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Does It or Doesn't It Contain Dairy?

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:00:42 -0700

If you're giving up meat in honor of World Vegetarian Awareness Month, you may consider doing the same with dairy products as well. Foods containing diary can be high in saturated fat and cholesterol, so it's good to know which foods contain it. Ice cream, cheese, and yogurt are obvious, but can you figure out what other products contain hidden amounts of milk? Take this quiz and see.

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Barbara's Organic Cinnamon Crisp Granola Bars

What Type of Milk Do You Drink?

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:45:30 -0700

Got (one percent) milk? The Daily Mail reports that after a British watchdog organization cautioned against excessive intake of saturated fat, sales of one percent milk have skyrocketed in the United Kingdom. The Food Standards Agency warned that whole milk can lead to heart disease and clogged arteries, so shoppers swapped out whole milk in exchange for one percent, which contains more flavor than skim milk. It now accounts for 10 percent of sales.

I'm surprised to hear that people have just started switching from whole milk in Britain, considering whole milk fell out of favor years ago in the States. Do you drink whole milk?

Milk May Not Do Your Body Good

FitSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:30:14 -0700

Many of you have tried a dairy-free diet either for ethical reasons or because it upsets your stomach. Although the message from the dairy industry is that milk does a body good, 60 percent of adults can't digest dairy. It's not that they're allergic, meaning their immune system is affected; it's that their stomachs can't digest the lactose, the sugar found in milk. The enzyme lactase is needed to break it down, and for most of us, that enzyme stops being produced when we're between 2 and 5 years old. Without the enzyme to break down the lactose, the undigested milk sugars end up in our colons and ferment, causing cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

If you have no trouble digesting milk products, you're actually in the minority. That's why scientists don't like the term lactose intolerance, because it gives the impression that it's a disease. Lactose tolerance is actually a genetic mutation. It may have to do with the fact that thousands of years ago, depending on where people lived, milk was a source of food, calcium, and vitamin D. So people kept drinking cow's milk even after they stopped nursing (breast milk also contains lactose), and their bodies continued to produce the lactase enzyme to break it down. That's why there's a connection between your nationality and your sensitivity to milk. Those of European, Irish, Dutch, and Scandinavian decent are usually more tolerant of milk, while Native Americans, Asians, and those of African and Caribbean decent are more sensitive.

Tell me, where do you stand when it comes to sensitivity to milk?

Yummy Links: From Frozen Daniel Craig to Tony and Mario

partysugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:50:23 -0700

Would you eat this Daniel Craig Popsicle? - Eat Me Daily
Are you buying less organic milk? - Serious Eats
Tipping rules for takeout and delivery. - Bon Appétit
Flank steak salad with arugula is hearty and delicious. - Chow
Top Chef season six has wrapped filming in Las Vegas. - Eater SF
Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali talk everything from cupcakes to Food Network. - Grubstreet

PopSugar UK's June Must Haves

PopSugarUK — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:27:05 -0700

It's time for me to let you know all my Must Haves for the upcoming month, and I have a fab list for you for June! It includes some Oscar winning movies on DVD, a Cannes favourite at the cinema, and some fabulous female vocalists for you to listen to, so check them out and let me know what you think!

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Do You Know Milk?

FitSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Although I haven't had a glass of milk in years, I use it daily in my coffee and pour it over my bowl of cereal. I recently realized I didn't know much about milk nutritionally. Do you? Take this quiz and see.

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Take the quiz

Evaporated vs. Condensed Milk: What's the Difference?

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:00:26 -0700

Evaporated and condensed milk are both shelf-stable, concentrated forms of milk that have been cooked at a high heat to remove about 60 percent of their water content. Although, they have oddly similar names, the two products are not the same.

Condensed milk is made up of approximately 40 to 45 percent sugar, cooked down and mixed with whole milk until it becomes a gooey, sweet substance with a caramelized flavor and a light brown color. It's frequently used to make desserts such as flan and dulce de leche.Evaporated milk is condensed milk without the added sugar with the water content cooked off until it has a consistency that is similar to cream. Available in whole, low-fat, and fat-free varieties, evaporated milk is used in lieu of regular milk to add body and richness to a recipe.

Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk cannot be used interchangeably in cooking, because one product contains much more sugar than the other. Since sugar in sweetened condensed milk is cooked down and caramelized, merely adding sugar to evaporated milk would be an insufficient substitute.

Got a burning question? Contact us.

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Dairy Prices Continue to Plummet, Leaving Farmers Frenzied

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:00:04 -0700

It goes without saying that the economic crisis has left everyone from automakers to financial services firms in shambles. But you might be surprised to hear who the latest victims of job loss are - dairy cows.

At a time when costs of all other foods seem to be on the rise, we saw the downward movement of dairy prices as the silver lining. But as industry conditions have worsened, hard-hit farmers have been forced to contemplate whether it would be more profitable to send their cows to a slaughterhouse.

Farmers have been struggling to feed their herds, as prices for milk are currently half of what it costs for farmers to produce it. With dairymen in such dire circumstances, industry insiders are estimating that nearly 1.5 million of the country's dairy cows could be slaughtered this year as a result. The falling milk prices were caused by a weakened international consumption, a stronger US exchange rate, and the melamine scandal that broke out in China last year.

This situation is disheartening, and I wonder how many people have taken notice of it. I'll certainly make an effort by continuing to support the dairy industry. What about you? Will this news affect your dairy-purchasing habits?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:30:33 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my picks below, you can now watch Cadillac Records, Let the Right One In, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in the comfort of your own home.

Milk
If you still haven't seen Milk after all the months of accolades and awards, now's your chance to learn what all the fuss is about. In addition to being an incredibly moving story based on the real life of San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk, it's wonderfully acted and directed. It's everything a biopic ought to be, right down to beautifully recreating the events of such an extraordinary life.

The cast is full of talented, adorable actors, like Sean Penn (who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Milk), James Franco, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, and Emile Hirsch. I am anxious to watch it again, even though it's so heartbreaking.

Special features include deleted scenes, a featurette about remembering Harvey, and another titled "Hollywood comes to San Francisco."

So much more to recommend, so read more.

Rachel Getting Married
Even though this heavy portrayal of familial heartache and forgiveness is intense to watch, I highly recommend it. You may have noticed Anne Hathaway at a couple of awards shows this year - all due to this movie (not Bride Wars, just in case there's any confusion on that). Rosemarie Dewitt, also a phenomenal actress, is another reason to add this to your queue.

Special features include deleted scenes, filmmaker and cast commentaries, and "A Look Behind the Scenes of Rachel Getting Married."

Synecdoche, New York
You know him as the writer of such films as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and now Charlie Kaufman can add "Director" to his filmography with Synecdoche, NY. The movie stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Caden Cotard, a local theater director struggling to maintain his marriage with his more-famous wife, Adele (Catherine Keener). When she takes off for Germany with their daughter and Caden receives a grant, he decides to stage a giant-scale theater piece about life, setting it inside a towering replica of New York. It's a complicated, difficult, sometimes frustrating piece of cinema but I found the experience to be totally worthwhile.

Featurettes include "The Story of Caden Cotard: In Conversation With Philip Seymour Hoffman," "Infectious Diseases in Cattle: Blogger's Roundtable," and "NFTS/Script Masterclass with Charlie Kaufman."

Happy-Go-Lucky
I called this movie a sweet slice of life when I first saw it and I was thrilled when the talented Sally Hawkins won the Golden Globe for her performance in it. The movie is essentially plotless, focusing mostly on a woman whose outlook on life remains defiantly sunny despite the world's inevitable darkness and sorrow. It's so moving because despite it's bright and colorful surface, the film is also a meditation on sadness, longing, confusion, and hopefulness. You know, the stuff of life.

Special features include commentary by director Mike Leigh and the featurettes "Behind the wheel of Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Happy-in-character."

Tips For the Lactose Intolerant

FitSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Yogurt, creamy soups, ice cream, mac 'n' cheese, ranch dressing, butter on toast - these foods are so delicious and comforting but not for everyone. If you're lactose intolerant (and many people are), a simple slice of cheese on a cracker could have you running to the bathroom. So here are some tips to help you deal with your dairy-filled world.

If your body can't tolerate any dairy products whatsoever, keep Lactaid pills with you at all times. It contains the enzyme, lactase, which lactose intolerant people's bodies don't produce enough of. This enzyme is needed to help break down the lactose (milk sugar) in your foods. If it doesn't get broken down, the lactose causes bloating, gas, or diarrhea.
If you're able to tolerate small amounts of dairy products, be sure to enjoy them with other nondairy foods. This helps reduce the rate at which the lactose enters your small intestine, and allows the small amount of lactase that your body produces to break down the lactose without feeling overwhelmed.

For other helpful tips read more.

Avoiding dairy is your best bet, so be a keen label reader. Look for words such as milk, milk powder, butter, buttermilk, cream, cheese, whey, curds, or milk solids. Hidden lactose can be found in baked goods, dressings, chips, instant soups, candies, pancake mixes, margarine, and certain medications. If you think a food might have dairy in it, but you're not sure, don't take the chance.
Don't be embarrassed. Tell everyone who needs to know that you are lactose intolerant. That way when you show up at a friend's house for dinner, they won't offer you a plate of fettuccine Alfredo.
If possible, remove the dairy from your favorite foods. Peel the cheese off your pizza, order the baked potato but hold the sour cream, and enjoy popcorn without the melted butter.
Look for dairy-free alternatives to your favorite foods. Drink soy, almond, or rice milk instead of cow's milk. Choose soy yogurt, creamer, ice cream, and cheese instead of the dairy-filled versions. Use olive oil or a dairy-free margarine such as Smart Balance in place of butter. Pick up some dairy-free chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

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