance.

Here are some examples I pulled off of Google News, just this month.

FoodBizIntel: Meyenberg Goat Milk Products

Goat milk has a delicious, gourmet taste, is easily digested, and is a real milk alternative to lactose sensitivity.

Tabbouleh Chavrie Salad

Healthy tips about our all-natural cheese include goat cheese contains 30% less fat than sour cream and many cow’s milk cheese. It is gluten-free and is easily digestible for those who are lactose intolerant.

Editors' Picks: Automaker offers goat with purchase

Goat's milk, he added, "provides a nutritious alternative for the growing number of lactose-intolerant people ...

Milk, it was good for you as a kid, it is good for you as an adult

There is goat’s milk which has slightly different properties than cow’s milk. Those who are lactose intolerant may be able to drink goat’s milk.

Not just kidding around

Goat's milk contains a different protein base than cow's milk and so can often be tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant or have other digestive sensitivities, Heather said.

That would be no, no, no, no, and no.

Goat's milk has almost exactly as much lactose as cow's milk. Some people who are allergic to cow's milk can drink goat's milk because it contains a different set of proteins. But that is almost exactly opposite to what these nitwits claim.

How do I know that goat's milk will affect the lactose intolerant?

How about a lactose intolerant goat?

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2000 Aug 1;217(3):372-5, 340.
Secondary lactose intolerance in a neonatal goat.

Weese JS, Kenney DG, O'Connor A.

Department of Clinical Studies, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada.

A 2-week-old Toggenburg kid was evaluated for persistent diarrhea and poor body condition. The herd had high morbidity and mortality associated with diarrhea in neonatal kids. Lactose intolerance was diagnosed on the basis of results of a lactose tolerance test and glucose absorption test. Clinically normal herdmates were used as control animals. The kid responded to lactase supplementation. Cryptosporidium organisms were detected in feces of several affected kids during episodes of acute diarrhea. Lactose intolerance was presumed to have developed secondary to intestinal cryptosporidiosis.

In other words, this poor baby goat got an intestinal ailment, and developed secondary lactose intolerance, in exactly the same way that so many humans, especially infants and babies. do when their intestines are attacked by something like the "stomach flu," actually a gastrointestinal ailment. The cure was also exactly like that of a human: use lactase to digest the lactose and reduce the symptoms.

Everybody. Please stop saying that goat's milk is for people with lactose intolerance. That's not true. Even the goats know better.

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Can You Travel Away From Your LI Symptoms?

Over the years I received a surprising number of emails like this one I received recently:

Something very interesting happened when I visited Italy last October. I was very cautious about eating their foods, especially all the cheese--which I love. One day I ate some over there---guess what--no problem. I ate more---no problem. I was elated! I got back to the States---ate some cheese---big problems!

Milk is milk all over the world so the symptoms of lactose intolerance should stay the same no matter where you go or what your eat. Most of the time I couldn't even hazard a guess why travel should make any difference at all.

But while milk is milk, cheese isn't always cheese. By that I mean that the more you age cheese the lower its lactose content. And the more you adulterate cheese - making it into cheese product of some sort - the more cheap stuff, like lactose (usually in the form of whey), manufacturers add to give artificial cheese a more milk-like taste. I hate to tell you, but not all that cheese you find on pizza is real cheese.

Now it's true that the Italians use some less aged, or mild, cheeses. But I imagine it's possible that a tourist might find herself in places that use better and more aged cheese.

As I say, it's just a guess. But it's the only answer I could come up with.

I'd like to hear your experiences while traveling. What happened when you ate cheese in Italy? Or anywhere else?

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Galactosemia, the Most Serious Lactose Problem

Lactose is what's called a disaccharide, a complex sugar made out of two simpler sugars, in this case glucose and galactose. Lactose intolerance occurs when the body doesn't make sufficient lactase, the enzyme that splits lactose into the simpler, and therefore digestible, sugars.

Glucose is the primary energy source for the body. All carbohydrates digest down to glucose and we must maintain a supply of it to live even for a very short time. There's really no such thing as a glucose problem.

What about galactose? Well, galactose is a carbohydrate and the body will convert galactose to glucose shortly after it is absorbed into the intestines. If this doesn't happen, a variety of awful symptoms appear. These appear much more slowly than a glucose problem, however.

Occasionally, therefore, a baby is born with the inability to convert galactose and lives long enough for the doctors to figure out the problem. This is called galactosemia. It's pretty rare, which is why I talk about so seldom. I last did so in 2007, with the posts Galactosemia: the Other Lactose Problem and Sarah's Cure about a nonprofit organization to fund research for a cure.

I was reminded of my need to periodically mention galactosemia by a very good article on the subject by Dr Vandana Rao on DNA India.com.

Dr Rao said that:

Some of the common symptoms are jaundice, vomiting, poor feeding (baby refusing to drink milk-containing formula), poor weight gain, lethargy, irritability and convulsions.

Infants with Galactosemia will develop most of the above symptoms within days of drinking milk.

Milk includes both breastmilk and a milk-containing formula, which means that virtually every baby in the world with galactosemia will start showing symptoms within days of birth. Doctors today will recognize the problem and move the infant onto a nondairy formula immediately. Lactose must be avoided for life.

Now for a complaint. I keep mentioning that the people who write articles for newspapers or magazines, or just about any publication that they don't control, normally never also write the headline for that article. That is the job of an editor.

Now if you were an editor and you read that list of symptoms above, what title would you put onto this article? Could any of you be so thoroughly dense as to title it "Lethargic? It could be Galactosemia"?

Lethargic? Who among us not named Richard Simmons isn't lethargic at times? Wouldn't that word draw you to the article? Wouldn't you think that you yourself might be suffering from galactosemia?

You aren't. I guarantee that no adult suddenly stumbles upon the knowledge of being galactosemic. You know it from before you can talk or not at all, because you simply don't live long enough to talk if you don't find it out.

That is probably the most boneheaded headline I have ever come across, and you regular readers out there know that I complain about headlines with bile-spewing frequency.

My apologies to Dr Rao for having her excellent article spoiled by some ignorant clod. You deserved better.

For more information on galactosemia, go to Parents of Galactosemic Children Inc.

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Follow-ups: Babycakes and Purely Decadent

I told you last month about the scorchingly hot New York Babycakes Bakery and the cookbook it released. The cookbook, let me remind you, is vegan and wheat-free, but uses spelt so it's not gluten-free.

Babycakes owner Erin McKenna talks about the difficulties of gluten-free baking and gives some tips on making vegan baked goods work in an interview on Express Night Out.com.

Earlier this year I also talked about Turtle Mountain's new line of coconut milk-based non-dairy frozen desserts from their Purely Decadent label. Carrie Forbes on Examiner.com gives her very positive reviews of three flavors.

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Gluten-Free While Eating Out

Vanessa K. Bush wrote a long and interesting article about gluten-free foods at QSR Magazine.com. Eating gluten-free also often means eating dairy-free as well, since celiac disease can damage the lining of the intestine where lactase is made.

Bush noted that many restaurant chains now finally are beginning to cater to special diet needs.

Lone Star Steakhouse, for example, makes recommendations on its menus geared specifically to the gluten-sensitive. Suggestions include ordering mesquite grilled steaks and chicken without seasoning or lemon butter; ordering burgers and sandwiches without a bun, steak fries, or seasoning; choosing the baked sweet potato without butter or cinnamon; and ordering salads without dressing, croutons, tortilla strips, or bacon. The Macaroni Grill offers suggestions on its menus for a number of food sensitivities, ranging from egg and fish allergies to gluten-free, advising those with wheat sensitivities to avoid baked items like croutons and biscotti and certain seasonings.

She mentioned several desserts as well, but all appeared to have milk in them except for Chinese upscale chain PF Chang, which "has a Flourless Chocolate Dome served with fresh berries and raspberry sauce." That sounds dairy-free but I would doublecheck.

It's a good article, covering a lot of ground, so take a jump over to QSR, a specialty magazine for the restaurant industry that has a deeper take on food subjects than a lot of generalist sites.

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Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium

While I'm thinking about non-dairy sources of calcium, I should take you to the source of sources, the USDA's Food Sources of Selected Nutrients page.

There's a plenitude of good information on that page and you may want to bookmark it for the future.

In the meantime, I've copied the table on non-dairy sources of calcium.



Blogger tends to reduce photos even at their largest size, so let me emphasize what appears in the fine print. Not all foods that have good amounts of calcium are good sources of calcium because other chemicals in those foods block its absorption. That's what I wrote about yesterday. Even so, that list will give you a head start on foods you should be including in your diet if you are avoiding dairy completely.

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Vinegar Helps Calcium Absorption

If you're going to drop dairy from your diet you need to make doubly sure you find ways to get the nutrients that dairy is famously has in abundance. Calcium is high on that list. Vegans are always quick to insist that you can get your calcium from green, leafy vegetables which are rich in calcium content. The latter high of that statement is true but the first half is more problematical.

Green, leafy vegetables contains chemicals called oxalates than bind the calcium in them, making the calcium unavailable for digestion. The calcium has low bioavailability, to put it another way.

About.com is a good source of information on oxalates.

Oxalates are naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and in humans. In chemical terms, oxalates belong to a group of molecules called organic acids, and are routinely made by plants, animals, and humans. Our bodies always contain oxalates, and our cells routinely convert other substances into oxalates. For example, vitamin C is one of the substances that our cells routinely convert into oxalates. In addition to the oxalates that are made inside of our body, oxalates can arrive at our body from the outside, from certain foods that contain them.

Foods that contain oxalates

The following are some examples of the most common sources of oxalates, arranged by food group. It is important to note that the leaves of a plant almost always contain higher oxalate levels than the roots, stems, and stalks.

Vegetables
spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, collards, okra, parsley, leeks and quinoa are among the most oxalate-dense vegetables
celery, green beans, rutabagas, and summer squash would be considered moderately dense in oxalates

So what is a dairy avoider to do?

Katie Alfieri, Rochester Wellness Examiner, blogged on Examiner.com that vinegar is the solution.

Dark, leafy greens are good sources of calcium, but some of these greens also contain compounds that inhibit calcium absorption. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar (either balsamic, apple cider or red wine) and 2 tablespoons of oil to your greens will allow you to absorb the calcium. This is especially beneficial for those who are lactose intolerant.

I always doublecheck information from Examiner.com, but in this case it's absolutely correct. The acetic acid in vinegar increases absorption of many important minerals. The oil is not strictly necessary but a vinaigrette is undoubtedly tastier for most folks. If taste is secondary you can even take a spoonful of vinegar with a glass of water before meals.

By the way, notice how many names of chemicals have littered this post. Beware anyone who talks about "chemicals" as some nasty, artificial creation to be avoided. Everything is a chemical and that means everything we eat is naturally no more than a huge mess o' chemicals. Without chemicals you would die instantly. Mostly because your body would simply disappear. Don't disparage chemicals. Celebrate them. It's our modern knowledge of chemicals that made the entire modern world of civilization possible. Every medication, natural, artificial, synthesized, or other is a chemical as well. Chemicals make you feel full, happy, and better. Understand them before you knock them.

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Controversy Over "Vegan" Cookbook

Pat Crocker is the author of The Vegetarian Cook's Bible, which I mentioned in December in 2007 in my Cookbooks As Giving Gifts post. It didn't get a lot of attention but garnered fairly good reviews on Amazon.

This year she came out with The Vegan Cook's Bible. An interview with the people at the Chicago NBC station indicated that she has good advice to offer.

3. What are some principles of making vegan dishes flavorful?

I spent a lot of time developing a healthy (pardon the pun) 'Basics' section in order to do just that. This section includes vegan sauces, dips, spreads, glazes for perking up vegetable and fruit dishes, as well as providing many nut and fruit milk alternatives, along with egg, cream and butter plant alternatives. My promise in accepting the challenge of writing a vegan cookbook was that the recipes would be delicious and that even non-vegetarians and non-vegans would enjoy them because they simply tasted divine.

That all sounds great. There's also a bunch of solid vegan recipes on that page.

But when you go to Amazon you see a page full of angry reviews from vegans. They all complain that Crocker uses fish and honey in her recipes, both obviously not vegan dishes.

I don't understand why any author would do this in a supposed vegan "bible." It's clear that many of her recipes are completely vegan and I like the advice that I've seen. Yet I can't recommend the book. You'll have to make up your own minds whether to ignore the non-vegan recommendations to get to the useful recipes or just go on to another of the many vegan cookbooks published these days.

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Young Adults Not Getting Enough Calcium

I hate to keep harping on the need for calcium, but I can't ignore the fact that a new study seems to come out about every other week saying that some segment of the public isn't getting their RDA of calcium.

This week the culprits are young adults sayeth an accusatory article on Forbes.com. A University of Minnesota study of 1500 young-uns found that they started reducing their calcium intake in high school or soon after.

More than half of the males and more than two-thirds of the females consumed less than the daily recommended level of calcium at the end of each of those time periods, the researchers found.

The study findings are published in the July issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

The study also took the time to check what else was correlated with lower calcium levels. Lactose intolerance was, not surprisingly. People who drink less milk tend not to get enough calcium from other sources either.

Also connected was "excessive television watching." TV watchers. Order more pizza. Double cheese. Heck, you're already fat.

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CVS Accused of Selling Expired Lactaid

A Houston television station has reported that the CVS pharmacy chain, the largest retail drug store chain in the country with almost 7000 stores, was selling products as much as three years past their expiration date.

An organization created by a coalition of labor unions, Change to Win, did a survey of 34 Houston area CVS stores that:

revealed that 90 percent of the stores visited were selling everything from expired dairy products and infant formula to over the counter meds for adults and children.

"That's the highest rate we've seen out of anywhere in the country," said [Garrett O’Connor of Change to Win].

He says the products expired anywhere from a few months ago to a few years. He cited a particular drug called Lactaid.

"They don’t even make this box any more. It expired November of 2005 and it was purchased in April of 2009," said O’Connor.

The television station revisited three of the stores and found that expired products were still on the shelves.

Expired Lactaid would not be dangerous but would likely lose its potency and effectiveness.

This is a reminder to always check the expiration date of any over-the-counter medication before you buy it.

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Planet Lactose Otherworldly News

Reports continue to pour in from the far corners of the world. Some, like those I blogged about yesterday, in Planet Lactose World News, make for good sense and good reading.

Others just drop my jaw and raise my blood pressure.

What can I possibly say after reading the following from IranSlogger.com?

Meanwhile, the headlines of the local edition of Az-Zaman said that "unconfirmed reports" claim that 'Izzat al-Duri - Saddam's second in command and the highest-ranking Ba'thi still at large - has died 10 months ago. The paper quoted a source "close to the Ba'th party" who claimed to have met al-Duri several times in 2003 and 2004; the source said that al-Duri was extremely sick and was unable to walk more than a few dozen meters in 2004, and that his health condition deteriorated thereafter until he died and was buried in a desolate area in the Hamreen hills - according to his will.

Since the US invasion, rumors said that al-Duri was sick with cancer and claims of his death have been made periodically. However, an Algerian paper published an interview with al-Duri two weeks ago, in which he allegedly denied that he had cancer (the interview, however, was made remotely and through written questions, which does not provide concrete evidence.) Sources in the Ba'th party had also stated that al-Duri's apparent sickness (which was visible in his public appearances before 2003) was not due to blood cancer as was widely believed, but to an undiagnosed case of lactose intolerance.

No. No, no, a thousand times no. Lactose intolerance cannot be confused with blood cancer. They have no symptoms in common. None at all. This can only be the most pitiful attempt at a cover-up of a real illness ever made.

I apologize to lactose intolerance sufferers all over the world for this. We have a true ailment that makes some of us truly sick. It shouldn't be used for comic relief and it shouldn't be used for lies and obfuscation. We deserve better.

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Planet Lactose World News

I try to remind everyone here on a somewhat regular basis that lactose intolerance is a worldwide problem. Every known culture has a percentage of people who are lactose intolerant.

I found an article by Julia Ranniko on Monsters and Critics.com that discusses lactose intolerance in Germany.

"For some people, just a few drops of milk in their cafe au lait can overflow the barrel. But a lot of other people can handle minimal levels of lactose pretty well," says Isabelle Keller of the German Society for Nutrition.

The food industry has taken note of the problem and is regularly offering products with reduced lactose levels - milk, yoghurt, cream, cheese or pudding. But hidden lactose can be tricky, warns Keller, since lactose can be included in unexpected products, such as pre-prepared soups, rolls or sausage.

That's the same problem that people in the U.S. face. And according to the article, as many as 15% of Germans are LI, a high figure considered that most estimates only put the percentage in the U.S, at around 20%.

And now for the news from China. How many of you knew that China's two biggest dairy giants were based in Inner Mongolia? Put your hand down, you're not being serious. No, this is really true says an article by Ding Qingfen in China Daily.com.

China, with no history of consuming dairy in major amounts, still drinks only one-quarter as much milk per capita as the world average. The dairy giants are trying to increase that consumption. And one of the ways they're doing so is to emphasize the availability of low-lactose milk, a must in a nation where most people are lactose intolerant.

Yili launched a nationwide promotion for its high-end categories after the Spring Festival in late January and "it proved to be big success", [Zhang Jianqiu, executive president and spokesperson of Yili] said.

"Our top dairy products such as Satine and Low Lactose Milk generated the biggest profits in the first quarter," he noted.

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Dogs and Milk Revisited

Dogs are mammals. That means they lose the ability to digest milk as they grow older, just like virtually every other mammals, including humans. Like lactose intolerant humans, dogs can have a small amount of milk without it creating symptoms. It's still a good idea not to take chances. If you want to give your dog dairy, find a lactose-reduced treat, like the Frosty Paws I mention in Ice Cream Sandwiches for Dogs or the Pup Ice I recently blogged about in Puppermint Lactose-Free Ice cream.

I'm mentioning this again because of a post on examiner.com, Is it safe to give Milk to your Dog?, by Michelle Tarkeshian. If you search for lactose or milk allergies or similar subjects, as I do, you'll see lots of posts that fall under the examiner.com rubric. They're not experts, though. They're volunteer bloggers, just as I am. You need to judge their experience and expertise for yourselves, but I consider most of what they write on subjects of concern to us to be amateur level at best. They may do some research, but that doesn't necessarily mean they understand what they're researching.

Take Tarkeshian's post.

Is it safe to give milk to a dog? A few weeks ago I was trying to think of a new treat I could give my dog. I started thinking about cats and how they drink milk, so I decided I could give it to her. As a dog owner I am always trying to think of new treats that will mix it up a little, and milk seemed like a good idea. Then I started thinking about if it was safe for her.

Some dogs lack the enzyme beta lactamase. This enzyme helps the digestive system break down "lactose" the sugar that is in milk. Because some dogs lack this enzyme they are lactose intolerant, but some dogs are not.

First, cats are just as lactose intolerant as dogs. Veterinarians do not recommend giving milk to cats. At best cats can drink a small amount. Some cats will have more symptoms than others, just as dogs do. Still, care is the watchword. I don't understand how any pet owner who posts on a public blog pretending to be expert can not know this.

Many of you who have read my book or my science posts might also wonder about the use of beta lactamase. I did. I had to look it up. Beta lactamase has no connection to breaking down lactose. The enzyme is beta galactosidase. Unfortunately, a few seemingly authoritative sites online do give this information. Some are British, so it might be a case of alternative labeling.

Whatever the enzyme may be called, the reality is that almost all adult dogs lack it and so are lactose intolerant. Please don't give your dogs (or cats) milk. Find a lactose-free alternative.

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Premature Babies and LI

Here's a question I wish I could have been more help with.

my baby was born at 28wks 5 wks ago and is not tolerating his breastmilk via tube feeds - this is why i am following up the LI lead

This was my reply:

The research I have says that premature babies develop the ability the manufacture lactase very rapidly and so normally do not have LI.

Here's one mention of the problem that may be of some relevance.

"Early initiation of half-strength lactose-containing formula or breast milk results in rapid induction of lactase activity in the brush border and less feeding intolerance. A recent study suggests that full-strength lactose formula resulted in more feeding intolerance than low-lactose formula in premature infants; thus, the precise lactose concentration of lactose for inducing lactase activity is still undetermined."

A little-known fact is that lactase-production does not reach full strength in the intestines until almost the last week before birth. Foodreactions.org gives this chart:

> 23rd week ------------------------- 10% of full term
> between 25th and 34th is ------ 30% of full term
> between 34th and 35th week -- 70% of full term

Therefore all premature babies are born lactose intolerant. Although some sites suggest that the lactase-making ability is still lacking until the baby achieves what would have been a full term, this is not supported by most experts. Babies may need non-dairy liquids or lactose-free milks for the first feedings, but should regain their ability to drink breastmilk of a proper formula shortly thereafter.

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Non-Allergenic Weaning Product Announced

Nutricia, the big pharmaceutical house, announced a new product of great interest to parents of children with milk allergies.

Nutricia, the European market leader in advanced medical nutrition, announces the launch of Neocate Nutra, the first and only weaning product made from 100% non-allergenic amino acids. Neocate Nutra has been specifically developed for weaning infants and older children with cows' milk protein allergy (CMPA) and multiple food protein intolerance (MFPI). Unlike many weaning products, Neocate Nutra contains no hidden allergens and is designed to provide children with the key essential nutrients they need for development. With its unique format, Neocate Nutra is suitable for taking infants through the various stages of weaning and also for older children on very restricted diets who are looking for convenient and varied food options.

Neocate Nutra represents a groundbreaking advance in the management of CMPA, a condition which affects between 2 to 7.5% of infants worldwide.(1) With the launch of Neocate Nutra, parents of CMPA infants of a weaning age and above can, for the first time, choose with confidence a weaning product that is made from 100% non-allergenic amino acids, ruling out any possible allergic reactions caused by an exposure to any trace of cows' milk. Neocate Nutra contains key essential nutrients potentially missing from a dairy-free diet and contains a child's full dietary requirements of calcium and two thirds of their daily requirements for iron and vitamin D*. This helps to ensure valuable nutrition for healthy bones, growth and development throughout the weaning stage and beyond. ...

Neocate Nutra is a versatile and convenient product. When water is added to this powder-based product, a smooth, spoonable "yoghurt style" consistency is formed which can be adjusted by adding more or less water as desired. With its neutral taste, Neocate Nutra is perfect on its own or can be combined with a variety of sweet or savoury "safe" foods. Neocate is manufactured in a cows' milk protein-free plant. Neocate Nutra is suitable for infants from 6 months and young children.

National launches of Neocate Nutra will be taking place across the world during the course of 2009 and 2010.

The Nutricia North America website already has an order page for the product for the U.S. and also one for Canada.

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Non-Dairy Protein Drinks

Last month I talked about lactose-free whey protein drinks. The lactose in those drinks is removed by a filtration process. The underlying protein is still dairy whey, however, so I can only recommend them for those with lactose intolerance, not for others who are trying to avoid dairy.

Patricia Biesen on examiner.com does a review of Dairy-free protein shakes, including some made with hemp and pea proteins.

Her short article is labeled "part 1" and she wrote that "In my next post I will post some tips and tricks to disguise the taste [of the protein drinks]", so I'm going to assume you'll be able to see some follow-up pages by the time you click over there.

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Candidiasis Not From Lactose Intolerance

Here's another of the more unusual questions I've received over the years.

Does Lactose Intolerance set up the stage for systemic Candidiasis to develop? My 13 year old daughter has been recently diagnosed with Lactose Intolerance, although our recollections support the notion that she's probably been suffering with it for years. She is currently being treated for oral thrush (Candidiasis) and had a similar epsisode last year. For all of the normal reasons someone gets Candidiasis, she is negative, and I wondered if Lactose Intolerance could be the culprit?

I responded:

I know of no good medical evidence that this is true. There are some people who believe that in LI undigested lactose reaches the colon (true) and gets fermented by the bacteria that normally live there (true) and that undigested lactose can preferentially change the composition of the bacteria that live there (true). They then make the leap that this sets up favorable conditions for the candida yeast to grow. I don't know if this is true and I have certainly never seen a single medical journal article that says this.

Even if there is any truth to this, it would seem a simple matter to use lactase pills to digest any lactose that might be part of your daughter's diet and so remove the undigested lactose that is the basis for this theory. In fact, whether there is any truth to this or not, my first advice to anyone who is LI is to take lactase with every and any bite of food that contains any dairy product. Doing so greatly relieves symptoms and is an inexpensive and sensible thing to do.

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