Casein Intolerance

[MelbournePienaars]

Hi there

I have recently been diagnosed with a casein intolerance, for those who dont know that means the inability to break down Milk proteins which is different from folks with a lactose intolerance who dont have somr or other enzyme needed to break down milk sugars (i think).

Anyhoo - i find it quite overwhelming at the moment. I have cut out Chocolate, ice cream, yoghurt, milk, butter, cheese. I cant say I feel any better yet but they also discovere my metabolism is running at that of a 50 year old and not a 33 year old which I am... just had thyroid tests done so waiting for those results.

I just wondered if anyone has this casein intolerance? And if so please can I get some advice on foods, substitutes etc? I have tried soy milk with coffee (gross) but both times i have had a soy cappachino out it has tasted ok.

I miss chocolate and a cup of coffee! I eat really healthy otherwise but hate that I have to give up and have no substitutes. I looked for almond milk but it was $10 per litre (SHEESH)..

I have no idea what to do for christmas etc.. talk about bad timing - just as I was gearing up for chocolate mouse, buttery fruit cake.

Help! Anybody? somebody?

[hestie tt]

Join the club!!!!!

Sonnetjie is the expert in Aus and will probable be able to help you. Watch out for "dairy free" products like Cremora, some have casien in them.

Maybe you can "treat" yourself with a little something say once a month. It is very hard to go cold turkey and to find replacements. Some brands of soya milk taste nice but unfortunatly me and my son are both allergic to soya too.

You will survive

Hestie

[Alida]

Well, don't despair, you are not alone in this world ! This is becoming a fairly common allergy, due to pasteurization.

There are a few nice things to try.

Rice milk is quite tolerable in coffee. (Edited to add - it makes a sludge in the bottom of your cup, but just accept it)

Almond milk is very tasty and extremely easy to make yourself. Just put a cup of raw almonds in your blender together with a liter of filtered / cooked and cooled water, blend. Strain through a cheese cloth / muslin /fine sieve and enjoy. Wonderful to use in hot chocolate, etc. You lose a bit of the nutritional value by heating it, but at least you're free of casein.

Try the following for a 'you-wouldn't-believe-it' replacement of chocolate mousse:

1 cup macadamia nuts, raw and unsalted

3-5 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, quartered

½ - 1 cup organic cacao or carob (I find 1 cup a bit bitter, start with the ½ cup)

4 tablespoons macerated dates

½۽ tsp vanilla powder / essence

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cereal coffee (optional)

Blend macadamia nuts in food processor until a fine paste formed. Add apples to the nuts, along with the remaining ingredients and blend in processor until the texture resembles a mousse. Chill before serving.

The above can serve as a wonderful cake icing ... let your imagination lead you !

In any recipe requiring milk, I use whey. Gives the same fluffy texture to your baking without the casein.

PM me and I can email you wonderful chocolate bar recipes you can make yourself, dairy free. If more forumites wants it, I can post it.

Regarding butter: you can consider using Palm Oil / Red Palm Oil instead of butter.

Casein usually does not affect your metabolism that badly. Two other culprits in our diet that usually causes us to be sluggish and overweight, is gluten - protein found in any product containing wheat flour, due to a too hasty reaping procedure on the farms (money, money, money involved); the other one, the synthetic iodine in table salt.

You can try to find gluten free flour mixes, use rye in stead of wheat when you bake your fruit cake. Just try it for say three, four weeks and test your metabolism speed again, to see if it has an effect. Eating something fresh like fruit before every meal and replacing sugar with honey / palm sugar / xilotol, all will add to a positive effect.

Hope it helps just a little !

[sonnetjie]

Don’t despair. Whole new worlds of other interesting ingredients are opening up to you. See if you can find a Kosher shop, they sell Parve (dairy free) cakes & products. There is a large Jewish community in Melbourne. Find out where they buy their kosher products. To give you a snap shot: due to Jewish religious dietary law, the orthodox Jewish community can’t have a meal with dairy and meat in at the same time. They usually have one or the other. To solve this problem they have brought out heaps of dairy free (Parve) products, like for example dips, chips, chocolates, chocolate mouse, lollies, cakes you name it they got it. They even sell fake cream. I personally prefer making my own cashew nut cream as I think it is healthier.

Look up a Synagogue in your phone book and ask them if they can recommend to you where you can buy Parve products. In Franklins, their Jewish section has a number of Parve products. The Eskal brand has a number of dairy free cookies, cakes etc. All the Orgran products are dairy free www.orgran.com

75% and 80% Lindt dark chocolate is dairy free.

Instead of butter you can use Nuttelex original. I buy the Kosher one. In baked goods I usually replace all butter with grapeseed oil or margarine. If you are making pie crusts use virgin coconut oil.

I often replace cow’s milk with one of

• Coconut milk

• Almond milk

• Hazelnut milk

• Pear juice concentrate or just pear juice – Pureharvest does a good pear juice concentrate. I will usually decrease my sugar content if I’m using a concentrated juice or omit it altogether. If you are just using a juice, there is no need to play with the sugar.

• Apple juice concentrate or apple juice

• I don’t like using soy milk in baked goods as it leaves a bitter aftertaste

I often use hummus as a mayonnaise with potatoes, as it is very tasty, or I will use a garlic dip. I make my own Aioli and use it as mayonnaise. You can buy Aioli at Harris Farmers or Woolworths. Try the S&W whole egg mayonnaise http://www.swmayonnaise.com.au/products_mayo.php is dairy free.

Instead of making a cream sauce with your pasta use garlic dip, it gives a beautiful creamy flavour and won’t give you an allergic reaction.

If you don’t have time to make Laksa paste you can try Reuben Solomon’s vegan Singapore Laksa Paste.

To name a few, we cook a lot of dishes from Sri Lankan, Indian, Balinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Mediterranean especially (vegetable and pulses), Middle Eastern- like Lebanese, Egyptian or Persian and Malaysian. You will find that after a while you start to do a bit of a fusion cooking.

I also suggest you Google a few Parve recipes and get your self a vegan cookbook. They have some terrific ideas and recipes on how you can make yummy food dairy free. You can also have a look at some of the autism cookbooks, they have heaps of casein free recipes.

Don’t be scared to experiment. See it as a journey for your tastebuds to try out a number of new flavours and an opportunity to develop your creative talent in preparing tasty meals.

If you do have thyroid problems, it could be wise to read the “Very interesting info re thyroid†http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php?showtopic=26079 the first link and the bralygluten attachment in the fifth posting is well worth being aware of.

If you want specific recipes let me know. I’m happy to share them. I can def say we have not lost out in any shape or form because we can’t have cow dairy. We are also gluten free in our house. I would say without a doubt we eat very tasty flavoursome food. I have been cow dairy free for 16 years. I have only reintroduced sheepmilk products in the last 6 years in a limited capacity.

I’m making speculaas cookies dairy & gluten free at the moment. You will learn how to tweak your recipes with trial and error.

I’m a big fan of the Delicious http://www.taste.com.au/delicious/ and Gourmet Traveller

http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/ Magazines. They give great recipes and after a while one becomes a natural in replacing those ingredients that are a problem. The Delicious Magazine usually highlights the recipes that are naturally gluten & dairy free.

Don’t worry you will have a fantastic Christmas. Just try a few new recipes

Are going to be taking calcium supplements?

Don’t be scared to change the usually way of doing things. I will sometimes have apple juice with my mieliepap or just have fruit with it. Who in the world ever made the rule that you had to have it with butter, milk and brown sugar. Heaps tastier with just fruit, it does not make you feel lethargic and it is a number of kilojoules lighter.

All the best with your new adventure.

PS: Alida please share your recipe on can never have enough. Have a look under “nice recipes†http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php?showtopic=26357 . There a dairy free poppy seed cake it is always a winner. We have been making it for years.

[MelbournePienaars]

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for your replies - WONDERFUl, I need so much help with this as I kanow I have to take it seriously and make the changes if I want to feel better.

The blood tests I had did not show a gluten intolerance but I reckon cutting it out a fair bit can only be good for me. I am going to copy the messages now and go through them again and again. Will def try track down the local jewish shop so I can get some more stuff.

OOo thanks again - I will reread and post my replies & questions again...believe me there are soooo many!

I am taking it this is not the end of the world then...

[Alida]

RAW CHOCOLATE OAT BAR

Ingredients:

1. Whole Organic Oats: 1 x cup A

2. Organic Cacao powder: 3 x Tbsp D

3. Raw coconut oil/butter: 4 x Tbsp B

4. Honey: 2 x Tbsp (to taste depending on desired sweetness) B

5. Nuts: ½ x Cup of in season nuts (almonds & pecan) C

6. Sesame Seeds 3 x Tbsp C

7. Goji berries: ¼ Cup D

Preparation:

1. Mill with a stone mill, all the A ingredients place in a bowl.

Remember once a grain berry has been rolled or milled the natural process of decomposition starts as the protecting bran sheath is broken and oxygen is introduced into the equation, nutrients will be lost and oxidized over time. Solution - only process (roll or stone mill) grains on demand.

2. Melt all the B ingredients in a warm bowl placed into another bowl filled with hot water. Note: Do not boil the water as this will damage all the raw enzymes and nutrients in the honey and butter.

3. Pour the molten oil/butter and honey mixture with all the A ingredients and mix thoroughly.

4. Place the C ingredients in the Personal Blender to grind.

5. After grinding add the A, C and D ingredients in a separate mixing bowl and mix.

6. Mix the molten B ingredients to a uniform consistency.

7. Place the mixture on wax paper and roll flat with a fork and mark with a knife the size of bars.

8. Freeze for 1hour.

9. Break your lovely chocolate bars and enjoy!

Serve 6 people

Enjoy!

I've found an interesting Indian version of butter, without casein. See www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee. Edited to add: I do not do the Hindu-stuff, but I've found that there are something to learn from Indian cooking insofar much of their eating habits especially in cooking, is quite healthy.

Sonnetjie, thanks for a very interesting post !

[Alida]

Super Raw Muesli

Ingredients:

1. Whole Organic Oats: 1 x cup A

2. Flax/Lyn seeds: 2 x Tsp A

3. Sesame seeds: 2 x Tsp A

4. Raw coconut oil/butter: 3 x tsp B

5. Honey: 2-3 x tsp (to taste depending on desired sweetness) B

6. Nuts: ¼ x Cub of in season nuts C

7. Raisons or chopped dried fruit: ¼ Cub C

8. Coconut flakes: 2 x Tsp C

9. Pumpkin seeds: 2 x Tsp C

10. Sunflower seeds: 2 x Tsp C

Preparation:

1. With a grain roller, roll al the A ingredients.

Remember once a grain berry has been rolled or milled the natural process of decomposition starts as the protecting bran sheath is broken and oxygen is introduced into the equation, nutrients will be lost and oxidized over time. Solution - only process (roll or stone mill) grains on demand.

2. Melt all the “B†ingredients in a warm bowl placed into another bowl filled with hot water. Note: Do not boil the water as this will damage all the raw enzymes and nutrients in the honey and butter.

3. Pour the molten oil/butter and honey mixture with all the “A†ingredients and mix thoroughly.

4. Add all the “C†ingredients and mix.

5. You welcome to serve the muesli with in season berries and/or chopped fresh fruits.

Serve 4 people

Enjoy!

[MelbournePienaars]

Hi there Alida

Thanks so much for the Almond Milk directions - I will DEFINTAELY try this -- just where to buy muslin cloth? I have also taken down the icing / fake choc mouse recipe - I will also def try this. WHere in the supermarket does one find carob - see I am very helpless at the moment!

Blend macadamia nuts in food processor until a fine paste formed. Add apples to the nuts, along with the remaining ingredients and blend in processor until the texture resembles a mousse. Chill before serving.

Thank you soooo much x 1 zillion!

Tarryn

[Alida]

Carob should be fairly easy to find, look at organic departments in shops, or at an organic market. I see links to organic products and info all over when I search with Google. Try it in your area on the web, I'm sure you'll be surprised.

[sonnetjie]

MelbournePienaars.

Did you get the recipes that I sent through your personal mail? What type of recipes do you want?

PS if you going gluten free as well remember that “Oates, barely, rye, spelt, wheat, triticale†are NOT GLUTEN FREE

Gluten Free Grains/seeds are: “ buckwheat, millet, sorghum , rice, quinoa, amaranth, arrowroot, cornâ€

Have a look at the alternative cook http://www.alternativecook.com/

You can also google GFCF (gluten free casein free) diet / recipes.

What do you usually cook? I can possibly make some suggestions om how you can adapt your cooking, if I have a better understanding of what you usually cook.

[sonnetjie]

I forgot to mention you can also have a look at http://www.wheatfreeworld.com.au/ Lola Workman has recently release a gluten, soy and dairy free cookbook.

Have a look in the health food section of Coles or Woolworths and Franklins the following brands are usually dairy & gluten free:

•Kez http://www.kezs.com.au/products-kezs-free.asp

•Sweet Williams ( do a dairy free chocolate) http://www.sweetwilliam.com.au/

•Naturally Good http://www.naturallygoodproducts.com.au/products/

•Freedom Foods http://www.freedomfoods.com.au/productsfreefrom.php

•Leda http://www.ledanutrition.com/

•Orgran http://www.orgran.com/

•Eskal http://www.eskalfoods.com/

Alida your recipes look delicious. I will replace the oats with quinoa. When I bake Anzac cookies I always replace the oats with quinoa all so far have enjoyed them.