There are many reasons why people choose a dairy free diet. Dairy Products are one of the 8 most common allergens in the US. True milk allergy is a reaction to the proteins casein and whey in milk. Allergic reactions include hives, swelling of the lips and face, gastrointestinal distress, and eczema.

Even more common is Lactose Intolerance, an inability to digest milk sugars due to a deficiency in the enzyme lactase. Between 30 and 50 million people (that’s more than 1 in 10) in the US are lactose intolerant. Symptoms are all gastrointestinal and include diarrhea, gas and bloating. Taking a supplement of the lactase enzyme helps some people digest dairy products more easily.

Lactose Intolerance is a common side effect of Celiac disease. People who are newly diagnosed with Celiac are often instructed to avoid dairy products until the villi of the small intestines has healed. For costumers dealing with multiple food allergies, Juniper Foods website allows you to filter grocery items for multiple allergens, just click on ALL the ingredients you want to avoid on the right hand side of your screen.

Chronic intestinal conditions such as Chron’s disease and IBS can also cause lactose intolerance. Other people avoid dairy voluntarily as part of a vegan lifestyle, or to help alleviate the upper respiratory symptoms of seasonal allergies. If you are contemplating dairy alternative products, visit our new product review category of our blog for insightful product reviews. Then let us know what you think!

In my quest to find something to put on my cereal and in smoothies, I have tried probably around 20 different dairy alternatives. Years ago, soy was the only choice, but I have also tried different brands of rice, hemp and oatmilk products. After years of trial and error, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened Almond Milk is the BEST all purpose milk substitute I have found. Made from almonds, this product is free of lactose and is casein free (it is ALSO gluten free). It has a subtle taste of almonds and better consistency than other almond milk products I have tried. It is very smooth. With less fat per serving, it is thinner than cows’ milk but still has a slightly creamy taste. I tried it because it was the first milk substitute product I found that had no added sugar. Cows’ milk itself contains around 9 grams sugar per serving. Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened contains 0 grams sugar and is a low glycemic index food. Almonds are packed with nutrition, and Almond Breeze contains 20% of the RDA of Calcium, and 25% Vitamin D. Best of all, it has only 40 calories per serving, less than half the calories of a glass of skim milk.

My only request for the improvement of this product is to use certified organic almonds and offer an organic Almond Breeze product. I still use a thicker soymilk creamer in my coffee, but for everything else, I use BD original Unsweetened Almond Milk and sometimes have a glass of it on its own, the true testament to any milk alternative product! Let me know what YOU think of this product.

Celiac Sprue Association Welcomes Corporate Benefactor Member Meadowsweet Natural Health Market The Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) announces the addition of Meadowsweet Natural Health Market as its newest Corporate Benefactor Member. Through their generous support, CSA Corporate Benefactor Members further the CSA mission of helping individuals with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis and their families worldwide through information, education, support and research. Meadowsweet Natural Health Market, located at 3801 W. 34th Street, in Sioux Falls, SD, provides online access to over 500 allergy-friendly products through its website http://www.juniperfoods.com/ . A wide array of gluten-free and allergy-friendly foods are offered in a convenient format that allows the shopper to select from a variety of baking ingredients and mixes, convenience meals, salad dressings, condiments, soups, snack foods, and other items. Detailed ingredient lists, nutrition facts, allergen coding and facility information are included for each product. Discounts for case ordering are available, and orders are shipped via the United States Post Office. Meadowsweet Market also offers in store shopping and local delivery to the Sioux Falls area. For further information about Meadowsweet Natural Health Market, visit their website http://www.juniperfoods.com/ , or contact Meadowsweet by phone at 605-361-5526 or by email at service@juniperfoods.com . For further information about the Celiac Sprue Association Corporate Benefactor Member Program visit the CSA website http://www.csaceliacs.org/ or contact the CSA office toll-free at 877- CSA-4-CSA, or e-mail celiacs@csaceliacs.org

The round ritz-style Glutino Crackers are very popular with our customers. Sometimes they are in short supply as they are made in Italy, and then have to be imported to the U.S. A mom was having trouble locating them for her daughter until she found them on our website. This was her e-mail reply after receiving her shipment:

Patty, Thank you so very much! We received [the shipment] of the [Glutino] crackers today and she got to have her Peanut Butter & Jelly on them and then later she had a buttered cracker We will DEFINITELY be ordering with you again. You have been wonderful! Thanks a ton. She had been asking for them everyday with the limited diet that she eats it was breaking our hearts. Suzee~