Not all "Lact" Words Are the Same

The Latin term for milk is lac lactis. Because Latin was the international language of science for many centuries, especially during the centuries that our modern vocabulary for science was developed, any white fluid, or chemical that was discovered in a white fluid, had a "lact" put into its name.

I have a page on my website, Dairy or Nondairy? The Experts Speak, that discusses many of the "lact" words that are used in foods, such as lactate, lactylate, and lactic acid. There is absolutely no lactose in any of those chemicals.

You can also find "lact", not surprisingly, in milk proteins. Lactalbumin and lactoglobulin are two members of the whey family of proteins. They have no lactose, but people with protein allergies should avoid them.

That doesn't even begin to cover the "lact" terms, but I don't discuss the rest because they are not food additives and so there's no reason even to mention them, normally.

However, people trying to protect their loved ones are rightfully suspicious of every word that comes before them.

I found this question on an Alzheimer's question site:

My wife has been having severe memory lapses, refuses to go to doctor so I have begun reading up on Alzheimer's.... Here's the question: Just found out that lactacystin is an inhibitor of proteosome activity and may therefore be related to experimentally induced Alzheimers. The chemical structure is an odd one and I have, as I've mentioned, no access to scientific literature which would help me determine why the "LACTA" in the name. Perhaps coincidentally my wife has been abusing lactase tablets during the time she has developed AZ symptoms.

Could there be any connection? Even if a long shot I' ll have her discontinue lactase and got for soy milk products, etc.

There is no connection at all. Lactacystin is a cyclic amide, which is also known as a lactam. Lactam is a shortening of lactone + amide. A lactone is a cyclic ester, a type of lactide, which is formed from dehydrated lactic acid. And lactic acid was first found in soured milk.

Neither lactase nor lactose have any chemical similarity to any of these chemicals.

Nor is it possible to abuse lactase tablets. There are no known side effects to lactase. Any unused lactase passes out of the body with other waste. So does used lactase, for that matter. Lactase is a catalyst, a substance that speeds up reactions without being consumed in them. It works in the intestines but is not absorbed by the body.

I left a brief version of this information on that Alzheimer's site. While asking the question is always good, in this particular case "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" was the cause of needless worry.

Take In Case EpiPen Holders

Need to be sure your child or loved one has an EpiPen on his or her body at all times? Don't want to take the chance that it got left behind, or stuffed in the wrong pocket of the wrong coat? TAKE IN CASE provides a variety of solutions as close as clothing.

According to the press release the company just issued,

Halloween Safety experts Kim Hartman and Maureen Cooney ... invented and produced TAKE IN CASE(TM) as a comfortable, discreet, secure, wearable sleeve-like case to be worn on the shin, thigh, upper arm by people with severe allergies who are on the go and need to have their EpiPen(R) Auto-Injectors with them at all times.



"When my son was diagnosed with food allergies, I knew it wasn't going to be easy," says TAKE IN CASE(TM) co-creator Kim Hartman. "As a mother, being vigilant about his well-being is second-nature. Making sure that he always has his EpiPen(R) Auto-Injectors and that he knows how to administer them properly is very important. TAKE IN CASE(TM) achieves two goals, it enables my son to carry his medicine in a convenient, discreet manner to movies, ball games or a friend's house and it also gives me peace of mind knowing that he's safe!"

You can check out their complete line of products at their website, www.takeincase.com.

Dairy Free Truffles?

Every once in a while people ask me to host a cooking class or provide a recipe or even write a cookbook. I turn them all down, politely of course. I can follow a recipe. As a house husband I do most of the cooking. But give me a bunch of ingredients and tell me to come up with a meal and I'll give you a bunch of hot ingredients.

So I am always impressed at people who manage to rejigger recipes that would seem to absolutely unquestionably require milk products to make them work and transform them into something dairy free.


Case in point. To celebrate their National Chocolate Week, Liverpool Daily Post writer Emma Pinch wrote a feature article on Bala Croman's new chocolate business.

She manages to produce, by herself, 10,000 chocolates a month, including the ones I didn't think were possible.

Others range from curious to positively eye-watering, frequently with savory ingredients which she insists chocolate complements perfectly. "I add chocolate to chilli con carne and over roast chicken with balsamic vinegar," she says. "I'm always experimenting. We were asked to do dairy-free truffles, so we made them with water instead of cream.

"To give them creaminess, I added coconut milk. We’d had a Thai curry and I thought, lemon grass would go, and that's how we got Thai Temptations."

Coconut milk is often mentioned as a substitute for cream but it doesn't cook up in the same way so must be handled knowledgeably. I also need to add that I recommend only true coconut "milk" straight from the nut. Some Americanized varieties of coconut "milk" add actual cow's milk, rather ruining its non-dairyness.

Dairy-free truffles sound amazing. I hope my U.K. readers can indulge themselves before National Chocolate Week ends. Either that or get the celebration changed to National Chocolate Year, as is should be.

Demulen Birth Control Pills Still Lactose Free

I get asked regularly whether any birth control pills are lactose free. I know of one at the current time. Demulen.

Demulen 1/35-28

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/ethynoc.htm

Demulen 1/35-21 and Demulen 1/35-28: Each white tablet contains 1 mg of ethynodiol diacetate and 35 mcg of ethinyl estradiol, and the inactive ingredients include calcium acetate, calcium phosphate, corn starch, hydrogenated castor oil, and povidone. Each blue tablet in the Demulen 1/35-28 package is a placebo containing no active ingredients, and the inactive ingredients include calcium sulfate, corn starch, FD&C Blue No. 1 Lake, magnesium stearate, and sucrose.

Demulen 1/50-21 and Demulen 1/50-28: Each white tablet contains 1 mg of ethynodiol diacetate and 50 mcg of ethinyl estradiol, and the inactive ingredients include calcium acetate, calcium phosphate, corn starch, hydrogenated castor oil, and povidone. Each pink tablet in the Demulen 1/50-28 package is a placebo containing no active ingredients, and the inactive ingredients include calcium sulfate, corn starch, FD&C Red No. 3, FD&C Yellow No. 6, magnesium stearate, and sucrose.

Demulen has changed formulations in the past to add lactose, but has since removed it again. I don't know why it did either, but it's a warning that if you use it you need to check and make sure that nothing gets changed again in the future.

There may be others. I know of over 50 brands of birth control pills (BCP) marketed in the U.S. I have not been able to locate the inactive ingredient information for all of them. I've searched more than a dozen major brands, though, and each of those did contain lactose.

If anybody knows of another lactose-free brand besides Demulen, please leave a comment.

Gak's Snacks Now Home Free

In the almost three years since I first wrote about the company, Gak's Snacks changed its name to Home Free. A wise move, I must say.

Billing its products as "Treats You Can Trust," all the snacks are dairy, egg, peanut, and tree nut-free. They are baked in a dedicated bakery from organic ingredients.

OUR TREATS


COOKIES
We have taken special care in creating our delicious, cookies – they are so tasty it’s hard to believe they are Peanut free, Tree nut free, Egg free and Dairy free. They’re perfect for snacks, parties or anywhere!

COFFEE CAKE
Our award-winning coffee cakes are so moist and delicious, you won’t believe what’s not in them! Peanut free, Tree nut free, Egg free, Dairy free and no soy except lecithin; our cakes are also certified Organic, Vegan and Whole Grain so they are a guilt-free indulgence for children of all ages.

BAKING COOKBOOK
This cookbook makes it easy for the experienced or beginning baker to make over 100 treats with: No peanuts, No tree nuts, No eggs, and No dairy.

BAKING INGREDIENTS

Our allergen-tested baking ingredients make it easy to prepare the delicious treats in the HomeFree Allergen Free Baking Cookbook. These ingredients help baked goods have great texture, even when egg-free, nut-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free.

HomeFree
P.O. Box 491
Windham, NH 03087-0491
Phone: 603-425-6613
Toll free: 800-552-7172
E-mail: info@homefreetreats.com

Whig = Whey

Liberal and conservative are labels - and sometimes slurs - thrown around in the news every day. Not many people know that their use in the U.S. were greatly influenced by the parties that dominated Victorian England, the Liberals and the Conservatives. Those names developed as descriptives from two earlier parties, the Whigs and the Tories.

Those grew out of political, social, and religious divisions among the aristocracy of England and Scotland starting in the late 1600s. They grew deeper after Scotland was forced into a union with England in 1707, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

The Whigs weren't exactly men of the people, but they gathered their strength from the countryside, the great rural estates, and opposed those who were directly supportive of the King and known as the Crown party.

Over time, the Whigs became more representative of the masses, advocating an increase in the suffrage, allowing more people - people defined as men who were white and not poor - to vote. They called for Parliament to rule the country rather than the King or Queen. They were the anti-slavery party as well. The Tories represented more control and order.

Americans knew these political fights as well as they did their own. Our modern Democratic and Republican parties have evolved to represent similar divisions in the U.S.

Something I didn't know was the origin of the term Whig. In his excellent history, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, Arthur Herman gives this explanation:

Whigg is Scots for a kind of sour milk or whey. In hard times it was the main diet of the poor and indigent; since many of the Covenanters were thought to be lower-class trash, opponents taunted them with the word. When a group of Covenanters marched on Edinburgh to present the Engagement with Charles I in 1848, it became known as the "march of the whiggamores" or "sour milk men." Whiggamore soon shortened to Whig: in John Locke's day, it referred to anyone bound and determined to have a Protestant succession, whether in Scotland or England.

A Medical Intuitive? My Intuition Says No.

Medical science advances by slow and patient testing of thousands of people over years. Even the, results sometimes contradict each other because of the astounding multiplicity of factors that go into the diet, genetic background, lifestyle, and environment of individuals.

The absolute last thing you want is someone guessing what's good for you.

But guessing is what I read between the lines of this press release from Caroline Sutherland, who bills herself a "Medical Intuitive," a bit of New Age doublespeak that always pegs my alertometer.

Here's a sample of what I consider to be nonsense:

When looking past the correlation between food allergies and weight gain, Sutherland, who has helped over 100,000 people worldwide with her unique brand of healing, notes that hidden food allergies can crop up at various times in a person’s life, disappear just as fast, and cause a wide range of strange effects on the body.

What? It's true that allergies can disappear from young children once they grew into adolescents. All medical research tells us that adults who have allergies have them permanently. They don't come and go.

Sutherland already has a lucrative business peddling her snake oil. Don't give her any of your money.

Water Buffalo Milk Isn't Low Lactose Either

You'll be happy to know that I've managed to restrain myself from posting a correction each and every single time somebody promoting goat's milk makes the false statement that it's low in lactose. None of them ever say what their source might be, but not a single list of lactose percentages I've seen backs them up.

Here we go again. This time it's water buffalo milk.

Ben Muessig of the Brooklyn Paper had this quote in an article on organic food farmers.

"Water buffalo is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef, and the dairy is low in lactose," said Frank Abballe, whose company, Bufala di Vermont, sells buffalo mozzarella.

True, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is traditional Italian cheese made by water buffalo milk.

Is the cheese low lactose? Could be. Most aged cheeses are, no matter the source of their milk. Mozzarella di bufala is not aged as other cheese but has an unusual manufacturing process, so I can't be sure of the lactose value in the final product.

But the milk itself? Check the link above. Another name for the water buffalo is the carabao and that is a percentage I give. I'll save you from bothering to click over. Carabao is 4.3% lactose. Cow's milk can range from 3.7 to 5.1% lactose, although most milk in the U.S. is around 5%. So water buffalo milk may be slightly lower in lactose but not significantly so. I certainly wouldn't call it a low lactose product.

Next animal, please.

My Sweet Vegan: Cashew Crème Pear Tart

I told you about Hannah Kaminsky's book My Sweet Vegan, when it appeared last year. Kaminsky was an 18-year-old who became a teenage vegan and experimented heavily with desserts instead of drugs.

She sent out a press release today promoting her appearance on a satellite television cooking show.

Hannah Kaminksy, author of the full color dessert cookbook My Sweet Vegan, recently completed her first televised baking demonstration with Supreme Master Television. It aired internationally in early September, but the fifteen minute demo is now available to view any time. The show, entitled Baking with Hannah Kaminsky, Author of My Sweet Vegan: Cashew Crème Pear Tart, was an episode in the television series, Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living.

[Click here to view the program online.]

As the focus of her demonstration, Kaminsky opted to prepare the Cashew Crème Pear Tart recipe from My Sweet Vegan, due to its use of seasonal ingredients. The recipe also has broad comfort food appeal, since it was developed to be naturally egg-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. When asked about her recipe creation process she responded "I don’t use egg replacer for most things just because I see it as a whole new craft, I’m not replacing things, I’m not taking them out, I’m just creating something from scratch."

The recipe was included in the press release, which means that reprinting it is fair use. Enjoy.

Cashew Crème Pear Tart
Recipe from the dessert cookbook My Sweet Vegan, by Hannah Kaminsky
Serves 12 to 14

Crust:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup margarine
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

Cashew Crème:
1 1/2 cups whole, raw cashews or 1 cup cashew butter
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pear Topping:
2 firm, medium-sized pears
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds for garnish

Preheat your oven to 325° F (160° C).

Combine the sugar, almond meal and brown rice flour in a medium bowl. Melt the margarine and pour it in, along with the brown rice syrup. Stir to coat all of the dry ingredients thoroughly, and press this mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan. Bring the crust about 1 inch up the sides of the pan, and set aside.

If using whole cashews, begin by grinding them down in your food processor. It may take 5 to 10 minutes for the cashews to begin releasing their natural oils and turn into a smooth paste, but don't stop short, as it is important that there are no lumps. Add your freshly processed cashew butter, or a store-bought version (available in many natural food stores), to your blender or food processor along with the water, maple syrup and vanilla. Process to combine. Smooth the resulting crème into your crust and set aside again.

To core and slice your pears, cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into slices of about 1/8 inch thickness. There is no need to peel the pears, as the skins add extra flavor, texture and fiber. Toss the slices with the sugar and cinnamon, and arrange them on top of your cashew crème. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pears soften.

Let cool and sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Chicken Milk? No, Really, Chicken Milk?

I'm thinking of having my jaw permanently dropped, just to save time.

What other response is there to the news these days? Just watching an episode of The Soup is enough to send a jaw dropping so fast and often that it can generate enough electricity to power a chicken juicer.

That is how they make chicken milk, isn't it?

Chicken milk? Do I want to even think about the concept of chicken milk, let alone try to explain it?

No. I don't. My mind doesn't want to venture anywhere near the subject.

So I'll just quote the article and then go off and scrub my brain with a power sander.

There was a time when people were only familiar with cow's milk, goat's milk, soya bean milk or buffalo's milk. So it makes quite a lot of sense when a new innovation - chicken-based milk - spurs a number of questions on this yellowish liquid substance. ...

"Chicken milk is, in fact, milk made from chicken meat," said Dr Pipop Jirapinyo, paediatrician specialising in nutrition. "It contains vitamins, minerals, as well as other nutrients necessary for the growth and development of infants. It is also a healthy choice instead of baby formula."

Dr Pipop is Thailand's first scientist who came up with the innovative idea of producing milk from chicken meat. After spending more than 10 years researching and developing the formula, his aim, he said, is to provide an affordable alternative to parents whose children are allergic to the protein in cow's milk. ...

Even though there are, apart from cow's milk, several other kinds of milk for parents to choose from, such as goat's milk, soya bean milk and hypoallergenic formulas based on partially or extensively hydrolysed protein, there are still more than 2,000 infants [born in Thailand] annually who are allergic to these kinds of milk. ...

Admittedly, chicken-based milk does not sound like a favourite, but Dr Pipop said that his new formula does not taste awful. The yellowish thick liquid looks quite similar to vanilla-flavoured milk. The chicken-based milk is a protein-rich option providing high energy and nutritional levels as milk from other sources.

So, why chicken?

"Infants are rarely allergic to chicken meat. It possesses a mysteriously unique quality. We commonly find that people are allergic to shrimp, eggs, nuts or milk, but very few people are allergic to chicken," explained the paediatrician.

Chicken's breast strips are best suited for manufacturing the milk as it contains 80 to 90 per cent of protein with very little fat. "Using chicken's breast strips to produce milk can make it easier to stabilise its high quality as we do not need to worry about fat and carbohydrates," he added.

To make milk from chicken meat, Dr Pipop said that the first step is to have the breast strips boiled and ground until smooth. Then essential nutrients for babies' growth is added to the mixture, which is frozen to -72C. After a decade of trial and error, the doctor finally came up with an effective technique to mix all components homogeneously, containing complete and standardised levels of vitamins and minerals. The milk is so smooth that it can easily be sucked through a rubber nipple.

A Dairy-Free Allergic Reaction You Won't Believe

Parents go to great lengths to monitor their allergic children's foods to ensure that nothing harmful is contained therein. Stefania Paciocco's son Gabriele was known to be allergic to milk, tree nuts, peanuts and eggs. She made his cookies from scratch. So when Gabriele started to scratch his throat after cookies made with special dairy-free chocolate chips, Stefania assumed the chips were the problem. They were. But not in the way you might think.

From a fascinating article, Ten unusual allergic reactions revealed, made by ABC News.

Paciocco suspected her son was allergic to chocolate, but the boy's doctor did not initially believe it.

"Even I was skeptical," said Dr. Harvey Leo, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Chocolate allergies are really rare," he explained, adding that most reactions to chocolate either are not true allergic reactions or they come as a result of exposure to nuts or milk in the chocolate chunks.

However, after some persistence by Paciocco, a skin test and a food challenge showed Gabriele, indeed, had the allergy.

"I was shocked because I love chocolate," said Paciocco. "And I felt bad. He can't have a chocolate bar?"

In the end, both parent and doctor agreed persistence paid off in confirming an unusual and potentially dangerous allergy.

"I don't think patients should be afraid to challenge their doctor," said Leo.

Lactose-Free Recipes from Lactofree - Desserts

Yesterday, I shared with you a number of main dish recipes from the friendly folks at Lactofree. (OK, I admit the Sweet Apple and Blackberry Pizza would be a dessert for most people. It just balanced better that way.) Today, I want to add on the true desserts that they sent out over.

RASPBERRY MUFFINS
Makes 12



225 g / 8 oz self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50 g / 1¾ oz caster sugar
2 medium eggs
50 ml / 2 fl. oz olive oil
200 ml / 7 fl. oz Lactofree raspberry yogurt
85 g / 3 oz raspberries
2 small bananas chopped


1. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4.

2. Lightly grease 12 wells of a non- stick muffin tin.

3. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar.

4. In a measuring jug, mix together the eggs, oil and yogurt. Pour this mixture into the flour and sugar mixture and gently mix together until just combined.

5. Gently fold in the raspberries and banana chunks.

6. With a spoon, divide the mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tins.

7. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.

8. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing.

9. Best served warm.


BIRTHDAY CAKE SPONGE
Makes 1 large sponge 28 cm / 11 in or 2 x 20.5 cm / 8 in sandwich tins



4 large free range eggs
275 g / 9½ oz caster sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
200 ml / 7 fl. oz olive oil + extra for greasing tin
200 ml / 7 fl. oz Lactofree
350 g / 12 oz self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, gas Mark 4.

2. Lightly oil and base line tin/s with baking parchment.

3. In a large bowl whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until really thick.

4. Gently stir in the olive oil and Lactofree.

5. Sieve over the flour and baking powder and gently fold in. Spoon into tin/tins.

6. Bake for 35-40 minutes for large sponge or 25-30 minutes for smaller sponges.

7. Allow to cool slightly, transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Split and fill with favourite filling.


TUTI FRUITI SMOOTHIE
Serves 2



1 large, ripe banana, peeled, chopped
115 g / 4 oz raspberries
115 g / 4 oz strawberries, hulled
200 ml / 7 fl. oz cold Lactofree
60 ml / 4 tbsp Lactofree strawberry or raspberry yogurt
4 large ice cubes

1. Place 2 large glasses in the freezer to chill.

2. Place all the ingredients into a liquidizer (reserve a few raspberries for decoration). Blend well until smooth.

3. Pour into glasses and top with a few fresh raspberries. Serve straight away.


BAKED RICE PUDDING WITH BROWN SUGARED PLUMS
Serves 4



1 teaspoon sunflower oil
8 5g pudding, rice washed
40 g caster sugar
750 mls Lactofree
1 vanilla pod split (optional)

For the topping

450 g plums washed halved and stoned
30 g demerera sugar

Preheat oven to 160C / 325F / Gas Mark 3. Use the oil to grease a shallow oven proof dish. Place the rice, sugar milk and vanilla pod and stir to combine.

Place in the oven until the rice pudding is golden onto, creamy and cooked (approx 2 / 2½ hours). Remove from the oven and increase the oven temp to 200C / 400F / Gas Mark 6. Lay the halved plums over the surface of the rice pudding (cut side up) and scatter over the demerera sugar. Return to the oven for a further 10 - 15 minutes or until the plums are tender and bubbling hot.


VANILLA CUSTARD
Serves 4-6

3 medium egg yolks
40 g / 1½ oz caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
600 ml / 1 pint Lactofree
10 ml / 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornflour.

2. Place the Lactofree in a pan and bring to the boil. Pour over the egg yolk mixture, stirring well.

3. Pour the mixture into a clean pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 1 minute or until thickened.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Lactose-Free Recipes from Lactofree - Main Courses

Lactose-reduced milk was introduced into U.S. markets more than a decade ago, and lactose free milk followed a few years later when it became clear that's what the audience wanted.

The U.K. always lagged far behind the U.S. in the lactose free marketplace and it wasn't until 2006 that I had the pleasure of announcing Reduced Lactose Milk Hits the U.K.

That was my first post to mention Lactofree and I've done a number of others since, as it's apparently grown into a major product.

Recently Chris Applegate contacted me on behalf of Lactofree, asking if I would like some recipes to post here. I was happy to say yes.

Remember the usual disclaimer. I'm just passing along useful information. I'm not endorsing the recipes or the product. You can substitute other lactose free milks for Lactofree in the recipes. That's pretty much a must if you don't live in the U.K. in the first place.

And as for the question, is Lactofree really lactose free?

We make every effort possible to ensure that Lactofree products contains no lactose. We carry out rigorous scientific testing using the most accurate UKAS accredited tests available which enable us to detect lactose at the trace level of 0.03%. At this detection level our tests show that there is no lactose present in Lactofree.

Having gotten that out of the way, I'm posting three main dish or entrée recipes today. Tomorrow I'll give you a varied bunch of desserts. All measurements are in both British and American units.

You can find out much more at their website, www.lactofree.co.uk/.

SWEET APPLE AND BLACKBERRY PIZZA WITH VANILLA CUSTARD
Serves 6



For the pastry

225 g / 8 oz plain flour + extra for rolling
55 g / 2 oz icing sugar
60 ml / 4 tbsp olive oil
1 orange, zest only
3 desert apples, quartered, cored and sliced
25 g / 1 oz caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
125 g / 4½ oz blackberries

1. Sieve the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, zest and 45 ml / 3 tbsp water. Mix together with the back of a flat bladed knife and bring together to form a soft dough, adding extra water if necessary. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 375F, 190C, Gas Mark 5. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment.

3. Place the pastry on the lined baking tray, dust with a little flour and lightly and carefully roll out into a rough circle approx. 27 cm (11 inches) in diameter.

4. Arrange the apples over the pastry leaving a 1.3 cm / ½ in border.

5. Mix together the caster sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples.

6. Using your hands or the paper to help you, carefully pull over the edge of the pastry to form a rough crust around the outside of the tart.

7. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes then scatter over the blackberries and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp. Serve with custard.


SALAMI AND THYME POPOVERS
Serves 4



115 g / 4 oz plain flour
good pinch salt
2 eggs
300 ml / ½ pint Lactofree
45 ml / 3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
115 g / 4 oz piece salami, skinned and roughly chopped into 1 cm / ½ inch pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 220C, 425F, Gas Mark 7.

2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Gradually mix the eggs with the flour and then slowly add the lacto free until a smooth batter is formed. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Pour the olive oil into 8 of the muffin wells and place in the oven until smoking hot.

4. Season the batter with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and stir in the thyme. Pour the batter into the hot muffin wells and sprinkle over the salami. Return to the oven for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden. Serve with a spinach and watercress salad.


CHICKEN AND SPINACH KORMA WITH TOMATO AND CHILLI RELISH
Serves 4



15 ml / 1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
3 tsp turmeric
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 small cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
4 boneless, skinless, free-range chicken breasts, cut into 5 cm /2 in chunks
115 g / 4 oz red lentils
400 ml / 14 fl. oz chicken stock
300 ml / ½ pint Lactofree
50 g / 1¾ oz creamed coconut
100 g / 3½ oz fresh spinach leaves, washed, shredded

For the tomato and chilli relish:
200 g / 7 oz baby plum tomatoes, quartered
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
pinch sugar
15 ml / 1 tbsp olive oil
squeeze lemon juice


1. Heat the oil in non-stick pan. Add the onions and cook gently for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.

2. Add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the chicken and toss in the spice mix, cook for 1 minute.

4. Stir in the lentils.

5. Pour in the stock and lacto free and bring up to the boil, Stir in the coconut, turn heat down and gently simmer for 20 minute.

6. Meanwhile make the tomato salsa, simply combine all the ingredients together, season and spoon into a serving bowl.

7. Add the spinach to the chicken korma and cook for 1 minute. Season to taste.

8. Serve the chicken korma with warm chapattis and a fresh tomato and chilli relish.

Add Vitamin D to Calcium to Reduce Osteoporosis Risk, Says FDA

I've told you bluntly that You Need More Vitamin D with Your Calcium. Why? According to The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF):

The relationship between calcium absorption and vitamin D is similar to that of a locked door and a key. Vitamin D is the key that unlocks the door and allows calcium to leave the intestine and enter the bloodstream. Vitamin D also works in the kidneys to help resorb calcium that otherwise would be excreted.

I've also given you ways on Adding Vitamin D to a Nondairy Diet.

Why do I remind you of all this? Because the Food and Drug Administration announced that it has amended its advice for reducing the risk of osteoporosis by recommending the use of vitamin D along with calcium.

The FDA site is hopeless to search, so I have to fall back on this press release. It was put out by the Coca-Cola Co., which gained permission to add vitamin D to the already calcium-fortified drinks it makes, especially orange juice put out under the Minute Maid label.

Anyway, here's the deal.

The amended labeling regulation explains that vitamin D is required for the normal absorption of calcium, and authorizes the health claim: "Adequate calcium and vitamin D throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis."

"Osteoporosis is a growing public health crisis, and all Americans, men and women alike, will benefit from knowing that vitamin D along with calcium can help delay or prevent the onset of this disease," said Robert P. Heaney MD, FACP, John A. Creighton University Professor and Professor of Medicine at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. "Along with weight-bearing exercise, the most valuable intervention for maintaining bone health is an overall healthful diet that supplies adequate amounts of all nutrients such as vitamin D."

The US National Osteoporosis Foundation predicts that by 2010, about 12 million people over the age of 50 will have osteoporosis and another 40 million will have low bone mass. These numbers are expected to continue climbing. To help address this significant public health issue, the FDA developed this health claim for manufacturers to include on labels of appropriate foods and dietary supplements. The new labeling can help consumers identify products with adequate calcium and Vitamin D that can help to reduce their risk of osteoporosis.

Words Fail Me

This is from an actual newspaper interview in an actual newspaper. Pioneering Probiotics: Natren’s Founder Is on a Mission to Get You Healthy, by Nadra Kareem in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Kareem interviewed Natasha Trenev, president of probiotic manufacturer Natren Inc.

Q: So, probiotics tackle a range of digestive problems. What about people who suffer from lactose intolerance. Do you have products to treat that?

A: Acidophilus (a bacteria) helps the body to digest lactose. It simulates the body to produce our lactose.

Did Trenev really say that, or anything like that? Did Kareem so misunderstand the quote that it could be mangled like that? Did no editor look at the article before it was printed?

Words fail me.

Cabot Creamery's Road Show

This doesn't seem like front page news, but the folks at Capital News 9 played it up big anyway.

Cabot Creamery's Road Show is in the Capital District and hitting up more than a dozen Price Chopper Supermarkets in town.

That's the Capital Distinct in New York State, BTW.

Why is this of interest to us?

"One thing Cabot is famous for is its cheddar cheese, and cheddar cheese is lactose free. So a lot people who are avoiding dairy still need their source of calcium and the best source of calcium is naturally through cheese, yogurt, or milk. So people who are avoiding milk products can also enjoy Cabot cheese,” said Mark Hackett, Cabot spokesman.

In fact, all their cheeses are lactose free. They claim this on their FAQ page.

Can those with lactose intolerance enjoy Cabot cheeses?
All Cabot cheeses contain zero (0) grams of lactose. Eating any aged cheese should not affect those with lactose intolerance, regardless of how much is eaten, because lactose - the major carbohydrate of cheese - totally disappears within 3 to 4 weeks after the cheese is made.

I'm not completely happy with this statement, because I've often made the point that a company can claim 0 grams of lactose per serving even when it's not strictly true, because federal law allows them to round down if the actual amount is under 0.5 gram. I did check with the firm at one time to make sure that they really meant lactose free and they confirmed that. I hope that policy has not changed.

Curious about the Road Show?

Ever been to a Cabot Road Show? We send teams of Cabot employees (and sometimes even our farmers) out to help people have fun and enjoy our cheese. There are cheese tastings, giveaways, coupons, stickers and more. Here's our schedule for the next 12 weeks:
* Harrisburg, PA on November 7th, 8th and 9th
* Miami, FL on January 3rd, 4th and 5th (come see us at the Three Kings Parade!)
* Tampa, FL on January 10th, 11th and 12th.
You can find information on Cabot events at http://www.cabotcheese.com/events.

Milk in China

Some of you have been wondering why, in light of the known fact that most people in China are lactose intolerant, have the Chinese been suffering from a huge crisis in tainted cow's milk? (See my No Tainted Chinese Milk Products On U.S. Store Shelves - So Far for a rundown.

The answer is more or less the same one as why lactose free ice creams never seem to catch on in the U.S. Most people even with lactose intolerance can handle small quantities of milk products without symptoms and they like the taste of the real thing.

I found an article on AFP that gives a recent history of the growth of dairy in China.

The toxic milk scandal in China could never have happened under Mao Zedong or Deng Xiaoping, as dairy products only landed on Chinese dinner tables when the nation began opening up to the outside world.

Westerners visiting China 20 or 30 years ago were hard pressed to find dairy products, and were only able to drink yoghurt out of a straw from a stone pot carved with Chinese characters, still available in the country.

But in the past few years, supermarket shelves have filled up with powdered or traditional milk, yoghurts and milk drinks, in countless cartons and cans, along with all sorts of flavours.

The average Chinese person, who drank 1.2 kilogrammes (2.6 pounds) of milk a year in 1980 when Deng -- the architect of China's reforms -- was in power, guzzled 26.7 kilos last year, according to the national bureau of statistics.

This, however, is still 10 times less than what people in developed countries consume.

...

Despite a widespread lactose intolerance in China, milk sales increased by 128 percent over the past five years, and those of powdered baby milk rose 185 percent, according to Euromonitor International.

Mengniu, one of the industry's heavyweights currently under the spotlight, launched a campaign [in 2006] donating milk in rural areas with the help of government agencies.

It used the slogan: "A litre of milk a day makes the Chinese people stronger."

That's remarkably similar to a British slogan first used in 1958, "Drinka Pinta Milka Day," based on a similar target promulgated by the National Milk Publicity Council of England and Wales.

Call it western cultural colonialism, but advertising does work no matter how much you try to deny it.

X-Milk

X-Milk - I gotta assume that the "X" as usual stands for extreme - is the next Vitamin Water.

At least that's what consultant David Towner hopes. He helped launch Vitamin Water but didn't get the big paycheck that went with its success. He's hoping X-Milk makes him rich.

"I did the math in my head and figured out that if I had just a 1 percent share of Vitamin Water, I'd have $100 million right now," said Towner. "So I decided the next time I saw something that had a billion-dollar potential, I would waive my fees and invest my own resources of time and money into the product in exchange for a percentage in the company."

The article, by James Pilcher of Cincinnati.com, explained that:

The product, which is based on milk but includes more protein and vitamins with less lactose than regular milk and doesn't need to be refrigerated, has been test marketed at the area's 11 bigg's stores since late July. It is priced at three 8-ounce cartons for $5 and available in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavors.

Towner says the company is selling 1,500 cartons a week just through bigg's in-store promotions.

Oddly, the actual X-Milk website claims that its product is lactose free.

X-milk is a great tasting, lactose free, milk-based, nutritious beverage formulated to deliver all the nutrients your body needs to maintain, replenish and energize without the use of stimulants or synthetic sweeteners. The formulation of X-milk provides at least 25% of the RDA of every fundamental vitamin, mineral, essential amino acid and protein with only 8 grams of fat and 0 grams of trans-fat. X-milk does not have to be mixed, measured, or stirred. Simply shake and drink. The tetra pak aseptic process guarantees a stable shelf life of at least 12 months without refrigeration. For the medical community, X-milk is accepted by Medicare and Medicaid.

I can't explain the discrepancy, and it's a pretty big difference.

UPDATE:
David Towner wrote me with the following explanation of the lactose-free issue, which I am posting with his permission.

I recently read your posting about X-Milk and wanted to answer your question about our lactose free wording. X-Milk is definitely lactose free and all of or our literature and labeling states so. However, if we made that claim in a retail environment and there was even a trace of lactose detected in our product, we would open ourselves up to mis-directed scrutiny (most likely by a competitor). We are a small company and in an effort to avoid this battle, we decided to make only a 98% lactose free claim.

Likewise, our nutritional claims are under-stated in order to avoid the same situation relative to vitamin/mineral content. In essence, we would rather under-promise and over-deliver.

We have produced hundreds of thousands of cartons and have never found even a trace of lactose in our product.

p.s. X-Milk is certified Kosher.

That seems to be definitive. X-Milk can be called a lactose-free product. That's great news for those of us who are lactose intolerant. The rest of you readers need to beware of the milk.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

I don't usually post recipes here because of copyright issues, but this one seems designed to be publicly shared, so I'm making an exception.

Lucy Waverman developed recipes for the makers of Epi-Pen that were free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy or seafood. They went over so well that she put out more to be shared with the readers of the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Go there to see the Peanut-Free pad Thai and the Stir-Fried Ground Chicken with Spinach recipes.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

Every parent wants their allergic child to have birthday cake that is moist and delicious. And dairy-free cakes so often taste like cardboard. Here is one that will have the kids and adults asking for more. Use the best bittersweet chocolate you can find and read the ingredient list carefully to make sure it doesn't contain any milk solids.

what you need

¾ cup water
4 ounces (125 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Glaze:

4 ounces (125 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon corn syrup

what you do

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line the base of a 9-inch round spring-form pan with parchment paper.

Place water and chocolate in a heavy pot over medium-low heat and stir until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is well combined. Stir in oil and vanilla and set aside.

Combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl and stir with a fork until uniform. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Pour vinegar on top of batter and use a fork to incorporate it into the batter as quickly as possible. There will be pale swirls in the batter from the baking soda and vinegar reacting. Stir just until vinegar is evenly distributed. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs on it.

Let cake cool in pan. Run a knife around the edge to loosen. Remove sides of pan, carefully invert cake onto a plate, remove bottom of pan and peel off parchment paper. Use another plate to turn cake right side up.

Place cake on serving plate and make glaze.

Place chocolate, water and corn syrup in a small heavy pot over medium-low heat and stir until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is shiny. Allow to cool for 5 minutes or until it has thickened slightly, and then spoon glaze evenly over top of cake. Serves 8 to 10.

Tribute to Stamen Grigorov

It isn't every day that you see a tribute to Stamen Grigorov, and if you ask who? that only proves my point.

Dr. Stamen Grigorov was the Bulgarian scientist who in 1905 first isolated and identified Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacteria that is primarily responsible for yogurt. He did so, ironically, in sterile Switzerland.

Stamen Grigorov, in the middle, as a student in Geneva, Switzerland

Who's doing the tribute? It's taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, naturally where the Fourth Annual European Researcher's Night takes place today.

Clips from films on how Bulgarian science fits into the European sphere; on God’s particle, black holes and the mysteries of CERN; on forbidden discoveries and more will be shown.

For those looking for something a bit more interactive, there will be a live performance called the Voyage of Sound, and another one called Science in Fairytales, organised with the support of the British Council, that will examine what connects the Wizard of Oz, the Little Mermaid, Andersen’s Snow Queen, Alice, Gulliver, Zlatka the Golden Girl and fairytale princesses. (Hint – the show includes the participation of a chemist, two meteorologists, a doctor of molecular medicine, a physicist and a general practitioners.)

For the visual arts-inclined, there is an exhibition on turning rubbish into a fun science game and another one on Bulgarian scientific research, a project of the National Polytechnical Museum, which presents curious facts about famous Bulgarian scientists and researchers (think Stamen Grigovor [sic], discoverer – in 1905 – of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacteria that breaks down the lactose in milk and makes yoghurt what it is).

Yes, it would be nicer if they hadn't typoed his name.

A Stamen Grigorov Foundation exists today, with lofty-sounding ambitions:

For ten years now the main activities of the Foundation have been related to the microbiology and art by means of organization and realization of courses, consultations, plenaries, symposiums, conferences; organization and realization of specific scientific forums, exhibitions, musical and literature days, etc.

but some dubiously extravagant claims about Bulgarian yogurt:

His further research carried out in many institutes worldwide proved that Bulgarian yogurt helps in the treatment of various diseases and conditions like infections, otic-rhino-laryngeal diseases, tuberculosis, stomach and intestine conditions, ulcers, some gynecologic diseases, fatigue, etc. These prophylactic and curative properties of Bulgarian yogurt are due to the rich vitamin content including B₁, B₂, C, A, D, E, PP, B₁₂, as well as lactose, proteins, and other important stimulating substances.

Yogurt in its original variety can be produced only in Bulgaria and in some neighboring regions on the Balkan peninsula. In other natural climatic conditions the bacteria quickly degenerate, lose their qualities and die.

I have my doubts, but it is true that American-style yogurt, pioneered by Isaac Carasso of Dannon in 1947 is a far cry from the original, tart, and fruit-free yogurt known to Europeans.

Dr. Grigorov is a reminder that science is truly an international endeavor. Discoveries and discoverers can emerge from any point. All that matters is the result.

Workshops Help Allergy Parents Cope

Judging by many of the emails I've received over the years, learning that your child has a food allergy and that all dairy - or wheat or eggs or all three - must be taken out of the diet is not just scary but almost unbearable news. The burdens imposed seem so heavy and will last so long that some parents can't cope with the stress.

Something that appears to help parents a great deal are workshops designed to provide support and coping skills to families. A new study, Evaluation of a group intervention for children with food allergy and their parents, Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
2008, vol. 101, no. 2, pp. 160-165, by Jennifer S. LeBovidge et al. gave promising news.

Abstract
Background: Children with food allergy and their parents may experience substantial stress related to the risk of serious reactions and the demands of allergy management.

Objective: To evaluate a group intervention for children with food allergy and their parents designed to increase parent-perceived competence in coping with food allergy and to decrease the parent-perceived burden associated with food allergy.

Methods: Sixty-one children aged 5 to 7 years with food allergy and their parents attended 1 of 4 half-day workshops, with parent and child groups run concurrently. Parents completed self-report measures of perceived competence in coping with food allergy at 3 time points: preworkshop (within 8 weeks of the intervention), postworkshop (immediately after the intervention), and follow-up (4-8 weeks after the intervention). Parents completed a measure of burden associated with food allergy at preworkshop and follow-up. Parents and children also completed evaluations of the study intervention.

Results: Parent-perceived competence in coping with food allergy increased significantly from preworkshop to postworkshop and follow-up, and parent-perceived burden associated with food allergy decreased from preworkshop to follow-up. Parent and child evaluations of the workshop were favorable.

Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness and feasibility of a group intervention for children with food allergy and their parents and suggest the importance of controlled evaluations of group interventions in this population in the future.

Bottom line, it "showed parents with higher competence scores and lower burden scores regarding their child's food allergy," according to an article by Joene Hendry of the Reuters News Service.

Lactose-Free and Loving It

Mandy Kocevar and Monika B. Pis have teamed to produce Lactose Free and Loving It: Learn to Enjoy Dairy Again!

Product Description
Most lactose-free cookbooks are out of date and full of recipes with terrible tasting non-dairy substitutes. But now, with so many new products available in local grocery stores, we're happy to tell you that dairy is back on your menu. From moist chocolate cake to hearty lasagna, homemade vanilla ice cream to macaroni and cheese--we have it all inside--made with real dairy! And no, you don't have to take a pill before you dig in. So if you're tired of tofu, soy and rice milk, or cheese made from vegetables, then this cookbook is for you! Pluggedinparents.com has teamed up with Monika B. Pis, a pediatric nurse-practitioner, and Mandy Kocevar, a lactose intolerance sufferer for over 15 years, to show you how to discover great-tasting lactose-free ingredients and use them to create your own treasury of delicious, dairy-filled meals.

CreateSpace trade paperback
216 pages
List price: $14.95

PETA Outsillies Itself

Yesterday I posted on melamine tainted milk, about as serious a subject as can be imagined. Today I hit the other end of the spectrum, in which PETA creates publicity for itself for doing something so silly that the only good to come out of it is that PETA can further disgrace itself in the eyes of rational human beings.

PETA posted the following press release on its site today:

Burlington, Vt. - This morning, PETA dispatched a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of ice cream icon Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace the cow's milk in their products with human breast milk. PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves. PETA points out to Cohen and Greenfield that such a move on their part would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health at the same time.

"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."

This is so spectacularly dumb that the first instinct of most bloggers was to question whether it was real or a hoax. It's real. That's PETA's actual website.

Normal people with some understanding of nutrition might also notice that PETA's statements are at best misleading and are probably best described as idiotic. Human breast milk is not better designed for consumption by adult humans than cow's milk. Breast milk is designed to help babies grow by targeting their specific needs at a time when they are expected not to take in any other food. Humans could tolerate breast milk and digest it, but it is "best for baby" not best for adult humans generally. You won't learn this basic fact from PETA, but they have no purpose left if they stop lying to you.

This goes along with other nonsensical PETA promotions like PETA News That Sounds Like a Joke and its horrifying Got Beer? campaign.

Vegans are not responsible for PETA's action, but they too seldom rise up and denounce PETA. If vegans would take a proper stand, PETA could be wiped off the earth, like smallpox and other scourges of humanity. I'll be glad to help.

No Tainted Chinese Milk Products On U.S. Store Shelves - So Far

The latest crisis of tainted food products from China is perhaps the most serious. Some 13,000 children hospitalized, 4 known dead, all in China. The number of countries in Asia and Africa which has banned the import of Chinese milk products grows by the hour.

Chinese baby formula is already illegal in the U.S. That doesn't prevent people from trying to order it over the Internet. And milk derivatives of all kinds are found in thousands of products.

A Reuters article noted that:

The FDA says it has contacted the companies that make infant formula for distribution in the United States and been assured that none import formula or source materials from China. Inspectors have also visited Chinese markets and stores to look for imported Chinese infant formula.

"Additionally, the FDA is sampling and testing milk and milk-derived ingredients and finished food products that could contain these ingredients from Chinese sources. Milk-derived ingredients include whole milk powder, nonfat milk powder, whey powder, lactose powder and casein," the agency said in a statement last week.

The agency as well as local and state officials are also conducting sweeps of stores that import Chinese products. The CBS5 website in San Francisco reported that after a popular Chinese milk candy called "White Rabbit" was found to have the tainted milk in Asia, inspectors found boxes of it in a Bay area store, but that the store had already heeded the recall warning and removed them from shelves.

The chances of any of the melamine-laced milk or milk derivatives being sold in the U.S. at the current point seem small, possibly infinitesimal.

While that's a relief, many commentators are pointing out that the safety of any particular product is a shadow of the much larger issue. China is simply incapable of properly regulating, policing, or managing the unimaginably huge number of companies that are part of China's worldwide export boom. The world has turned to China to provide it with inexpensive goods. The opportunities are gigantic and that means the temptations are equally huge. Only a tiny percentage of the manufacturers have to fall to temptation for the impact to reverberate globally. That's what we're seeing now, and what we will continue to see for years to come.

Nobody reasonably expects trade with China to cease. And China has every incentive to try to improve its safety and regulatory functions. It can never completely succeed. We just need to look at U.S. history and the thousands of cases of tainted food products from greedy manufacturers in our own past, especially before a series of federal laws and crackdowns made inspections more frequent and penalties harsher.

China has not reached that point. What's worse is that we - the United States - appears to be complicit.

The Washington Post columnist John Pomfret reported this piece of bad news in his blog:

The Bush administration made the obligatory noise about cracking down on Chinese goods. But the reality was that, according to a series of agreements signed between the Bush administration and the Chinese government in Beijing in December of last year, no significant new American resources are going to be devoted to dealing with the problem. The onus is on the Chinese to clean up their act.

Today, I heard Nicholas Lardy, one of the premier economists on China, say his big takeaway from the milk scandal was simple. It was "ludicrous," he said, to expect that a country such as China (still quite poor) could police itself when it comes to product safety. The Bush administration, Lardy said, was naive to sign agreements with China that didn't commit the United States to bolstering its own systems to protect Americans from tainted products.

With only four months to go, the next Administration will be the recipients of this problem. Yet another crisis that will be dumped on its shoulders. And yet another crisis made worse by greed, shortsightedness, and incompetence at the highest levels.

What Else is To Eat? Cookbook

Linda Coss, someone I'm written about before is the author of What's to Eat? The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook and How to Manage Your Child's Life-Threatening Food Allergies: Practical Tips for Everyday Life.

She now has a new book out, What Else is to Eat? The Dairy-, Egg-, and Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook.

Product Description:
115 Easy, Mouth-Watering Recipes, All Completely Dairy-, Egg-, and Nut-Free!
No time to fuss? No problem! This fabulous collection of recipes by popular food allergy author Linda Coss was written with your busy lifestyle in mind. With an emphasis on fast and easy cooking, the book includes recipes for baked goods, soups and salads, main dishes, side dishes, and breakfast foods all based almost entirely on normal, easy-to-find ingredients. These are recipes that your entire family will enjoy and your guests will not believe are allergy-free. This is the milk-, egg-, and nut-free food allergy cookbook you have been looking for! Sections include: Tables of Contents & Recipe List, Introduction, Food Allergy Cooking, General Recipe Information, Recommended Equipment, Soups & Salads, Beef, Chicken, Fish, Pasta, Potatoes, Rice, Vegetables, Miscellaneous, Cake, Cookies, Muffins/Quick Breads/Breakfast Foods, Menu Ideas, Glossary, Food Allergy Resources, Measurement Equivalents, Index

About Linda Coss
When Linda Coss' oldest son (now a college student) was first diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies, this was an extremely uncommon and almost unknown condition. Few resources were available, the internet did not really exist, manufacturers were not required to list all ingredients on food packages, and schools had no experience accommodating these children s special needs. It was her experiences in learning to care for and cook for her son that motivated Ms. Coss to take action to help others.
Since then Linda Coss has written and self-published three books for the food allergy market, and is the founder and leader emeritus of a local food allergy support group (she handed over leadership after 13 years at the helm). Linda also gives presentations to both parents and medical professionals about food allergies and the issues involved in raising severely food-allergic children.

You can order her books through the usual channels or through her website.

Lactose Is a Toxic Additive?

I'm convinced that most newspapers outside of maybe The New York Times choose their selection of letters to the editor by what strikes them as hilarious rather than praiseworthy.

The range of comments in these editors prove that we are a diverse public, to stick with mild understatement.

Although opinions on politics, religion, education, and urban issues are frequently as naive and misguided as children's letters to Santa, the ones that truly concern me are the ones that state as fact things that are known to be untrue or are simply demented. Why newspapers legitimize these letters when they obviously have others they could print instead baffles me.

Case in point. Here's the Letters to the Editor page for the Chesterfield [VA] Observer for September 17, 2008.

Although we continue to hear the mantra [that there is] "no proven link" between vaccines and these disorders/diseases, conversely, there's no conclusive evidence there is not a link. A partial list of the toxic additives/adjuvants vaccines contain: lab-altered viruses and bacteria, aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, phenoxyethanol, gluteraldehyde, sodium chloride, MSG, gelatin, lactose, hydrochloric acid, sorbitol, antibiotics, aluminum sulfate, sodium borate, sodium acetate, hydrogen peroxide, yeast protein, egg albumin, bovine and human serum albumin.

An adjuvant, by the way, is defined as "pharmacological or immunological agents that modify the effect of other agents (e.g., drugs, vaccines) while having few if any direct effects when given by themselves."

Adjuvants are not the same as inactive ingredients, since those are presumed not to modify or affect any properties of the drug involved.

Lactose is not a toxic additive. It is not an adjuvant. Neither are many of the other items contained in that list. They are merely inactive ingredients, helpful for getting the vaccine properly into the system, but nothing more.

That list sure sounds scary if you don't know that. I think it is deliberately misleading, deliberately designed to sound scary. Where does it come from? The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), which - despite the name - is simply an anti-vaccine propaganda mill.

The list of toxic additives and adjuvants is taken from the NVIC's Vaccine Safety Bulletin. Except in the original, the list is labeled simply "excipients or ingredients." Excipients are defined as "an inactive substance used as a carrier for the active ingredients of a medication." In other words, inactive ingredients. That is not at all the same thing as an adjuvant. Nor is the word "toxic" to be found anywhere in that brochure. I contend that the substitution of loaded, inflammatory, and scary words was deliberate. They sound scientific. They have exact meanings. They have a purpose. But that purpose is not objective information.

Don't be fooled by propaganda for any cause. Anti-scientific propaganda is especially bad for you. It's almost always not scientific itself, although it may be designed to sound that way. And it's almost always wrong.

Beverages in School Lunch Program Must Have Milk's Nutritional Value

Last week I informed you that "The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced [that] parents or legal guardians may request, in writing, soymilk as an alternative to cow's milk for children receiving National School Lunch and Breakfast Program meals."

That came from a press release put out by the Soyfoods Association of North America. Not surprisingly, they selectively quoted the announcement and left out the parts now about soymilk.

The International Dairy Foods Association was a little slower on the draw, but it sent out its own press release yesterday.

It also has good news for parents of lactose intolerant children.

[The] USDA also made statements that supported lactose-free milk as the beverage of choice for lactose intolerant children, although it was not included as part of the regulations. Lactose-free milk already is allowed in the school meal programs, and documentation is not required for a student to receive lactose-free milk instead of regular milk. USDA indicated that "there is no need to offer a fortified milk substitute to a student whose medical or special dietary need is lactose intolerance."

What the regulations actually say is that any other beverages served in the program must be the same nutritional value as milk:

Beverages that could substitute for fluid milk, such as soy beverage or fruit juice, will be required to be nutritionally equivalent to whole milk with regard to calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin and vitamin B-12 content. Currently there are no soy beverages that provide all of these nutrients at the same level as milk.

Note the sly dig at the soyfoods people.

I still can't find the source of this information on the USDA.gov website. The page on the National School Lunch Program hasn't be updated since July. I'll try to find the original ruling and see what other important tidbits it might have for people who don't have a side in this fight.

New Study Adds Finer Details to History of Lactose Tolerance

I'm written on several occasions that lactose tolerance was probably developed first in the Middle East, after dairying was invented. There people processed milk into forms that would keep longer in the heat, like yogurt, kefir, and cheese. Each of these also happens to be relatively low in lactose as well.

You can follow a gradient of lactose tolerance across Europe. The lowest percentages of tolerance (highest percentages of lactose intolerance) are in the south and east. The highest percentages of tolerance are in the north and west. This has enormous implications for food and genetic history. Drinking of higher lactose products, like milk straight from the cow, increased and dairy products spread throughout all foods. Apparently milk products and possibly even lactose tolerance produced healthier humans who could out-reproduce those who stayed lactose intolerant. The ability to better process calcium may have made up for the lack of sunlight, and the vitamin D it contains.

Doing large-scale surveys of lactose tolerance or intolerance was difficult in the past because few people would want to take a lactose tolerance test if they didn't have to. You'd need very large samples to determine finer shading of tolerance within a country, though. Genetic testing today is easy and large genetic samples exist.

That's what stimulated an article published in the European Journal of Human Genetics. "Lactase persistence-related genetic variant: population substructure and health outcomes," by George Davey Smith et al. (advance online publication 17 September 2008; doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2008.156).

The abstract said in part:

We genotyped the C/T_-13910 variant (rs4988235) that constitutes the putatively causal allele for lactase persistence (T allele representing persistence) in a general population sample of 3344 women aged 60–79 years from 23 towns across Britain. We found an overall frequency of 0.253 for the C (lactase non-persistence) allele, but with considerable gradients of decreasing frequency from the south to the north and from the east to the west of Britain for this allele.

In simpler language, the same pattern that stretches across Europe can be found in miniature across Britain. Those in the north and west, which have even less sun, have higher rates of lactose tolerance than those in the south. This also correlates with the traditional invasion patterns, with the earlier inhabitants often descended from Scandinavian countries, known to have very high percentages of lactose tolerance, having been displaced to the north and west by later influxes.

This bit of correlation to earlier studies helps clarify what is still a fuzzy picture of the spread of lactose tolerance.

How Good for You Is Kefir?

Kefir is pretty good for you, wrote Elena Conis in a Los Angeles Times article titled Kefir is nutritious but larger health claims are on shakier ground. Beware the silly and exaggerated claims of the propagandist food faddists.

What is kefir? For those who don't know:

Kefir grains.

Kefir's closest cousin is yogurt, also made by fermenting milk with bacteria. But kefir is fermented with more and different types of bacteria, in addition to yeast, which means the final product has more of the beneficial microorganisms, or "probiotics," that first made yogurt a popular health food. Probiotics can control the growth of harmful bacteria and aid digestion, and some even manufacture vitamins in the gut.

Conis wrote that at base, kefir has some desirable nutrients, saying "The drink is a good source of calcium, protein and potassium (and less desirably, in its fruit-flavored forms, sugar)."

It's the more advanced claims that haven't been proven for humans.

Whether the drink is any more immune-boosting than, say, spinach, or any other nutrient-dense food, remains to be seen. Claims that kefir can help cure cancer stem from findings that the drink, or some of its components, hindered tumor cells in test tubes and lab animals. In vitro, kefir has been shown to slow the growth of breast cancer cells. In mice injected with cancer cells, it has slowed the development of tumors and increased the activity of such immune system cells as so-called natural killer and T-helper cells. A 2007 Japanese study suggested the drink may do the same in humans: 19 adults who drank kefir daily for three weeks had unusually active natural killer cells.

But such research is challenging to interpret. It not only has focused largely on rodents but also has used kefir products made with limited bacterial starter cultures to pinpoint which culture may be responsible for the potential benefits. The effects that grocery-store kefir might have on cancer patients haven't been studied in rigorous clinical trials.

Some commercials kefirs add even more probiotics to the mix, as I wrote in Probiotic Kefir Healthier Alternative to Yogurt

What's more important for those of us who are lactose intolerant is that kefir is as good or better than yogurt in reducing symptoms.

If there's one thing kefir may be most likely to do, it's aid in digestive health. Like yogurt, kefir contains lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, the dominant sugar in milk. In a 2003 study of 15 adults unable to digest lactose, Ohio State University researchers found that drinking kefir reduced lactose maldigestion symptoms -- including bloating, stomach pain and gas -- by 70%. French researchers produced similar findings; they've also shown that kefir can speed recovery from diarrhea in infants.

FDA Holds Hearing on Food Labels

"If you go down the candy aisle and you pick up any number of candy bars or other confectionery products, you are going to see a variety of these 'may contain'-type labels: 'may contain peanuts,' 'processed on shared equipment,' 'manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts or milk or whatever it is,'" said Anne Munoz Furlong, founder of The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network in Fairfax, Va. "Nobody knows what it means. Some [labels] are completely ridiculous, and the result is that consumers are confused and are forced to have very limited food choices or take risks."

"We would like to see all of the food industry adopt one set of criteria for using these descriptions and a limited number of those descriptions," Furlong added. "There are about 30 different ways to say 'may contain' on the marketplace. That's way too many."

Furlong, quoted in the Washington Post, was set to testify on a public hearing concerning food labeling of allergens on September 16.

She's not alone. A story on ABCNews.com, by Joseph Brownstein, Samantha Honig and Kate Barrett, quoted several others who also want to see changes, with the best argument coming from one allergist.

"I think it's reasonable to be able to tell people whether or not something's in the food you're trying to sell them," said Dr. Michael Daines, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. ...

According to Daines, the current system of placing advisory labels on products just in case that happens allows "very risk-averse" companies to put a label on any food that has a chance of containing an allergen, thereby avoiding a lawsuit.

"If it says, 'does contain,' that means something," Daines told ABCNews.com. "If it says, 'may contain,' it's just pushing the liability onto the patient." ...

"It should very clearly state on the front of the package whether it contains the common food allergens," Daines said. "Anything that would state clearly whether it contains those or not would be a big step in the right direction."

Other people than me have made their own complaints recently that newspapers tell us what is going to happen, but often fail to cover what actually did happen.

Case in point. None of the major news outlets which provided lengthy stories ahead of the hearing bothered to revisit the issue and tell us what was said at the hearing.

Fortunately, I did find some coverage at WebMD.com.

Industry groups and FDA officials emphasized that advisory labels are not a replacement for "good manufacturing practices" that curb the risk of cross-contamination.

Alison Bodor, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the National Confectioners Association, urged the FDA to establish allergen "thresholds," which attempt to gauge what levels of an allergen can safely be present in a food without causing an allergic reaction.

She cautioned that thorough cleaning or using separate equipment entirely is unrealistic for many manufacturers, and that despite the vagueness of some companies' warnings, people should heed them carefully.

Public advocates also testified about the problems allergy sufferers face daily trying to find safe food for themselves and their families.

Anne Carter of the Food Allergy Group of Northern Virginia said some group members are playing Russian roulette with food labels; teenagers and young adults are especially at risk when they start to make food decisions for themselves, she says.

FAAN member Lisa Punt shared a story about her now-teenaged son, who has a severe nut allergy. She recalled how she made sure to have plenty of candy corn at past Halloweens because it was one of the few foods her son could safely eat. But it soon became impossible to find candy corn without advisory warnings.

"Does candy corn really have walnuts, pecans, or cashews in it? Nobody knows," she said.

The FDA is accepting public comments on the issue through Jan. 14, 2009, to help develop its long-term strategy.

"Once we get all those comments in, that will be a major evaluation for the agency," said Barbara Schneeman, PhD, director of the Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

January isn't too far off, but time will be needed to digest the comments, create new legislation, get comments on that, get it through Congress, and set up a date for compliance if it ever gets signed into law. That's a long way away, if ever, and who knows what objections the industry will have that will water down provisions or kill the bill entirely. The current 2004 law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2006, and that took many years of effort to get passed. The effort was worth it because that labeling act required major improvements in labeling practice. The next bill would be another step forward. Let's hope we don't have too many years before we see it.

Get a Kick in Your Dairy-Air

Connie Goff, of the Maryville MO, Daily Forum, wrote a little promotional article celebrating the opening of Maria Jones' Sweet Dairy-Air soft-serve ice cream store.

Why would I be mentioning it here? Because of the following astounding sentence:

Flavor Burst ice cream is a lactose product, so those with lactose intolerance problems will find that it will be just the right treat for them.

That doesn't even make sense if you put a "not" in there. (Why would anyone phrase it to say "it will not be just the right treat"?) Could she have possibly meant that Flavor Burst ice cream is a lactose-free product? I doubt it. I searched their web site and found no evidence that that might be true.

Just another day of my scratching my head over the weirdness of the world.

Lactaid Recipe Page

Lactaid is the leading brand in the world of lactose-free milk and lactase pills, at least in the U.S.

It maintains a Recipe Page with the following categories on it:

Appetizers & Snacks
Beverages
Breads
Breakfast
Desserts
Ethnic Dishes
Main Dishes
Salads
Sauces
Side Dishes
Soups

Readers have rated the recipes from one to five stars, so you check which ones meet their approval. Some of the recipes have over 800 ratings!

There must be dozens if not hundreds of recipes on the site, so you can dig in for a long time.

Of course, you need to remember that lactose-free milk is real cow dairy milk so this is only for those who are lactose intolerant or otherwise trying to avoid lactose, and definitely not for those with milk allergies.

Whey Protein

Whey, you should remember from Lactose Intolerance 101, is the watery portion of milk that gets separated from the solider curds during cheesemaking. Take away the water and you have a mass of whey protein and lactose left. Both can be processed out and used in all sorts of ways. No pun intended.

There are two basic types of whey protein. Whey protein concentrate is just the powder that's left when the liquid whey is dried. It has a heavy lactose content, sometimes more than 50%. Whey protein isolate, as the name indicates, tries to isolate just the whey protein by removing the lactose. Whey protein isolate should be at least 99% pure protein, and I've seen it used in products that advertise themselves as lactose free.

How do you know what to do if the product doesn't specify concentrate or isolate? Unless there are other obvious signs, like a lactose-free label, I would avoid these products until I could doublecheck with the manufacturer.

I found a site called WheyImproved.com that has a multitude of articles on all things whey. The following is from Lactose Free Whey Protein:

Like the regular whey protein food supplements which come in the form of shakes or concentrates, lactose free whey protein food products help in muscle gain and in boosting the body�s energy level and immune system. These provide lactose intolerant people the complete health benefits of whey protein without causing gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea and other symptoms that affect daily life activities.

Lactose free whey protein food supplements are manufactured through the process called micro filtration. This process uses a ceramic filter to remove fat, carbohydrate and lactose from whey and isolate and purify whey protein. For every 100 grams of whey powder, 94 grams of protein is recovered which is relatively free of lactose, carbohydrate and fat. This final product is ideal in formulating food supplements fit not only for lactose intolerant individuals but also for those who are under the Atkins diet and other ketogenic diets.

Even though milk allergies can be specific to either the casein family of proteins or the whey family of proteins, many people are allergic to both. I would not recommend whey protein products for anyone who has a dairy protein allergy.

There's also a rarer variant called milk protein that will also have casein powder. It comes in a variety of blends that range from 46% lactose to 1% lactose.