Consider Me Amazed

I always like to taste products tailored to people on modified diets (i.e.: people living with diabetes, celiac disease, or lactose intolerance).

While I do not have a condition that requires me to avoid specific ingredients or keep my intake of a certain nutrient below a certain amount, I strongly believe that to get a firm grasp on the nutritional lifestyle of a given condition, I have to be familiar with what is available to that population.

Whenever I have tried sugar-free varieties of popular sweets (mainly meant for people who have diabetes and not anyone looking to lose weight since these products add more fat to balance out the absence of sugar, thereby being just as caloric as regular versions), I have been disappointed.

The presence of sugar alcohols usually imparts a strange aftertaste, and one too many bites of sugar-free chocolate often result in awful gastrointestinal effects.

I will never forget an incident where a "sugar-free" muffin (chock full of maltitol) had me bent over in pain for two hours from the absolutely horrible stomach pain.

Alas, my faith in diabetic-friendly desserts has been reawakened by So Delicious Sugar-Free ice cream bars.

These soy (yes, they are also lactose-free!) bars (available in fudge or vanilla bar varieties) are not only sugar-free, but also "artificial-sweetener free"!

Even better, they do not pump up the fat content to make up for the decrease in sugar.

A look at the ingredient list reveals: Organic soymilk, filtered water, vegetable glycerine, soybean/safflower oil, chicory root extract, cocoa (processed with alkali), gum acacia, erythritol (sugar alcohol from natural fermentation), vanilla extract, tricalcium phosphate (a natural source of calcium), guar gum, carrageenan, natural flavors.

Before having my first bite, I was skeptical. How on Earth, I thought, are they going to make ice cream taste good without any sweetness?

Well, the folks at So Delicious quickly won me over.

So much so that I recommend these 80-calorie bars to anyone looking for a low-calorie sweet treat to satisfy a chocolate craving.

You Ask, I Aswer: Kefir

[For whatever reason,] it seems that the only dairy I can somehow tolerate is kefir.

Is it simply liquefied yogurt?

-- Dennise O'Grady
Bay Head, NJ

There's a rather simple explanation as to why kefir is the only dairy you can somehow tolerate -- it contains a significant number of probiotic bacteria that help break down lactose!

Probiotic bacteria is the same reason why people who can not tolerate milk can often enjoy yogurt with active cultures.

That said, kefir and yogurt are two different foods.

Unlike yogurt, kefir contains kefir grains (which house all that healthy bacteria), which are then left to ferment in milk.

Although plain kefir is a healthy addition to a diet thanks to its share of calcium and potassium, beware of "kefir-based" ready-to-drink smoothies which contain teaspoon upon teaspoon of added sugars (AKA extra calories).

You Ask, I Answer: Lactose Intolerance/Barbara Kingsolver

In Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal Vegetable Miracle I believe she pretty much lays out factual evidence saying that after the age of 4 many people are unable to properly digest milk.

Apparently there’s a gene gets turned off that makes people unable to drink it. Just saying you might want to check that source.

-- “Randzig”
Via the blog

Before I get to your actual question, I want to say that I recently picked up Animal Vegetable Miracle and was very much turned off by Ms. Kingsolvers’ holier-than-thou finger-pointing and preaching.

Half the time I was reading the book, I wanted to say, "I get it, you're better than me!"

In case you haven’t read the book, it’s basically the account of her and her family’s move to a West Virginia farm for a year, where they eat solely local, seasonal, organic foods from their own farm (or those of nearby farmers’.)

Parts of it feel like an ultra-cheesy “Full House” episode. Everyone is happy, peaceful, and content at all times. Really? So the cure for teen angst is organic lettuce?

Look, it’s one thing to want to teach people about the difference between a minimally processed diet and one laden with added sugars and artificial flavorings and colorings, but I have a very strong aversion to some people who use their organic/local lifestyle as a pass to be self-righteous.

It’s a real pity, because the book offers some interesting insights on agrobusiness and the politics of farming, but it gets lost in the author's obnoxious tone.

I am of the opinion that the best way to impart nutrition knowledge is through simply stating facts that speak for themselves.

Telling people, like she does, that simply “eating healthy” is not enough (in her mind, you have to eat local, seasonal, AND organic) is pure smugness.

Why not encourage people making gradual transitions into healthy eating rather than telling them they just aren't good enough?

It's also quite an insult to assume that everyone can afford to eat only local, seasonal, and organic food.

We are unfortunately living in a time when organic food costs more than non-organic food. It's a frustrating turn of events, but that's reality in 2008 in the United States.

And the reality also is that some people are not going to pay an additional charge for organic food. I can't say I blame them. And I'm certainly not going to tell them, "well, it's great you're eating fruit instead of ice cream every night, but it's not organic, and it's shipped from a non-neighboring state. Tisk tisk!"

In Ms. Kingsolver’s mind, the only “morally correct” way to live is by eating what the land offers. Which means, if you live in Maine and buy bananas, you’re doing Mother Earth a disservice.

Or, if you are vegan and eat tempeh despite there being no soybeans near where you live, you aren't utilizing your natureal resources. Ugh.

Ms. Kingsolver also had my eyes rolling uncontrollably when she attempts to "justify" slaughtering of chickens to her vegetarian daughter by saying that vegetarians kill plants.

I'm surprised Ms. Kingsolver, who studied biology, can make such an inane statement.

Maybe she has forgotten that animals have neurons (which transmit pain) and plants do not?

In any case, Ms. Kingsolver’s argument about lactose intolerance is not very well thought out.

In fact, evolutionists recently discovered that the ability to digest lactose, among certain populations, is lasting well into adulthood.

I am not saying lactose intolerance does not exist – it absolutely does.

However, there are also millions of adults throughout the world who can eat dairy products, including milk, with no difficulties.

You Ask, I Answer: Dairy Alternatives/Rice Milk

I found recently that cows milk and I don't get on, which is a pity since I love cheese.

Anyway, I've been avoiding cheese while I try to lose weight.

I have also switched from cow's milk to rice milk, but I'm not sure if rice milk has more fat or calories, and I'm finding the labeling on my cartons a little confusing.

Is rice milk okay, or should I be looking to other alternatives? (I'm not a big fan of the soy milk flavor).

-- Ryan Nelson
Brighton, England

Lactose intolerance can occur in varying degrees.

Being unable to digest cow’s milk does not necessarily mean cheese and yogurts should also be off-limits.

A slice of hard cheese – such as Swiss – offers a tenth of the lactose in a glass of milk. The active cultures in some yogurts, meanwhile, can also help avoid digestive problems.

Let’s assume, though, that your intolerance to lactose is such that even the tiniest amount in any dairy product offsets problems.

In that case, I don’t consider rice milk an equal alternative to cow’s milk.

Whereas soy milk is a good source of protein and is often fortified with calcium and vitamin D, the same does not hold for rice milk.

Consider the following:

A cup (8 fluid ounces) of skim milk contains 91 calories, 8.7 grams of protein, and 30% of the daily calcium requirement.

A cup of reduced-fat (2%) milk adds up to 123 calories, 8.1 grams of protein, and 28.5% of a day’s calcium needs.

A cup of rice milk? 120 calories, 1 gram of protein, and just 2% of the daily calcium requirement.

In your case, I would recommend Lactaid products (which I believe are sold under the name Milkaid in the UK) – whether it’s actual Lactaid milk or having a Lactaid pill prior to consuming dairy.

Simply Said: Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance occurs when our bodies are unable to digest lactose, the naturally occurring sugar in dairy.

The digestion of lactose falls under the responsibility of an enzyme called lactase, which breaks up lactose into two simple sugars – glucose and galactose.

These two sugars then travel through our digestive systems without problems.

However, if someone’s body does not produce enough lactase, lactose charges full-steam ahead… until it reaches the gut. Then, it just sits there, patiently waiting for lactase to come break it down so it can continue its travels.

Except lactase never arrives, so lactose is instead feverishly eaten up by bacteria in our gut, thereby causing gas, bloating, stomach cramps, and in some cases even diarrhea.

Lactose intolerance is mainly seen in Asian, Native American, Latin American, and African American populations.

Interestingly enough, regardless of your racial makeup, lactose intolerance becomes a more likely complication with each passing decade.

Turns out that as we age, our bodies produce less lactase.

The best way to know what you have for sure is simply by getting tested. While you can do this by undergoing an endoscopy, there is a much less invasive way – a breath test!

If your body is successfully breaking down lactose, you wouldn’t have much hydrogen present in your breath. However, if lactose is fermenting in your gut, its levels will certainly be detectable.

So what to do if you’re lacking lactase?

For starters, never eat dairy products on an empty stomach or by themselves.

You might also want to try lactose-free milk or take a lactase enzyme supplement before having dairy products.

Eat your bacteria. That’s right! If you’re having yogurt, aim for those with live cultures, which will aid digestion.

Play hard to get. Hard cheeses contain less lactose than soft varieties, so a Swiss cheese sandwich would go over better than a caprese salad with mozarella.

Don’t gloss over food labels. Just because a food doesn’t fall under the “dairy” umbrella does not mean it is 100% safe.

The biggest trap? An ingredient known as whey, which is derived from milk and contains lactose.

Food shouldn't be your only concern, either.

About a quarter of prescription drugs contain lactose, as do the majority of birth control pills.

Numbers Game: Answer

Approximately 40 million people in the United States fall into the "lactose intolerant" category.

Tomorrow night, I'll discuss what lactose intolerance is, how to determine if you truly have it, and what foods people with this intolerance should avoid (expect surprises!)

Numbers Game: Zero Tolerance

Approximately _______ million people in the United States fall into the "lactose intolerant" category.

a) 40
b) 5
c) 95
d) 65

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Sunday for the answer as well as an explanation of what lactose intolerance is and how to determine if you truly have it.