No Scream Lactose-Free Ice Cream

Barry J. Beran, the President of No Scream Ice Cream and Dessert Company, LLC, kindly sent me an e-mail to give me the good news that his company is introducing a new brand of lactose-free true milk ice cream.

NoScream.com is the website and it contains the basics.

No Scream Ice Cream is a manufacturer of lactose free, dairy-based ice cream. We are dedicated to making delicious regular ice cream that can be enjoyed by those who experience digestive problems due to lactose intolerance, such as cramping, nausea, diarrhea and gas.

We use only the finest lactose free ingredients in all of our products. Our ice cream has no rice or soy and we are gluten free. Our goal is to make an ice cream which is extremely delicious and not just "tolerated" by those with lactose intolerance. We want those who avoid regular ice cream due to lactose intolerance to choose our ice cream because of its wonderful taste and not due solely to its lactose free feature. We are confident that No Scream Ice Cream will more than satisfy the most discerning ice cream connoisseur, whether lactose intolerant or not, because we strive to make a great ice cream which just happens to be...lactose free.

We currently offer five flavors: vanilla, chocolate, chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip and cookies and cream, with more flavors in development.

The company is frankly just getting started. Beran told me that samples have been "extremely well-received by several small stores in the South Jersey, Delaware and Maryland area" but I couldn't tell you exactly where to find it today. However, they'll be going into full-scale production shortly, he said.

If you're in the area keep an eye peeled for No Scream. Or maybe bookmark the webpage and check back in periodically. I'll certainly update you with whatever further news Beran sends me.

The Gluten-Free Mall

The Gluten-Free Mall has been around since 1998. It's been on my list of LI Links since forever, but I've never devoted a blog post to it.

The Gluten-Free Mall has the best prices and selection of gluten-free, wheat-free, casein-free and other allergy-related health foods and special dietary products on the Internet! All of our gluten-free products are specifically designed for people who need to eat gluten-free foods due to celiac disease, autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD, ADHD) or other health reasons. The Gluten-Free Mall offers you low product and shipping costs, and the convenience of being able to choose from hundreds of gluten-free products and have them shipped to your door. Unlike other companies, 98% of our orders of gluten free food are shipped on the next business day.

Our state-of-the-art Gluten-Free Mall warehouse is centrally located and contains hundreds of hand-selected gluten-free foods from dozens of special dietary food manufacturers so that you can, in only minutes, browse through our products and place a single, secure order. To make it into our warehouse, each gluten-free food manufacturing company must demonstrate its total commitment to high quality and excellent tasting gluten-free products. We are truly a "one-stop shop" for your gluten-free and other special dietary needs!

The Gluten-Free Mall was created by Scott Adams, who is better known in the celiac/gluten-free community for founding Celiac.com.

You can also search for lactose-free products on their site.

Shabtai Bakery Wins Again

Shabtai Gourmet is a "dedicated gluten free, dairy free, peanut free, soy free, lactose free, casein free, corn free, and kosher bakery." If that isn't amazing enough, it manages to make its desserts tasty with whatever ingredients are left. It just won the Kosherfest Best New Passover Product Competition for the fourth time, for their Gluten-Free Yidels Mini Swiss Chocolate Rolls.

I alerted you to Shabtai last year. But their new press release has even more info.

In past Years Shabtai Gourmet has won best new product with some of their other items, such as their Gluten Free Devils Food Ring Ting Cupcakes, Gluten Free Bell Ring Cakes, & their unforgettable Marzipan Sushi.

Some other delectable allergen friendly desserts baked by Shabtai are his: Gluten Free Honey Cakes, Gluten Free Rainbow Cookies, Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Cakes, Gluten Free Jelly Rolls, Gluten Free Brownie Bites, Sponge Loaf Cakes & so much more.

Many of Shabtai's baked goods contain no-hydrogenated oils, no trans fats, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no preservatives, are all natural, and baked with organic ingredients.

Shabtai Gourmet Gluten-Free baked goods are available at fine health food stores and supermarkets all year round and for Passover as well. Shop for Shabtai Gluten-Free items @ www.shabtai-gourmet.com or @ www.glutenfreemall.com.

Use their store locator to find the nearest retail location to you.

Look for Shabtai products at Wegmans, Shoprite, ACME, King Kullen, DAG NYC, Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Woodmans, Mrs. Greens, Key Food, & Best Yet Markets.

Shabtai Gluten Free Baked goods are now available at select Bloomingdale's stores on the East Coast.

In the weeks prior & during the passover holidays you can find Shabtai Gourmet baked goods at over 35 Supermarket Chains throughout the country. Look for the Kosher for passover symbols listed on their packaging.

Shabtai Gourmet supports various celiac & autism support groups all over the country. Contact them to get involved in your local gluten free event - www.shabtai-gourmet.com
(516) 374-7976.

Lactose-Free Statin Drug Lescol

Statin drugs are prescribed to reduce cholesterol, making them some of the most commonly used drugs in America. Unfortunately, nearly every one of them uses lactose as an inactive ingredient.

Several years ago I had hopes that a new statin drug that didn't cause muscle pain, a common side-effect, might also be lactose-free. No such luck. Ezetrol (ezetimibe) does contain lactose now that it's on the market.

There is one brand name that doesn't. Lescol.

Lescol doesn't work for everybody and has side-effects of its own, as a correspondent recently wrote me. I tried to find a substitute, but no luck.

The alternative is to pay an additional fee and go to a compounding pharmacy. They make up prescriptions to order with offending ingredients removed. I wrote about them in Try a Compounding Pharmacy for Lactose-Free Medications and it's time I gave you a reminder.

The links I gave then are still good.

There seem to be two major trade organizations.

The Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA) has more than 3500 members, many of them outside American in Canada, Australia, Europe and New Zealand. To find a compounding pharmacist close to you, call them at 1-800-331-2498 or email customerservice@pccarx.com.

The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) represents more than "1,800 pharmacists, physicians, technicians and patients."

Lactaid's New Lactose-Free Half-and-Half

Some true dairy products just can't be found in lactose-free form. Lactose-free dry milk powder is one. Lactose-free half-and-half used to be another.

Here comes the breaking news. Lactaid has just introduced a true dairy lactose-free half-and-half supermarket product. "LACTAID® Half & Half is the first lactose-free half & half made from 100% farm-fresh milk and cream, so you can enjoy the rich smoothness of real half & half in your coffee or tea."

What's the bad news? For now they are only available in New England and Upstate New York. Why? Other than how special and wonderful and deserving we are here in Upstate New York, I don't know.

The rest of you can start bugging your supermarket managers to get the product in as soon as it becomes available. Check Lactaid's half-and-half page for details.

Want more hot scoop?

There's also the new "LACTAID® Plastic Single Serve Milk [that]
is delicious 100% lactose-free milk with all of the vitamins and minerals of real milk in a handy, 12-ounce bottle." Available at universities and convenience stores.

Grana Padano Lactose-Free Cheese

The process of aging cheese drives the lactose out. Aged cheeses are mostly or even entirely lactose-free, and the longer a cheese is aged the lower lactose it is.

This is true for all aged cheeses, but only a few manufacturers are smart enough to make it a selling point. I'm happy to give recognition to one who make a big deal of it.

That cheese is Grana Padano.

Grana Padano has been an integral part of Italy's gastronomic tradition for almost 1,000 years. Now, more and more American consumers know that 'Grana' refers to the grainy, crumbly texture of the cheese and 'Padano' refers to its area of origin in the Po River Valley of Northern Italy. This cow's milk cheese is produced in Lombardia, Emilia Romagna (only the province of Piazenza), Veneto, Piemonte and Trentino (only the province of Trento) and is strictly linked to the areas and territories in which it is made.

This deep straw yellow colored cheese, when mature, has a sweet, nutty flavored taste that can be grated over pasta or shaved on carpaccio or salad while never overpowering other ingredients and flavors in a dish. Aged from nine months to 24 and up, Grana Padano pairs well with a variety of cuisines and makes an ideal part of a healthy diet.

"Low in fat compared to other cheeses, Grana Padano serves as an excellent source of protein and calcium, and is lactose-free," said Elisabetta Serraiotto, who is responsible for Marketing and Communications at the Grana Padano Consortium. "Easy to digest, it's not only perfect for active people, but it is also a great addition to the diet of children, elderly and pregnant women. Moreover, Grana Padano can be served in many different ways, even as part of a light, healthy summer meal."

What is Grana Padano cheese like?

About Grana Padano—www.granapadano.com

Grana Padano has been part of Italy's gastronomic tradition and culture since 1135 when it was created by the monks in the Po River Valley in Northern Italy. Based in Desenzano del Garda in the province of Brescia, the Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano cheese was founded in 1954 by a group of businessmen who shared one common goal—to produce a top-quality cheese based on the traditional recipe. Today this company encompasses more than 200 Grana Padano producers, maturers and retailers. "Grana" refers the grainy and crumby texture of the cheese and "Padano" refers to its origin on the Po River Valley in Northern Italy. Grana Padano is a registered trademark around the world, and since 1996 is a D.O.P Denominazione di Origine Protetta (P.D.O. in English) cheese awarded by the European Community in Brussels.

Grana Padano cheese can be matured for anything from 9 to over 24 months. This variance in maturity leads to dramatic differences in the flavor and texture of the cheese.

Daiya Expands Its Vegan "Cheese" Alternative Availability

I posted about the introduction of Daiya vegan "cheese" almost a year ago. I said, "It's big distinction is that instead of soy or rice or the usual bases, Daiya uses tapioca* and/or arrowroot flours."

The vegan cheese world can't sit still for long. Daiya, a Canadian product, is finally busting out all over. All over Canada, at least. Naturally, there's a press release.

Daiya Foods has been called "the holy grail of vegan cheese". naturalnews.com says "Daiya is one brand that stands out from the rest. Based on its excellent taste, texture, and ingredients, Daiya truly is a delicious and healthy vegan product."

Daiya Foods originated in Vancouver, BC. The Naam restaurant on W. 4th Ave was one of their first customers and Canadian consumers have been asking for the last year when they can buy the product in Canada. The day is on the horizon, the labeling issues holding Daiya Foods back have been overcome, and the packages are at the printers! We will start shipping to distributors Oct 1st, and you will see the product in stores by the end of the month!

Over the last year the only way to purchase Daiya products in Canada was to order 5lb foodservice packages from online retailers like Karmavore or Viva Granola; many supportive Canadian consumers waited patiently for their shipment of Daiya style shreds to arrive at their front door. Now everyone will find the retail packages exploding onto shelves in early fall, plus the foodservice and prepared foods sections in markets will be ramping up over the next 4 weeks.

Enjoy Daiya products on your pizza, nachos, and comforting macaroni. Daiya products are a healthy choice that offers all of the taste, melt, and stretch without the guilt! It's a perfect option for any diet need, whether you have a common food allergy, are lactose intolerant or vegan, or your [sic] just watching cholesterol and trans fat intake!

Positive feedback is already coming in from the foodservice market; Boon's Burger Café in Manitoba says "Thanks Daiya, we’ve got new customers coming in the door… just because we are carrying your "cheese"! With a powerful, fast moving national launch in the US Whole Foods and the continued trends in vegetarian and health eating, Daiya Foods expects the same excitement in Canada. Check back often to see where you can purchase or enjoy Daiya products at www.daiyafoods.com/where/index.aspx.

Product information: Daiya products are a revolutionary new dairy-free vegan option that tastes, shreds, melts, and stretches perfectly for any of your favorite recipes. Daiya is free of many of the common allergens including; dairy (casein and lactose), soy, gluten, egg, peanuts and tree nuts (excluding coconuts). Daiya is also free of animal products, cholesterol, trans fats, and preservatives. To find out more visit www.daiyafoods.com.

To spare you, I edited the release to create paragraphs and I added some proper punctuation. I complain all the time about how badly written press releases are, but this one is close to the bottom.

Hi, Daiya! I'm available!


*UPDATE: That used to say cassava flour, but the ingredients lists now [11/27/11] read tapioca flour instead.

Cooking Lactose-Free Blog

I told you a couple of years ago that Mandy Kocevar and Monika B. Pis had teamed up to produce a cookbook, Lactose Free and Loving It: Learn to Enjoy Dairy Again!

They've used the book as a springboard to a whole blog experience, Cooking Lactose-Free: Home of the Lactose-Free and Loving It Cookbook. You're coming right in at the start.

They alternate recipes like Super Simple Hummus, Sun Dried Tomato Scramble, Beet and Feta Mixed Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, and Pecan Encrusted Tilapia with Remoulade Sauce, with simple general information piece on lactose intolerance. Not all the recipes are repeats from the book, so you can stop over there and find dishes that are brand new.

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

Kaiku Benecol ZERO

Here's a press release for a new product that might be of some interest to some of you readers.

Kaiku Food Corporation has recently developed a new dairy derivative which adds to the health benefits of two of its main product lines: cholesterol reducers and lactose-free dairy products. From the fusion of the two the new Kaiku Benecol ZERO has been created, the only dairy product that reduces high levels of cholesterol and which, at the same time, is free of lactose. From now on, those persons who are intolerant to lactose, those with gastrointestinal disorders or simply persons with heavy digestion, can enjoy the benefits of Kaiku Benecol, the most concentrated cholesterol on the market. Moreover, it is the only market product incorporating 2 grams of vegetable stanols – the optimum daily dose.

Sounds cool, right?

Of course, you may be asking yourself one question. What kind of product is it? A dairy derivative isn't quite enough information for most of us.

Well, tough. That's as much as you get in the press release. If you don't already know the answer, then you're not the target audience.

Maybe this video they put out last year for Benecol, the precursor to Benecol ZERO, might help.



That two-second shot of a bottle at the end clears it all up.

If not, go directly to the source. Kaiku Benecol. Which is entirely in Spanish.

I suppose that makes sense since Kaiku is a Spanish company. But then why the ads and press releases in English?

Another mystery of the Internet.

Lactose-Free Cheese

The Since Your Asked column in the Medford, OR, MailTribune got a softball question and hit, well, a weak single.

I was recently diagnosed as lactose-intolerant. It's very easy to find lactose-free milk, but is there such a thing as lactose-free cheese or any other food items? If so, are there any local stores that sell them?

The first part of the answer is completely correct, which is I give them credit for a hit.

The good news about a lactose-free diet is that it can still include cheese, but the type of cheese makes all the difference.

"The fresher a cheese, the more lactose will be present," says Gianaclis Caldwell, co-owner and cheesemaker of Pholia Farm near Rogue River. "Hard, aged cheese — it's virtually gone."

The reason is a chemical reaction that occurs in cheesemaking or other types of fermentation. Lactose is a sugar found in all milk. Bacteria, often added as a culture, eats sugar. The longer dairy products are aged, the more sugar is converted into lactic acid. All-natural yogurt is another fermented food that may be digestible for some people with lactose intolerance.

A general rule of thumb is the harder the cheese, the longer it's been aged. Think Parmesan, Swiss and sharp cheddar. To be sure, stick with the highest-quality cheeses, more likely produced with natural methods, rather than additives to alter texture.

The problem with the column as a whole is twofold.

First, as I keep telling people and my NIH LI Conference series should make abundantly clear, you don't need to go onto a lactose-free diet even if you have LI.

Second, the column claims that their shoppers couldn't find any true cheeses marked "lactose-free" in local stores. I can't dispute that, but such cheese definitely exist. My Steve Carper's Lactose Intolerance Clearinghouse website has a page of Reduced Lactose Milk Products that include the names and contact information several brands of true cow's milk lactose-free cheeses.

Report from the LI Conference, part 11 [Lunch]

Bethesda, MD, was still recovering from the giant snowstorms of the previous weeks, with sidestreets lined with cars that nobody had bothered digging out from the packed snow thrown up by the plows. That Monday of the conference was chill and rainy and thoroughly miserable (as I found later that day, when I missed a shuttle bus back to my hotel by moments and waited 25 minutes for the next one to arrive, having only a sport coat to break the cold). The good news is that the NI thoughtfully held the conference in a building containing a major cafeteria. The bad news - or at least the comical news - occurred just as the entire conference descended on the cafeteria only to find that the last tray had been scarfed by the NIH's normal inhabitants. The distinguished group balancing plates, soup bowls, bottles, and silverware on top of briefcases, purses, and coats looked more like extras from a Laurel and Hardy movie.

I managed to snag the last seat at a crowded table of the large Lactaid contingent plus Alan Kligerman. We had a mutual admirefest (I have fans, who knew?) and the conversation was lively, if heavy on shoptalk.

Since none of the questions I asked in any of the discussion periods had been answered (nobody has any idea of the duration, rate, or variation of the time it takes to lose lactase production, e.g.) I thought I'd try a more practical question given the expertise I had on hand.

I've been asked multiple times why no lactose-free powdered milk is available to consumers. Alan said that it simply doesn't work. When lactose-free milk is dried, the result is brown, smelly, and bad-tasting.

What likes heat? Chocolate. All the Lactaid people agreed that the chocolate milk Alan had created was one of their best-tasting products, because chocolate loves heat.

So next time you each for a lactose-free carton of milk, try the chocolate. It has approval from on high.

Lactose-Free Butter a Top Dairy Innovation

Geoff Platt, the editor of Dairy Innovation magazine, named his top innovations of 2009 at FoodBev.com.

Why pay attention to Dairy Innovations? Because some of them are new lactose-free products for us.

Bayernland launched a 330ml bottle of buttercream for use in the kitchen, under its Butaris brand label. The pure butter is lactose-free and in a new format designed to attract younger customers.

The format, they say, is designed to attract younger customers.

Bayernland is a German company, so no telling when this innovation may hit the U.S.

Yoghurt Dog Food?

You know, I hope, that all adult dogs are lactose intolerant. Just like all adults cats. And like 70% of adult humans. You can probably get away with giving your pets some milk but too much and you'll be scraping up the evidence that they are lactose intolerant.

So putting yogurt - or yoghurt, British style - into dog food would be a problem. Unless it's lactose-free yoghurt.

And that's what Yoghurt Plus contains, according to this press release.

Yoghurt Plus is a world-first in pet food delivering a number of unique benefits to dogs. It has a holistic, symbiotic blend of pro and pre biotics, lactose free yoghurt and enzymes that work together to give dogs a complete and balanced feed. Just like yoghurt creates inner health for humans, through the use of beneficial bacteria, Yoghurt Plus creates the same benefits for your pet. ...

Yoghurt Plus has been developed by John Gould, former Australian Rules Footballer, who played half back for two Carlton premiership sides in the 1960s. John, who resides in Camperdown, VIC and today owns 10 domestic dogs and a pack of over 80 foxhounds, developed the product over five years. ...

Available in two flavours for dogs with more varieties to come, and a cat food variant on the way, Yoghurt Plus is on sale at Coles and IGA at $13.62 for a 3kg and $6.98 for a 1.25kg.

It's nice to read that Gould knew enough abut dogs to take the lactose out. I can't vouch for the rest of the product, but that's a good start.

More information is at the Yoghurt Plus website.

Smart Balance Lactose-Free Products

Browsing around the supermarket today, I ran into Smart Beat cheese. That reminded me that I haven't talked about the company for a while, a company that has a whole range of lactose-free products.

The actual company name is Smart Balance.

Here's a list of the lactose-free products I can find at that site.

Smart Beat® Fat Free Slices
(Enjoy this lactose-free alternative to ordinary cheese and you’ll get calcium and protein – with no fat – at only 25 calories per slice. Smart Beat® Fat Free Slices are certified by the American Heart Association. They’re also certified Kosher.)

Smart Balance™ Lactose-Free Fat Free Milk, with Omega-3's & Vitamin E
(Milk is currently available in FL, ME, RI, MA, CT, NY (Metro NY and Albany), NJ, VT, NH, and GA (Publix in Atlanta).)

Smart Balance® Organic Buttery Spread
(This all-natural, certified organic, 79% vegetable oil Spread tastes and cooks like rich butter, but is 100% vegan.)

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?