Thanks for all of your comments on yesterday’s post. I’m off in search of Turtle Mountain So Delicious frozen goodness (and wishing I still lived in a place where Nada Moo! was sold). Also, thanks for the reminders that we should eat real food and not overprocessed, ‘made-in-a-lab’ faux sustenance. Since I tend to overshare–rather than the other way around–I guess I figured I’d already revealed a number of incidents where I definitely did eat ‘real dairy’ and had some unpleasant side effects.
For now, I’m just going to avoid milk as much as I can, and since the only real craving for dairy products does come in the way of yogurt and its frozen counterparts, if I succumb, I’ll just do so with caution.
Oddly enough, months ago, before I even thought about having an issue with milk and all of its by-products, Alisa Fleming, author of Go Dairy Free (and blogger at the site of the same name) sent me her book to review. I, of course, have waited until now to do so. When I received it, I thought, “Oh, well, at least this will maybe help me during the Vegan Month of Food, if nothing else.”
But now, facing a potentially dairy-free (or at least dairy-limited) life, I am finding it supremely helpful. Not only does it have the basic scientific/biological background information I need [like the fact that it really IS common for lactose intolerance to develop with age; milk allergies are entirely different from the trouble one has digesting lactose; and that even mild discomfort can be signs of intolerance.
It also taught me the lactose levels in various dairy products, including the fact that yogurt is generally low.
I also learned that whey has lactose in it…in its dry form, it’s even higher than regular milk! No wonder I was in such pain with the Arctic Zero.^
The fact that in implementing my own ‘yogurt test’ at home, I chose Siggis, in all its pure, unadulterated yogurt glory was smart.
Had I chosen to have a sugar infused bowl of ice cream (which I wanted) or, I don’t know, chug a can of sweetened condensed milk, I probably wouldn’t have come out alive.*
My favorite parts of the book, however, are not the science-oriented parts (although I do find them very helpful, and it IS important to check out calcium intake and alternate sources of fat, etc.) but the parts of the book that deal with grocery shopping (what ingredients actually mean ‘lactose’ despite what they say)…
…dining out (which international cuisines have the best dairy-free options?), and alternative milk products (both what you can buy, and how to make your own).
Oh, and, of course, the recipes!
Although there are no pictures–what can I say? I like pictures in my cookbooks–there are tons of delicious, intriguing, dairy-free (and vegan) recipes to be had within this tome. Soups, sides, breads, alterna-cheese, and desserts, there are many I’d like to try.*
*Denoted with Post-Its.^
^Arguably my favorite office supply.
I am particularly drawn to Carrot Cake Salad, Chinese Five-Spiced Noodles, and the Spiced Autumn Soup,*
*It has butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, and a melange of delicious fall-scented spices. How could that not be a beautiful beta-carotene bomb of greatness?
I’m still working my way through the book, but I am eager to utilize it further…especially now that it’s more of a necessity, and not just ‘for fun.’
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
It's a good thing that you are insanely creative in the kitchen and can definitely make things work without dairy. I hope you see this as a new fun challenge instead of a limitation
Oddly enough, I have a couple vegan cookbooks (Alicia Silverstone's is good, but I've never used it) and I really enjoyed reading about the scientific sections on why its difficult for humans to digest dairy. Apparently, the U.S. has the most individuals who CAN tolerate it, but in some cultures across the world, lactose intolerance effects to 90% of their population. Fascinating stuff.
funny (disgusting) story: i stared, open-mouthed, as a co-worker drank sweetened condensed milk from a can. she's english and that's the only thing i can cling to to justify her behavior!
i'm lactose intolerant, too, and the only dairy i eat is greek yogurt. can't do cottage cheese and i get gassy just looking at milk. however, our ability to digest lactose is a "use it or lose it" phenomenon and some people are able to re-gain tolerance through small increases in intake. don't know if it's worth it, though, to go through that pain!
Oh my gosh! I want to read this book. I can still eat yogurt, but if I try to eat a lot of dairy (like hot chocolate made with milk) it's NOT good on the tummy. I guess that makes sense about the lactose levels then!
And I want someone to do some investigating on Arctic Zero! While I DO like it… I do wonder…
Looks like a very intersting book. I'll have to see if the library has it. I'm trying to restrict my book buying. Thanks for the suggestion, Sarah!
I've wanted this book for a while, and totally haven't scooped it up yet. The nerd in me would love to read the scientific aspect of everything.
Topic switch: I baked an egg into the perfect little hole in a butternut squash last night, and I have you to thank for such a genius idea! It was perfect.