LI Links - World

I've updated my LI Links page in my Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse. I've culled the dead links, so all the links are currently live. Many are new to the page.

The links go to pages that deal with every topic that I cover on this blog, so they include not just pages on lactose intolerance, but also ones on allergies, dairy-free foods, other diseases, getting calcium into your diet, and much more.

For your convenience I'm also listing them here. This post is for Multi-country and travel to multiple country links. If you have others to suggest that I've missed please put them in a comment. I'll try to update the LI Links page more regularly in the future.

World Links

Gluten Free Product Sources - Multi-Country

http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/vendors.html

Travel Links

Food Allergy Translation Cards

http://www.selectwisely.com/selectwisely/content_pages/traveling_with_food_allergies.htm

Vegetarian Travel and Restaurants FAQ

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faqtravel.htm

LI Links - Canada

I've updated my LI Links page in my Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse. I've culled the dead links, so all the links are currently live. Many are new to the page.

The links go to pages that deal with every topic that I cover on this blog, so they include not just pages on lactose intolerance, but also ones on allergies, dairy-free foods, other diseases, getting calcium into your diet, and much more.

For your convenience I'm also listing them here. This post is for Canadian links. If you have others to suggest that I've missed please put them in a comment. I'll try to update the LI Links page more regularly in the future.

Canada Links

Cow's Milk

http://www.veg.ca/issues/dairy.html

Dairy Science and Technology

http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/home.html

Gay Lea Foods - Lacteeze Recipes

http://www.gaylea.com/lacteeze/

Managing Lactose Intolerance (.pdf)

http://westernhealth.nl.ca/uploads/healthyeating/managing_lactose_intolerance.pdf

LI Links - United Kingdom

I've updated my LI Links page in my Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse. I've culled the dead links, so all the links are currently live. Many are new to the page.

The links go to pages that deal with every topic that I cover on this blog, so they include not just pages on lactose intolerance, but also ones on allergies, dairy-free foods, other diseases, getting calcium into your diet, and much more.

For your convenience I'm also listing them here. This post is for United Kingdom. If you have others to suggest that I've missed please put them in a comment. I'll try to update the LI Links page more regularly in the future.

United Kingdom Links

The Allergy Site on Lactose Intolerance

http://www.theallergysite.co.uk/dairy.html

Allergy UK

http://www.allergyuk.org/

The Allergy UK Forum

http://forum.allergyuk.org/

Cambridge World History of Food - Lactose Intolerance

http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/lactose.htm

Colief Infants Drops

http://www.colief.com/

Dairy-free Cooking - BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mostof_dairyfree.shtml

Dairy (cow's milk)-free foods index

http://www.foodsmatter.com/freefrom_foods/links_food_products/dairy_free/dffoods_index.html

Dave Elsworth's Paediatrics Lactose Intolerance Page

http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/lala/228/lac_ind.html

Food Allergy & Intolerance (The Vegetarian Society UK)

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/allergy.html

Food Reactions.org

http://www.foodreactions.org/

Helen Stephenson's Food Page

http://www.baronmoss.demon.co.uk/food.html

Lactofree Web Site

http://www.lactofree.co.uk/

Lactose Intolerance - NetDoctor

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/lactoseintolerance.htm

Lactose Intolerance and Milk Allergies

http://www.lactose.co.uk/

Milk Allergy and Intolerance (Food Standards Agency)

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/milkallergy/

Milkfree.org.uk

http://www.milkfree.org.uk/

No Cow's Milk for Me Thanks!

http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/park/gfm11/

LI Links - Australia and New Zealand

I've updated my LI Links page in my Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse. I've culled the dead links, so all the links are currently live. Many are new to the page.

The links go to pages that deal with every topic that I cover on this blog, so they include not just pages on lactose intolerance, but also ones on allergies, dairy-free foods, other diseases, getting calcium into your diet, and much more.

For your convenience I'm also listing them here. This post is for Australian and New Zealand links. If you have others to suggest that I've missed please put them in a comment. I'll try to update the LI Links page more regularly in the future.

Australian Links

Allergyfree Pty Ltd

https://www.allergyfree.com.au/

Diet for Lactose Intolerance

http://www.gastro.net.au/diets/lactose.html

A Doctor Describes Coeliac Disease

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~coeliac/sprue.html

Lactose.com.au

http://www.lactose.com.au/

Lactose intolerance and the breastfed baby

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/lactose.html

Vegan Network Victoria

http://www.vnv.org.au/

New Zealand Links

Allergy New Zealand - Milk and Dairy

http://allergy.org.nz/allergies/aZAllergies/milk%20Dairy.php

Lactose Intolerance

http://www.everybody.co.nz/page-82eda97a-9b8c-455f-9169-d5c2225738a7.aspx

Lactose Intolerance - A Patient's Guide

http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/articles/lactoseintol.html

Lactose Intolerance and Milk Allergy

http://www.allergyclinic.co.nz/guides/21.html

'Ntolerance Allergy-Free Store

http://www.ntolerance.co.nz/

LI Links - Europe

I've updated my LI Links page in my Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse. I've culled the dead links, so all the links are currently live. Many are new to the page.

The links go to pages that deal with every topic that I cover on this blog, so they include not just pages on lactose intolerance, but also ones on allergies, dairy-free foods, other diseases, getting calcium into your diet, and much more.

For your convenience I'm also listing them here. This post is for European links outside the UK. If you have others to suggest that I've missed please put them in a comment. I'll try to update the LI Links page more regularly in the future.


Finland Links

Valio

http://www.valio.fi/portal/page/portal/Valio

Germany Links

LI Base.de

http://www.libase.de/

OmnigestEZ, A Lactase Pill

Saw this on the shelves of my local supermarket. OmnigestEZ claims to be an all-around digestive of "most all types of food: fats, protein, starch and carbohydrates, vegetables and dairy."

How does it do this? With a mix of several digestive enzymes: acid protease, amylase, cellulase, glucoamylase, lipase, and nutral protease in addition to lactase.

There are many such pills on the market, but few contain what I consider to be a useful amount of lactase. OmnigestEZ does, with 3000 FCC units, the same as most basic (not ultra) lactase pills. That justifies this statement on their FAQs.

Q: I am lactose intolerant; will OMNIGEST EZ help me?


A: Yes. OMNIGEST EZ contains the right amount of the enzyme lactase to aid in the digestion of typical meals containing dairy products.

Milk Doesn't Cause Mucus

The claim that milk creates mucus or phlegm that may or may not be the result of a milk allergy has been around for years, so I suppose that it's not surprising that we'll need years to dispel it. I keep trying. I posted Udder Confusion in 2006 and Milk: No Mucus, No Asthma in 2007 so it's time to attack the myth yet again.

I'm getting help from Dr Raymond Mullins, an allergy specialist interviewed by Genelle Weule for ABC.net.au.

[W]hile many people swear milk produces mucus, the effect can't be explained by science, says allergy specialist Dr Ray Mullins.

A 2005 review of studies concluded that there was no link between milk consumption and mucus production or asthma. In one study, participants infected with the common cold virus reported symptoms of increased in mucus production after drinking milk, but when their mucus production was actually measured there was no statistical difference. In another study, there was no difference in the sensation experienced between drinking soy milk and cow's milk.

This doesn't mean people don't experience the sensation, says Mullins, but rather that there is no actual increase in mucus production.

He puts the sensation down to the texture and viscosity of milk, and notes that most people do not report similar effects with other dairy products such as cheese.

If you believe that milk will cause mucus, then any feelings of mucus you get from milk will simply reinforce that belief whether or not any true increase is present.

There's no scientific connection, though, nothing that can be found in theory or isolated in tests. If you can drink milk, then know the facts about it and make your own decisions based on those facts, not unfounded beliefs.

Nutrition for Vegetarian Children

Emily Sohn in the Los Angeles Times gave a number of good tips for ensuring that children who want to be vegetarians continue to get a full complement of the vitamins, minerals, and esential dietary components.

Some of the major points:

Protein needs range from 13 grams for toddlers to 34 grams for middle-school students and about 50 grams for teenagers. However, most Americans get too much protein, including vegetarians.

Dairy products and eggs are complete proteins that, like meat, contain all essential amino acids. These foods also provide calcium and vitamin D, essential for healthy muscles and bone development, especially during growth spurts and adolescence. One large egg contains 5 grams of protein, a cup of milk has 8 grams, and a cup of yogurt has 11 grams.

To get complete proteins from plant-based sources, you need to combine foods such as beans, rice, corn, nuts and tofu, but dietitians no longer believe that you need to eat those foods at the same meal. Eating a variety of foods throughout the day works just as well.

Vitamin B-12 is one of the nutrients that vegetarians most commonly miss. Essential for making DNA and maintaining healthy nerve and red blood cells, it is plentiful in seafood and beef and is found in lesser amounts in milk and yogurt. Vegans can get it from fortified cereals or supplements. Doctors often recommend B-12 supplements for breast-feeding mothers who are vegan.

Iron, which is abundant in meat, is present in a harder-to-absorb form in beans, tofu, spinach and raisins. Absorption is enhanced by consuming a source of vitamin C at the same time as a vegetarian source of iron, says Ruth Frenchman, a registered dietitian in Burbank and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Assn. (Pair a cup of orange juice with a peanut butter sandwich, for example.) ...

Calcium and vitamin D are found in leafy greens and fortified soy milk or juice. Make sure to look at the labels on dairy-free versions of milk and yogurt and on organic cereals because they're not always fortified with added nutrients.

Fat: A baby's brain needs enough fat to develop properly. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends full-fat versions of milk, yogurt and other foods until age 2.

Rolling Your Own - Probiotics

The annual international genetically engineered machines competition, the iGEM, takes place at MIT each November. Students combine small fragments of DNA and swap them into bacteria, yeasts, or other one-celled organisms to produce new variants that can do specialized tasks. They get better at this each year, as the earlier fragments, known simply as "parts," get added to a library of functions. Much the same way as programming languages accrete blocks of code that can be dropped into place so that coders don't need to solve the same problems over and over again, but can simply and easily rely on the earlier ingenuity of others.

In previous years, students have used these bacteria for such tasks as making "probiotic bacteria, like that found in yogurt, designed to fight cavities, produce vitamins, and treat lactose intolerance" according to MIT's Technology Review magazine.

For all the hype and fear about frankenfoods, genetically tailored beasties are far more likely to do us a world of good than harm. This can't guarantee that every bacteria will be perfectly functional any more than every bit of computer code is perfect. How many people would ask that all computer programs be banned or destroyed because of that tiny risk? Genetically engineered bacteria will no more plague the world than computers will band together to get rid of us. This will remain true no matter how many movies Hollywood makes.

The BRAT Diet Made Liquid

The BRAT Diet is named after its ingredients, Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast, four foods that are so mild for most peoples' digestive tracts that they can be used to soothe troubled tummies.

Toast is a problem for those with celiac disease, of course, and many breads also include milk.

And some children have such severe problems that getting them to eat solid foods is itself an issue.

That was the problem with the children of Greg and Ilsa Toepfer. So, in a familiar tale, the couple worked to find a solution for their children. Which they are now marketing nationally.

The story by Mike Hodgson of The Adobe Press talked about the long process they went through.

Greg said. “We got the basic formula, and it tasted OK. Then we worked very closely with their scientists and designers and came out with something we really, really liked.”

The process took a year.

“It took a long time, but it’s a good thing it did because we found all these other things we could put in it that really help calm the digestive tract,” Greg said.

Some of those things include electrolytes to aid absorption, vitamins, calcium and other minerals, but to make the product gluten- and lactose-free, they removed toast from the formula.

“The ‘T’ now stands for ‘tummy-soothing,’” Greg said, noting the drink comes in four flavors — chocolate honey, vanilla, cinnamon toast and original. ...

In September, Organic B.R.A.T. was among the products showcased by some 3,500 vendors at Natural Products Expo East in Boston, where it won the New Products Showcase Award for the Most Innovative Product.

For more information visit their website at www.bratdiet.org.

A Reminder This Is Planet Lactose

Lactose intolerance (LI) is at its lowest in northern European countries and in populations descended from people emigrating from there. Low is not the same as zero, and a raft of articles from other countries and in various languages serve to remind everyone that the majority of humans are genetically LI and therefore we indeed live on Planet Lactose.

The following links are to the originals, but are followed by excerpts courtesy of Google Translate.

Austria

1. Lactose
Symptoms of intolerance to lactose (milk sugar =: diarrhea, bloating, abdominal cramps. Are affected up to 30 percent of the European population (compared with only three to five percent suffering) with clinically proven food allergies. Lactose is found not only in cow's milk products like cheese, but is also often accompanied by industrially produced food. In trade, there's labeled lactose-free milk and dairy products. The intolerance is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme lactase in the small intestine. With a breath test can determine this incompatibility.

Germany

To reflect the increasing number of patients with food allergies and intolerances into account, there is since 2004 a labeling regulations for packaged foods. Lactose was incorporated into a product, it must be marked on the packaging. Beware of medications: Again, may contain lactose. However, this is usually only relevant if a lactose-free diet is really necessary.

Belgium

5) Almond Milk
Advantages: it contains no saturated fat or lactose and has the least calories of all milk alternatives. It is also suitable for vegans.

France

Homemade or purchased commercially, yogurt belongs to the category of healthy foods nutritionally. It is rich in calcium (150 mg of calcium per 125g pot). It also reveals much more digestible than milk as lactose, sometimes poorly digested, is converted by enzymes. Finally, yogurt promotes good bowel. His enablers contributing in part to balance the intestinal flora, even in cases of diarrhea.

Why Does Milk Bother Me?

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health. Which almost makes for a full blog post all by itself.

They have pages on many, many diseases, illnesses, and conditions, including a good page on lactose intolerance.

If you have kids suffering from LI and wonder how exactly to explain it to them, though, they have a better page aimed especially at children. Why Does Milk Bother Me? explains it all in simple language, and has cartoons to ease the eye down the page.


It's not as full an explanation as the adult one, of course, but it should help get the basics across to a youngster.

Two Sides of the Raw Milk Argument

AlterNet, as the name implies, purports to give alternative views to conventional opinions, taking articles from a variety of sources in addition to original content. Alternative now apparently means looking at both sides of an issue rather than raw advocacy if The Battle Over Raw Milk: Let's Ditch the Hysterics and Give People a Choice is any evidence. Richardson is founder of the blog La Vida Locavore, a member of the Organic Consumers Association policy advisory board, and author of Recipe for America: Why Our Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It...

Although, as the title indicates, Richardson eventually finishes the article by saying that people should have the choice to drink raw milk if they want to, she does list some of the objections to raw milk. She balances that with the usual shaky anecdotal evidence for raw milk. And even reported that in "a survey of milk drinkers in the state of Michigan, over 80 percent of those advised by a health care professional that they were lactose intolerant were able to consume raw milk without problem." She doesn't seem to understand that the "survey" was a bogus one put forth by the leading raw milk advocacy organization, the Weston A. Price Foundation. The survey was only of raw milk consumers who had contracts with farmers producing raw milk, not the most impartial of populations.

Medical studies on the one side, anecdotal testimony on the other, but Richardson still comes down on the side of choice, for the straightforward reason that people should be allowed to take risks. Many states already allow people to take risks by making raw milk legal, while also trying to minimize the risk.

Which is fine, as long as everybody does understand the actual risks. As Richardson points out we eat many risky foods that no agency protects us from.

So everybody's happy, right?

Not in the least. The truly frightening part doesn't appear in the article but in the comments. (Note: many of the comments rightfully complain about a subhead that has now been removed.) Nobody there is thanking Richardson for presenting both sides of the argument. Almost universally the commenters either present their anecdotes about the wonderfulness of raw milk or excoriate her for having the audacity to present both sides. That's unfortunate.

More facts, fewer anecdotes. That's an alternative point of view I'd like to see spread across the Internet.

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.

Oprah's Favorite Vegan Cookbook

I'm probably the last person in the country to find this out, but just in case not, The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat by Tal Ronnen is Oprah Winfrey's favorite vegan cookbook. She announced that on her annual Favorite Things show.

What was that? The show hasn't appeared yet? But we already know what her favorite things are? Oprah truly is magic!

Product Description
A former steak lover himself, Chef Tal struggled for years on a vegan diet that left him hungry and filled with cravings for butter and meat. By applying traditional French culinary techniques to meatless cuisine, he found that he could gratify his cravings for rich flavor and fat.

The Conscious Cook shows readers that avoiding the health risks and ethical dilemmas of eating meat and dairy does not mean sacrificing taste and appetite. This is not a cookbook of sprouts and tofu burgers, but of mouth-watering, hearty meals that keep the protein at the center of your plate. Featuring 75 original recipes that will satisfy the fussiest foodies and the most dedicated of carnivores, The Conscious Cook is a breakthrough in meatless cuisine that will revolutionize the way readers experience food.

About the Author
Chef Tal Ronnen is the most celebrated vegan chef working today. In the spring of 2008, he became known nationwide as the chef who prepared vegan meals for Oprah Winfrey's 21-day vegan cleanse. He has since catapulted to fame, catering Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's vegan wedding, Arianna Huffington's party at the Democratic National Convention, and the first vegan dinner at the U.S. Senate.

Oprah's Favorite Vegan Cookbook

I'm probably the last person in the country to hear this, but Oprah Winfrey's favorite vegan cookbook is The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat by Tal Ronnen. She announced this on her annual Favorite Things show during Thanksgiving Week.

Wait a second. That's still in the future. But somehow we know this already. Oprah really is magic!

Product Description
A former steak lover himself, Chef Tal struggled for years on a vegan diet that left him hungry and filled with cravings for butter and meat. By applying traditional French culinary techniques to meatless cuisine, he found that he could gratify his cravings for rich flavor and fat.

The Conscious Cook shows readers that avoiding the health risks and ethical dilemmas of eating meat and dairy does not mean sacrificing taste and appetite. This is not a cookbook of sprouts and tofu burgers, but of mouth-watering, hearty meals that keep the protein at the center of your plate. Featuring 75 original recipes that will satisfy the fussiest foodies and the most dedicated of carnivores, The Conscious Cook is a breakthrough in meatless cuisine that will revolutionize the way readers experience food.

About the Author
Chef Tal Ronnen is the most celebrated vegan chef working today. In the spring of 2008, he became known nationwide as the chef who prepared vegan meals for Oprah Winfrey's 21-day vegan cleanse. He has since catapulted to fame, catering Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's vegan wedding, Arianna Huffington's party at the Democratic National Convention, and the first vegan dinner at the U.S. Senate.

Oprah's Favorite Vegan Cookbook

Alicia Silverstone's Kind Diet

Face it, a vegan cookbook by the "Sexiest Vegetarian Alive" is going to get a lot of attention. When the author is a photogenic famous actress, the mediasphere will be burning up with fawning praise.

So I can't tell you how good Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet might be. She's been a vegan for most of her adult life, which does mean she's not riding a fad.

Product Description

In The Kind Diet, actress, activist, and committed conservationist Alicia Silverstone shares the insights that encouraged her to swear off meat and dairy forever, and outlines the spectacular benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, from effortless weight loss to clear skin, off-the-chart energy, and smooth digestion. She explains how meat, fish, milk, and cheese—the very foods we’ve been taught to regard as the cornerstone of good nutrition—are actually the culprits behind escalating rates of disease and the cause of dire, potentially permanent damage to our ecology.

Yet going meat- and dairy-free doesn’t mean suffering deprivation; to the contrary, The Kind Diet introduces irresistibly delicious food that satisfies on every level—it even includes amazing desserts to keep the most stubborn sweet tooth happy. Alicia also addresses the nutritional concerns faced by many who are new to a plant-based diet, and shows how to cover every nutritional base, from protein to calcium and beyond.

Alicia knows that changing life-long dietary habits is a process, and that each person progresses at a different pace. For that reason, The Kind Diet encompasses 3 separate levels, from Flirting to Superhero. Flirts learn to dip a toe into the vegan pool, reducing their meat-eating and swapping out a few key foods for plant-based substitutes to see quickly how even small changes can reap big results. Vegans get to experience the life-altering effects of forgoing animal-products entirely, while still enjoying many convenience foods and meat substitutes in addition to the wonderful grains, vegetables and fruits that form the core of that diet. True enlightenment comes with the Superhero program, based on the principles of macrobiotics and built on a foundation of whole grains, vegetables, and other yummy foods that Alicia describes in detail.

Whether your goal is to drop a few pounds, boost your energy and metabolism, or simply save the world, Alicia provides the encouragement, the information, and the tools you need to make the transition to a plant-based diet deliciously empowering.

Rodale Press hardcover
320 pages
List price: $29.99

You can also go to her Kind Life blog for recipes and more.

SoYummi Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Whipped Mousse

SoYummi is primarily known as a maker of soy equivalents of meat products. (Notice the spelling: SOYummi.) But Kate Lawson of The Detroit News pointed out a new line of theirs.

You'd never know that this naturally delicious line of organic treats is lactose/dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and sweetened naturally with beet syrup.

Oh, it also contains prebiotics, has no trans fats, is low in sodium, is a source of fiber and is nut-free.

Now people with celiac disease and those who are lactose-intolerant or suffer from allergies can enjoy a lightly whipped mousse as a snack or dessert, thanks to SoYummi.

They're available in a variety of flavors, but my favorite is the lime-flavored whipped pudding. It's delicate and delicious.

So I went to SoYummi.com to check out their products page. I found no whipped mousse there. No dairy-free snacks of any kind, in fact.

Usually this is the point at which I start complaining about company websites. But this time the total absence of the product has a different and probably weirder explanation.

You have to go to their Canadian website, SoYummi.ca to find their whipped mousse. And like any good Canadian website, there's no mention of their sales in the U.S.

You're better off being a Ken Jennings than a Sherlock Holmes to solve this mystery. Any good trivia maven or fifth grader who studies geography knows that Windsor, ON and Detroit, MI are twin cities, staring at each other across the Detroit River. And Windsor is south of Detroit. (Just like Reno, NV is west of Los Angeles in triviaworld. You got to know these things.) So Detroit probably gets a lot of Canadian goods before the rest of us.

It's in Whole Foods there so it may become available in the rest of America. If not, hey, Canada's a gorgeous place.

Once Again, Animal Milks and Lactose Intolerance Don't Mix

Appropriate and timely for Halloween: the Nonsense That Just Won't Die!

Remember when I beat my head again the wall because of the lady who claimed that goat milk had smaller lactose molecules?

I found another one.

Yayi International is a leading manufacturer and distributor of goat milk powder products in China. While the Company's main focus is premium infant formula goat milk products, its product portfolio currently includes goat milk powders, goat milk formula tablets, and goat foremilk powder. ...

Compared with cow milk, the molecules of lactose in goat milk are smaller, making the milk more easily absorbed by individuals who are sensitive to milk products.

They vant your money. Bevare!

And they're not alone. Camel milk has equally magical properties!

If Dr. Millie Hinkle has her way, camel milk will someday be as easy to find in North Carolina as barbecue.

For 3,000 years, camel milk has been revered for its medicinal properties in the Middle East and Hinkle, a physician in Raleigh, hopes to bring it to the U.S. and make it legal to sell.

"We know that folks who are diabetic or lactose intolerant have absolutely no allergy to camel milk, so it's a great thing for those people as well," she said.

Lactose intolerance doesn't involve an allergy. Neither does diabetes. Camel milk affects those with either in exactly the same way as cow's milk.

This particular nonsense is too dangerous to make jokes about. It's such extreme nonsense, though, that I have to wonder if the reporter is quoting Dr. Hinkle correctly. Unfortunately, it's within the realm of possibility. Dr. Hinkle is an ND, of Naturopathic Doctor, which North Carolina does not regulate or allow to prescribe medications, according to Wikipedia. Her site does include citations of medical journal articles about the possible efficacy of camel milk for diabetics, but also includes the false "fact" that "Camel milk can be easily digested by lactose-intolerant individuals."

No. It can't. Camel milk has almost exactly the lactose content of cow's milk. The protein segments are slightly different from those in cow's milk so that the immune systems of people with milk allergies may not get triggered by camel milk.

So where is the backing for that weird fact?

There's a link on that page of Dr. Hinkle's website that leads to Camel Milk for Food Allergies in Children by Yosef Shabo et al., Israeli Medical Association Journal, vol. 7, December 2005, pp. 796-798.

It does contain the following line:

Lactose is present in concentrations of 4.8%, but this milk sugar is easily metabolized by persons suffering from lactose intolerance [5].

But if you go to footnote 5, you find this:

5. Hanna J. Over the hump. In: Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures. TV series (USA) 2001 season; #2190. www.animaladventures.com.

I kid you not. The justification for human lactose intolerants "easily metabolizing" camel's milk in an article in a medical journal comes from a syndicated television show for kids.

We're beyond surreal here. I can't compete with a guy who brings cute cuddly animals on television for a living. Why would anyone listen to me while they're watching Jack Hanna hold a bottle to the mouth of a baby camel? Awww. But he's not right about this.

And nobody in a medical journal should be citing his television show.