You Ask, I Answer: Soy Cheese

This weekend I had brunch at a vegetarian restaurant.

Since I am lactose intolerant, I asked the waitress if they had any vegan cheese.

She told me they had soy cheese, but it wasn't vegan.

It was very busy and I didn't want to keep her, but that didn't make sense to me.

In the end, I decided not to get it. I am not vegan, but I was afraid the cheese they had was some sort of soy and lactose mix.

Does that make sense to you?

How can soy cheese not be vegan?

-- Jaime (last name withheld)
(city withheld), MI

A good number of soy cheeses contain casein, a milk protein.

This is usually done to better emulate the dairy-based product's texture and taste.

Although perfectly acceptable and appropriate for someone with a lactose intolerance like yourself (all soy cheeses are lactose free), the same can not be said for vegans, who omit all animal byproducts -- including casein -- from their diets.

In the event that your request was related to veganism, she had your interests in mind. Good for her.

You Ask, I Answer: Casein

What is casein, and how does it relate to nutrition?

The reason why I ask is because here in Argentina, a popular brand of milk called La Serenisima has released a new milk with extra calcium and extra casein.

What do you think?

-- Maria (last name withheld)
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Casein is the main protein in milk (80% of protein in the dairy beverage is in the form of casein; the remaining 20% consists of whey.)

The only way it relates to nutrition is that, just like all other animal proteins -- and soy -- it is complete, meaning it provides all eight essential amino acids.

Although casein is highly bioavailable (the technical term for "the body wastes very little of it,") it is beaten out by egg albumin and whey protein.

I am not sure why a company would look to create "high casein" milk, particularly since casein is by no means an essential nutrient.

It is perfectly plausible to meet all your protein and nutrient needs without ever ingesting any casein.

Perhaps "extra casein" is their snazzy terminology for "extra protein," which I still do not see the necessity for.

Milk is already a good source of protein (9 grams per 8 ounce/236 milliliter glass), and as far as I know, protein deficiency is not a health issue in Buenos Aires.

My thoughts? This is simply an inventive marketing strategy to boost milk sales.

While we're on the topic of casein, allow me to say a few more things.

Although a small percentage of the population (roughly 2 - 3 percent) is allergic to casein, that is very different from being lactose intolerant.

A casein allergy is an altered immunological response to a specific protein, whereas lactose intolerance has to do with the body's inability to break down lactose, the naturally occurring sugar in milk and other dairy products.

That said, keep in mind that casein is in a lot of non-dairy processed foods (and many cosmetic products) since it is a rather inexpensive binding agent. This is why people with casein allergis need to read food labels VERY carefully.

Perfect Pickings: Tuna

It may surprise you to learn that not all canned tuna is created equally.

First up: packed in water or oil?

Water is preferrable – for two reasons.

It results in less calories (60 calories per 2 ounce serving, rather than 110 or 120) and, since water and oil don't mix, the Omega-3 fatty acids present in tuna are not lost when water is drained.

The two more important issues surrounding canned tuna are sodium and mercury levels.

A standard 6 ounce can of tuna provides 750 - 850 milligrams of sodium (approximately a third of a day's needs) -- quite a bit for its low calorie contribution (roughly 150, if canned in water).

Look for low-sodium varieties that slash sodium by half, like Starkist's "low sodium tuna".

You will barely tell the difference, especially if you are eating canned tuna as part of a salad or sandwich.

Albacore tuna -- the white, meatier, less fishy tasting of the bunch -- happens to be one of the largest fish.

Therefore, its mercury content is approximately 3 times higher than that of smaller fish -- mainly skipjack -- used for chunk light varieties.

Some companies, like King of the Sea, sell authentically low-mercury -- chunk light is "lower mercury"-- tuna . The secret? Using yellowfin tuna!

Here's a tidbit that surprises many people.

Those of you with a milk protein (casein) allergy must read canned tuna labels carefully, since some of them are processed by adding hydrolyzed casein!

Lastly, be mindful of what you're putting on your tuna. If it's a few tablespoons of mayo, it's time to do some modifying.

I find, for instance, that hummus -- especially a red pepper variety -- is a wonderfully tasty replacement for mayonnaise when making tuna salad.