30 Dairy-Free Recipe Substitutions

Big thanks go to Kelli Kerkman of Greatist.com for sending me a link to a great page they ran.

Greatist is a health and nutrition site whose goals sound like something I would write, which is always the highest praise. They even have a manifesto:



I'm not a manifesto kind of guy. I'm an information kind of guy. So what I liked was the page that I'm passing on to you, 30 Dairy-Free Recipe Substitutions by Jordan Shakeshaft*.

The list is mostly the basic common-sense advice that I've given out before, but as Kelli said to me, it's always good to have it all in one place for easy reference and I agree. In addition, the page is studded with links to the foods and substitutes mentioned, which is great for you and makes my life much easier, a double win.

Here's a couple of unusual ideas, though, just to whet your appetite for the whole feast.

# Nutritional yeast for cheese

Instead of topping those nachos with cheddar, try a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavoring with less fat. The taste and texture may be a little bit different, but the creamy texture is pretty comparable.

# Mashed bananas for butter

The creamy, thickening-power of mashed banana acts the same as avocado in terms of replacing fat in baked goods. The consistency is ideal, plus the bananas add a healthy dose of potassium and fiber.

* Although that's an obvious pseudonym for the Earl of Oxford. Obscure literary reference/pun just for me.

Whole Foods Almond Milk

Using nuts as the basis for a white, milk-like liquid is apparently as old as milking itself. Nut "milks" haven't had as much success in the market as soy "milks," though. That appears to be changing.

Whole Foods Market, the upscale supermarket chain, announced "the expansion of its all organic and domestically sourced non-dairy beverage line as it launches the company's first almond milk line –including the industry's first-ever private label refrigerated organic almond milk– and light soymilk in Original and Vanilla varieties under its value-priced 365 Organic Everyday Value brand– available now in Whole Foods Market stores nationwide."

The company will continue to offer shoppers its popular high quality 365 Organic Everyday Value Soy and Rice Milk in Original, Vanilla, Chocolate and Unsweetened varieties, with new graphics to streamline the package design across the category. Soy and almond milk options will be sold in both refrigerated and shelf-stable varieties. ...

To taste the new non-dairy beverages, visit any Whole Foods Market store across the U.S. In-store sampling demonstrations will be held throughout August.

Experts Sort Out the Confusion Over Milk Substitutes

Articles on the many and varied array of milk substitutes and alternatives are a perennial in the newspaper business. But I haven't reported on one in a year, since "Milks" Galore: Soy, Rice, Almond, and Hemp.

Here's one by Betsy Friauf of the McClatchy Newspapers syndicate, found here, that covers even more alternatives (almond, hemp, rice, soy, oat, and coconut, along with real milks, including lactose-free, fat-free, and fortified.

And here's something I love: it gets goat milk right. Wa-hoo!

Dietitian says: Despite claims, it's unlikely to ease intolerance, as goat's milk is nutritionally very similar to cow's milk.

Turtle Mountain's Dairy-Free Giveaway

Turtle Mountain has been promoting its coconut milk dairy-free alternative as a major product since its introduction.

It wants you to try it so badly that the company is giving it away free.

Oh, not to you, of course. Unless you happen to live in Eugene, OR. Still, it's kinda cool.

The press release has this to say.

Turtle Mountain’s 2nd Annual Dairy-Free Ice Cream Giveaway will be held at Alton Baker Park in Eugene, OR, on Sunday, July 25, 2010. The festival is free to the public, and those who attend will receive So Delicious Dairy Free® made with Coconut Milk frozen confections.

Family-friendly games and prizes will be offered. The company expects to give out several thousand So Delicious Dairy Free® Made with Coconut Milk ice cream sandwiches and stick-bars. The event will also feature live musical performances by popular local artists and bands, including The Blair Street Mugwumps, Soulicious, and Michael Conley. A drawing will be held for prizes, including t-shirts, iPod shuffles, grocery gift certificates for Market of Choice, a year’s supply of ice cream, and a grand prize of a new hybrid bicycle, courtesy of Simply Cycle. Winners will be selected at 3 p.m.

Additionally, in an effort to support Turtle Mountain’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, anyone who rides a bike to the event will receive a free product coupon for So Delicious Dairy Free® frozen or refrigerated items which are widely available in the Eugene/Springfield area.

Coupons are also available at the Turtle Mountain website.

Hain Dreams - Dairy-Free Multitudes

The Hain-Celestial Group is so gigantic that they're almost too big to see. I talk about new firms that enter the non-dairy and dairy alternative market because they're easy to spot when I walk by the shelves. Hain products are always there and it's hard to keep track of what's new. I've had them on my website product list forever, of course.

How big are they? Gape at this list:

Hain Celestial participates in almost all natural food categories with well-known brands that include Celestial Seasonings®, Terra®, Garden of Eatin’®, Health Valley®, WestSoy®, Earth’s Best®, Arrowhead Mills®, DeBoles®, Hain Pure Foods®, FreeBird™, Hollywood®, Spectrum Naturals®, Spectrum Essentials®, Walnut Acres Organic™, Imagine Foods™, Rice Dream®, Soy Dream®, Rosetto®, Ethnic Gourmet®, Yves Veggie Cuisine®, Linda McCartney®, Realeat®, Lima®, Grains Noirs®, Natumi®, JASON®, Zia® Natural Skincare, Avalon Organics®, Alba Botanica® and Queen Helene®.

The one, or ones, I want to talk about today are the Dream lines of dairy-free drinks and frozen desserts. They are all found at Taste the Dream.

There are four Dreams, Rice, Soy, Hemp, and Almond, each obviously named after the ingredient that is used as the base. Kidz Dream is soymilk and fruit juice smoothies.

The newest line is Chocolate Dream bars.

New Chocolate Dream dairy free candy bars are premium all-natural, solid chocolate bars crafted from cocoa that will satisfy everyone’s chocolate dream.

Available in five decadent varieties, they contain no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or refined sugars making them truly a dairy free and gluten free dream come true.

The five flavors are Dark Chocolate in Almond, Pure Dark, Rice Crunch, and Raspberry, and Sweet Chocolate in Creamy Sweet.

If you think you remember the Dream lines under another name, you're right.

The roots of RICE DREAM and SOY DREAM go back to 1971, when Robert Nissenbaum, one of the original founders, had opened Morning Dew Organic Food Market in St. Louis, MO. It was one of the first organic/natural food stores in the United States. Robert was very passionate about the relationship between diet, health and well being, as well as very concerned for the environment. He explored the natural vegetarian diet, macrobiotics, yoga, and organic gardening. He used his store as the vehicle to share his ideas and inform others about the benefits of this new way of living.

In 1982, Robert and another partner founded Imagine Foods in the Missouri countryside. Things really took off when he and his partner took some of their products including soy tempeh, an early version of RICE DREAM beverage, and RICE DREAM Frozen Dessert to a natural food industry trade show. The distributors were crazy about the RICE DREAM Frozen Dessert. The orders kept coming, and the company kept growing and changing, to offer the highest quality, most delicious all-natural foods.

In December of 2002, Imagine foods was made part of The Hain Celestial Group- the country’s largest and most respected natural and organic foods company. Imagine Foods is proud to be part of The Hain Celestial Group’s family of brands that provide delicious “better for you” foods loved by people of all ages.

Taste The Dream Consumer Relations
The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
4600 Sleepytime Dr.
Boulder, CO 80301

Or call us at:
1-800-434-4246, Monday-Friday, 7am-5pm Mountain Time

If you would like more information about The Hain Celestial Group, go to www.hain-celestial.com

Truwhip Whipped Topping Alternative

Truwhip is a lactose-free whipped cream alternative with an unusual list of ingredients.

INGREDIENTS: Water, organic tapioca syrup, expeller-pressed palm kernel oil, organic cane sugar, organic palm kernel oil, contains less than 2% of each of the following: organic soy protein concentrate, sodium caseinate (milk protein), organic tapioca starch, natural flavors, organic soy lecithin, xanthan gum, guar gum. contains milk and soy.

Note that while Truwhip is lactose-free, it still has the milk protein casein, so it can't be considered dairy-free. But it's 100% natural and 70% organic and free of a long list of other items:

•no GMOs
•no hydrogenated oils
•trans fat free
•gluten free
•no high fructose corn syrup
•no polysorbate 60

It's found mostly at natural food stores.

Peak Foods Boise Sales Office
877 W. Main St. Ste 700
Boise, ID 83702
Toll Free (800) 727-9939

Taste Test of Silk's PureAlmond

Silk, the noted maker of soy milks, introduced its PureAlmond nut-based milk alternative just a few months ago.

The Florida Times-Union assigned Ann J. Kelley to conduct a taste test.

Both lactose- and soy-free, Silk Pure Almond Almondmilk can be purchased in Original or Vanilla, and while it's lower in calories than regular milk, it still provides the same amount of calcium and vitamin D.

We wondered if the average milk drinker, with no lactose problems, would find the almondmilk appealing, so we had members of the Times-Union Consumer Panel put it to the test. All of them gave it high marks.

Comments included:

"If you don't like it, you're nuts! It's really good and has more fiber and fewer calories, sugar and carbs."

"It's not at all sweet like I expected and has a nice rich taste without the fat."

"My husband thought it was OK, but it's a little too rich and sweet for me."

"It isn't quite as cold or refreshing as 2 percent milk."

The panel's biggest problem other than the sweetness was the price. At $3.00 for a half-gallon, the taste wasn't near good enough to overcome the cost. Remember, though, these are milk drinkers who have the option to buy cow's milk. Those of us who don't have lots more incentive.

Yours Truly by Tofutti

"Crunchy sugar cones lined with rich chocolate, topped with smooth creamy vanilla and dipped in a thick chocolate coating with chocolate cookie crunchies."

Sounds good? Notice what isn't mentioned? Well, what goes in sugar cones? Ice cream, of course. In fact, this sounds exactly like Nestle's Drumsticks. "Creamy vanilla dipped in a rich, extra-thick chocolatey coating—all in a crispy, chocolatey-lined sugar cone with a chocolatey surprise." Hmmm. That doesn't mention ice cream either, now that I look at it. (Technically, it isn't. The first ingredient is whey, not milk or cream. Surprise.) Whatever Drumsticks might be, though, they're certainly dairy.

Not Yours Truly by Tofutti, though. Like all Tofutti products it's non-dairy, even parve, made from corn and soy oil, soy protein, and tofu powder. Tofu powder! Who knew you could powder tofu?

You should be expecting a picture now. Certainly a link. You're not going to get one. That's because that's not even a hint of a mention of Yours Truly cones on the Tofutti website. I can find mentions of the product on the Internet dating back to last August, but no pictures at all. Even more oddly, the Canadian Tofutti site does mention it.

Yours Truly Cones
A crunchy sugar cone lined with rich chocolate topped with smooth creamy vanilla Tofutti and dipped in a thick chocolate coating with chocolate cookie crunchies.

Why is this odd? The cones are the only product not listed on the ingredients page.

Yours Truly by Tofutti. Mystery cones, creamy vanilla smothered in an enigma, dipped in a conundrum, and sprinkled with mystification.

UPDATE: A review of Yours Truly cones can be found here.

Silk Makes Almond Milk

Silk and soymilk are almost synonymous. Their website even has the URL of www.SilkSoymilk.com.

But soy has its own set of enemies. And grabbing a bit more shelf space always is to a company's advantage. So Silk is extending its tendrils and doing a bit of brand extension, introducing two flavors, original and vanilla, of Silk PureAlmond, a dairy-free, lactose-free milk alternative made from almonds.

The Wegmans site has a long paragraph taken from a Silk handout on the new drink, an oddity since they aren't listed among the store locations.

All natural almondmilk (added vitamins & minerals, including vitamin E). 90 calories per serving; rich in antioxidants (added vitamins & minerals, including vitamin E), lactose-free & soy free. 90 calories per serving. What makes our almondmilk so healthy? For starters, it's the almonds. Every little nut is a perfectly packaged powerhouse of natural antioxidants and more. In fact, we like to think of almonds as Nature's Perfect Nutrition - and that's where our almondmilk begins. We make our almondmilk with all the care, quality and wholesome nutrition you expect from Silk? Along with an excellent source of natural antioxidants (fortified with natural antioxidant vitamin E), each glass provides as much calcium and vitamin D as milk, with absolutely no cholesterol, saturated fat, lactose or soy. And best of all, it's just 90 calories. Perfectly delicious nutrition, just as Nature intended. Everyday delicious. At Silk, we believe each day should include its share of pure, delicious pleasure. Smooth and creamy with rich taste of almonds, Silk Pure Almond almondmilk is guaranteed to bring a smile - at only 90 calories a cup. Over cereal, in your coffee or straight up in a glass, it's a natural, healthy way to make every day just a little yummier. Enjoy! Delicious little almonds. Great big nutrition. Silk Pure Almond Vanilla Almondmilk: 90 calories; 30% DV calcium; 25% DV vitamin D; 0 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol. Data drawn from USDA, ARS 2008, Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21. This almondmilk is made from almonds that were not genetically engineered. Made in USA.

Unless you are using an iPad, go to SilkPureAlmond.com for some of that Apple-prohibited flash animation.

Substituting for Evaporated and Condensed Milk

I received this question recently:

Are there any canned lactose free evaporated or condensed milk products? If not, do you have a recipe on how to make lactose free evaporated and condensed milk?

The answer, sadly, is that there aren't any lactose-free evaporated or condensed milk products on the market. (Lactaid did a tryout of one in Puerto Rico, but has no plans to take it further.) Creative cooks will have to devise substitutes. No one-size-fits-all answer comes to mind, though. You'll definitely need to think about what you're cooking and what the role of the milk is in it.

First, what are evaporated and condensed milks? A good answer can be found at the Eating with Food Allergies site.

Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk is just concentrated milk (with about 60% of the water removed). For an easy substitute, use Vance's Foods DariFree Original Powder Gluten-Free Beverage. Rather than mixing it as milk, mix 1/2 c. of the powder with 1 c. of hot water. I used this substitute in this Dairy Free Fudge recipe.

Sweetened Condensed Milk
Sweetened condensed milk is just evaporated milk with sugar added. To make your own dairy free version, make 1 c. of evaporated milk (recipe above) and, over medium heat, dissolve 1-1/2 c. of granulated sugar in the mixture.

Vance's Foods DariFree is a potato starch-based nondairy milk substitute that is useful is many alternative recipes.

That's just the starting point. When people look for an evaporated milk substitute, pumpkin pie is often the target. I've given a couple of different possibilities for this in previous posts. One answer is tofu, as in Use Tofu to Substitute for Evaporated Milk. Plain soy milk will work if you boil it down to about two-thirds its original liquid content. You can also try just cooking a pie five to ten minutes longer to firm it better without boiling down the soy milk.

If you're looking for a generic substitute to use in many possible recipes, GoDairyFree has a maze of links that lead you to a variety of suggestions, from coconut milk to soy or rice milks.

And another range of possibilities emerge on this page at Celiac.com with plenty of cooks sharing their personal secrets.

You will have to do some experimenting to see which substitute works best with the particular dish or recipe you want to try. No easy answers, but a wealth of advice.

Good Karma Milk Alternatives

Also at the supermarket this week I found products from Good Karma Foods, surely the quintessential natural/organic/alternative name.

Good Karma Organic Rice Divine and Organic Whole Grain Ricemilk products use the finest organic ingredients to give you a delightful eating experience indistinguishable from the even the best ice creams and dairy beverages. Our amazing products are Gluten Free, Dairy free, Vegan, Kosher, and Supports Green Farming.

They have three lines of milk alternative products.

Organic Rice Divine: Pints


Here’s the whole story behind Good Karma Organic Rice Divine™: We did it for you. You wanted someone to create a dessert no one had thought of before - - here it is. You didn’t want to worry about lactose intolerance or wheat allergies - - you don’t have to. You wanted uncompromised flavors that no one else had thought of before (or no one else had gotten right yet) - here they are.

Flavors: Banana Fudge; Carrot Cake; Chocolate Chip; Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge; Coconut Mango; Key Lime Pie; Mint Chocolae Swirl; Mudd Pie; Very Cherry; Very Vanilla.




Organic Whole Grain: Ricemilk

Get ready for the perfect ricemilk! Good Karma Foods as always, is excited to bring you yet another product of unparalleled quality and innovation. Welcome to the first beverage anywhere with 8 grams of Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice in every serving.Good Karma’s Organic Whole Grain Ricemilk contains all of the natural bran,bran oils, and other naturally occurring nutrients contained in Whole Grain Brown Rice! Our entire line is Organic, Creamy and Delicious! Enjoy Good Karma over cereal, in coffee, and best of all, in a tall cold glass.

Flavors: Chocolate; Original; and Vanilla.




Organic Rice Divine: Chocolate Covered Bars

The greatest frozen dessert we could create, and you don’t even need a spoon to enjoy it! Organic Rice Divine™ bars dipped in real organic chocolate and served on a stick. Just unwrap and enjoy. What could be easier? Available in Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chocolate. Three 3 ounce bars per box.Good Karma Organic Rice Divine™ - we’ve raised the bar on frozen desserts!

Flavors: Chocolate Chocolate Bars and Very Vanilla Bars

Tempt Hemp

A trip to the supermarket seems to find new milk alternative products each and every time. This week brought two.

First up is Tempt from Living Harvest.

Tempt™ Hempmilk is a delicious non-dairy beverage made from hemp seeds - one of nature's most perfect, planet-friendly foods. Perfect for your morning cereal or coffee, for cooking and baking, or to put the 'smooth' in your favorite fruit smoothie.

DAIRY & SOY FREE • VEGAN • TREE NUT FREE • GLUTEN FREE
CHOLESTEROL FREE • NON-GMO • KOSHER • LOW SODIUM
Hemp contains no known allergens

It comes in five flavors: Chocolate; Original, Unsweetened Original; Vanilla; and Unsweetened Original.

And now there is also Tempt Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert.



It also comes in five flavors: Chocolate Fudge; Coconut Lime; Coffee Biscotti; Mint Chip; and Vanilla Bean.

Much more information about hemp and the Tempt products at its FAQ page.

Hemp seeds are the edible part of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa L). They are a tiny, round seed, similar in size to a sesame seed. They have a light, pleasant flavor and taste similar to toasted pine nuts. Hemp seeds can be pressed for oil, milled into a protein powder, roasted or shelled and made into Hempmilk. Hemp seeds have been cultivated as a food for centuries in China, and many countries in Europe and Africa. All the hemp grown for Living Harvest products come from Canada. "

Alkemie Dairy-Free Ice Cream

Following in the footsteps of last year's hugest trend - dairy-free milk alternatives made with coconut milk and agave nectar as sweetener, comes Alkemie Dairy-Free Ice Cream. The twist that makes them new and different: they use cashew milk as the main ingredient.

Alkemie was founded with a mission: to provide you with a truly wholesome, nutritionally superior dairy-free frozen dessert that is equally as rich and creamy as premium dairy ice cream. With our unique base of organic raw cashews, coconut and agave nectar, we have taken the purest ingredients and perfected a classic. Our company was created with the promise of delivering not only supreme taste, but quality food for your body as well. Using only what nature has provided us, we present to you a handcrafted (batch-churned), innovative and dairy-free option for that authentic ice cream experience.

Alkemie comes in three flavors, dark chocolate, mint chocolate chip, and vanilla bean.

Unfortunately, Alkemie is currently only available in northern California.

Good Afternoon, Calgary

A little late, unless they do reruns or repeats, but I did a live interview with Canadian radio station CHQR today. Mike Blanchard interviewed me to get my reactions on an article that had appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail called "Is milk good for your kids?"

Hey, you know me. Try to pin me down on a complicated, contentious subject and I strike back with a forthright "Yes. And No." Which I believe strongly.

The article is mostly one sided, with eminent doctors citing studies that have shown some negative effect of milk. These articles are true but the kind of truth that results from not mentioning any studies on the other side, like those that show that low-fat milk can help control, even lower, high blood pressure and so lower hypertension. The alternative view is given by representatives of farmers groups, who unfairly are not given a chance to cite particular studies.

If you read carefully you see that even the nay-sayers are reluctant to remove milk from children's diet. They do question whether the Canadian government guidelines should proclaim it to be "essential".

I agree that milk is definitely not essential for those children and adults who are allergic to milk. A great many alternatives now can be found in stores, "milk" substitutes made from soy, rice, nuts, hemp, and coconuts. Parents need to compare the nutritional labeling to regular milk to ensure that the nutrients these "milks" contains are close to the original. With dozens of different brands and styles and market segments aimed for, ingredients often vary widely.

Those of us who are lactose intolerant can use these products as well, but we can also find ready-made lactose-free milk and other diary products or use lactase pills - several brands of which are made by Canadian companies - to reduce symptoms if you're having regular dairy products.

Dairy is well known for high calcium content in a palatable form. There is calcium in cheese and pizza and ice cream and custards and all the other delicious dairy products that are omnipresent in western food cultures. You can trying getting your kids to load up on green vegetables and fish for their calcium but many parents report that it's a harder job.

And there is a hidden danger of merely yanking milk away from a group likely to drink large quantities of it. The alternative is all too often not soy "milk" but soda. Sweet soda contains twice as much sugar per glass than milk does and has virtually none of the many nutrients milk is famous for, according to NutritionData.com:


In short:

• Know what problem you're trying to solve.
• Know both the pros and cons of the food you're concerned about and the food you want to replace it with.
• Learn whether your child will accept and adapt to the new diet.
• Learn to stop being frightened. Unless you child had a true allergy, which only affects 2-3% of children, and therefore must eliminate milk, dairy products are always an option. They may not be essential. They may not be necessary, since vegans can have perfectly healthy diet with the same kind of attention and intimate knowledge of their food that I suggest. But there is no good reason to think that they are actively harmful. The data is sketchy and limited. We need better studies all around before we start eliminating major food groups.

In the end it's a private choice for adults and a reasoned choice for parents of children. You can keep a child perfectly healthy and happy either way. Convenience, cost, and availability, especially of packaged food, restaurant meals, and eating with Friends and family, may become the determining factor.

You can find a middle course through the dueling experts. It's called common sense. Parents are good at finding that middle ground, even in a subject as contentious and poorly understood as milk and dairy.

Milk Alternatives in Baking

Linda Cicero's Cook's Corner column in the Miami Herald had a solid tip about using soy milk as a substitute for milk in baking.

Q: I recently started using soy milk, and I've gotten used to it in coffee, but don't know if I can use it in my baking or even in something like instant pudding. Do you have suggestions?

S.K.

A: Instant pudding must need dairy proteins to set up properly. I tried using less soy milk than the package calls for -- 1 ½ cups rather than 2 -- and produced a pudding-like consistency.

My vegetarian daughter says she has been making pudding -- though not instant -- with soy milk, rice milk and almond milk for years using recipes that call for cow's milk. The same goes for muffins, cakes and cookies. She notes that rice milk is a bit sweeter and almond adds a bit of flavor. She recommends soy cream, which is thicker (find it near the refrigerated coffee creamers) for sauces like alfredo or scalloped potatoes.

Vance's DariFree - From Here to Lagos

Although I've had it listed in my Product Clearinghouse for many years, I've never mentioned Vance's DariFree here in the Planet Lactose blog.

DariFree is a powder made without dairy or soy or rice or any of the more commonly found milk alternatives. Instead it's based on maltodextrin, a polysaccharide or long-chained sugar, that is derived from potato starch. This makes it unusually allergen-free.

DariFree™ is not only Fat-free and Cholesterol-free, it is also free of Gluten, Casein, Soy, Rice and contains no MSG.

DariFree™ is available in 19.5 oz. cans (6 quarts) and economical 25 lb. boxes (115 quarts). If you can not find DariFree™ at your favorite health or specialty food store, you can ask them to order it, or you can search for a store near you at our Retail Store Locator. You may also purchase DariFree™ from our Online Store.

DariFree™ is in powder form and ideal for pantry storage. Simply mix with water and enjoy. Once mixed, DariFree™ remains fresh at least a week with refrigeration. We recommend using our unique mixer/server/pitcher when preparing DariFree™. You can purchase the mixer/server/pitcher from our Online Store.

Vance's also has a large number of International Distributors around the world since they can only ship to customers in the United States and Puerto Rico.

And that's how DariFree came back into my consciousness, through this article from Yemisi Ogbe of Lagos on 234next.com.

How do I know that this was a good year for Obudu Delight? Because this year, I gained a new food obsession; homemade Guinea corn gruel also known as Oka Baba or very commonly and plainly called Ogi, served with unrestrained lashings of Obudu delight. Ogi is never ever referred to at our house as "pap" because frankly, the word sounds disgusting.

OK, I'll admit I didn't understand a word of that paragraph. It doesn't even help when the author explains that "Obudu Delight by the way, is the name of the honey produced in deep cloud layers in Obudu cattle ranch." Honey produced in deep cloud layers?

Anyway, here's where DariFree comes in:

My Ogi is not only served with Obudu honey, but also a generous sprinkling of some strange milk substitute called Darifree. Darifree is only probably familiar to the lactose intolerant. And I call it strange because it is almost like an illusion...this free, that free...It is allegedly free of everything bad for the sensitive constitution yet tastes quite good.

And it can be purchased at Okoli supermarket in Dolphin Estate.

Who says we're not all connected on Planet Lactose?

Many "Milks" Comparison

What even larger than galore? I ask because a mere couple of weeks ago, I posted "Milks" Galore: Soy, Rice, Almond, and Hemp, about a Los Angeles Times comparison of different milk alternatives, along with cow's milk itself.

That apparently set off a trans-Atlantic one-upsmanship contest. The UK Daily Mail has a comparison of, deep breath now, whole cow's milk, 1% fat cow's milk, raw milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, buffalo milk, and soy, almond, oat, and rice "milks."

And after the idiocy shown in the post I made about the firm who claimed that goat's milk had smaller lactose molecules, a chemical and physical impossibility, this article correctly points out that it is the "fat globules" in goat's milk that are smaller. Obviously, globules can be of various sizes. Molecules of lactose can't. You can tell the quacks instantly by their scientific illiteracy.

Unfortunately, the article goes on to give this statement:

This helps to avoid symptoms that can occur with cow's milk intolerance such as bloating and discomfort.

You can easily find claims by goat milk enthusiasts that the smaller fat globules make goat milk more digestible and that somehow helps people with lactose intolerance. What I can't find is a single claim that has any references to actual medical or scientific evidence for this. I also can't find any such articles in the medical literature.

Even the most honest admit that they don't know what this should be so, although that doesn't keep them from making the claim anyway.

"Raise a Glass of Nature's Goodness."

Goat’s milk contains less lactose than cow’s milk and therefore is easier to digest for those suffering from lactose intolerance. Now the interesting aspect to consider is that goat’s milk isn’t much lower than cow’s milk (contains about 10% less than cow’s milk) and yet, countless lactose intolerant patients are able to thrive on goat’s milk. Although the answer for this is unclear, it has been hypothesized that since goat’s milk is digested and absorbed in a superior manner, there is no “leftover” lactose that remains undigested which causes the painful and uncomfortable effects of lactose intolerance.

The Daily Mail article also hits a bump when it comes to the part on sheep's milk.

Like goat's milk, it has small fat globules that are easily digested by the body. ... Unsuitable for the lactose intolerant and babies.

But if it's the small fat globules that make goat's milk more easily digested, then...

I've learned never to expect consistency in claims by proponents of anything. Milk is just a particular bad example.

On the plus side, the information on the milk alternatives doesn't have these obvious faults.

How to Make Almond Milk

The Instructables website has a multi-page tutorial on making almond milk.

The comments also have a healthy debate over whether almond skins are healthy. Adding them to your milk is apparently optional.

"Milks" Galore: Soy, Rice, Almond, and Hemp

Over at the Los Angeles Times, Elena Conis writes an amazing piece comparing cow's milk and goat's milk to a wide array of milk substitutes, soy "milk", rice "milk", almond "milk", and hemp "milk."

It's amazing for two big reasons. One is that no errors pop out at me the way they normally do in articles written by reporters. The second is that it's dated Oct. 19, 2009, today being Oct. 17, 2009. Sunday paper articles often come out early, but Monday articles? Tis truly strange.

Conis also glancingly covers most of the major claims made by the various sides in the issues and looks at the medical studies on them. Most of what she says is that there isn't much good evidence either way for milk or the various milk substitutes being globally harmful or helpful. You can drink them without fears but they're not a cure-all. That's also the right approach to take.

The link goes to the single page version of the article. There is also a separate nutrient breakdown comparison chart accompanying the article.

June Is Dairy Alternative Month - Or Is It?

June is National Dairy Month. So naturally, June is also Dairy Alternative Month. Says who? The Vegan Awareness Network or VEGANET.

And who are VEGANET? You got me. They must be the only organization outside of the Unified Network of Unabombers who don't maintain a website. Apparently all they do is send out press release announcing months.

Like this one from 2004:

Vegan Month (November 1-30)
This outreach event encourages everyone to GO VEGAN! Vegans choose to neither eat nor use any animal products (e.g., meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, eggs, gelatin, leather, fur, etc). A growing number of caring, compassionate people are adopting this conscientious lifestyle. Primarily ethical reasons, but also health and envrionmental [sic] concerns, motivate them to GO VEGAN. For information: VEGANET, P.O. Box 3545, Washington, DC 20007-0045. Phone: (877) GO-VEGAN.

Last year they called the antimatter Dairy Month the No Dairy Month. That didn't seem to catch on. Dairy Alternative Month is a much better name.

It hasn't picked up much traction, although a few blogs are using it as springboards for vegan proselytizing or the more sensible, um, dairy alternatives.

Just so you know, I list dozens of dairy alternative products in my Product Clearinghouse.

And if anyone can give me more information on the mysterious VEGANET (or the similarly-named organization based in Knoxville) I'd like to know.