Lactose Free Just Desserts

Dairy and lactose are all over the foods we take for granted.  At first you might think, “I’ll just switch to soy milk and be done with it.”  Folks with allergies, asthma, autism, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and those trying to go vegan are all discovering that milk isn’t even the tip of the iceberg, where dairy and lactose are concerned. 

When patients can’t swallow a pill, nurses typically crush it, then stir it into a cup of creamy pudding, which contains dairy.  This wouldn’t seem to be a problem, unless that pill is Pancrease®.  The purpose of Pancrease® is to help patients absorb nutrition from their food.  Its benefits are negated by dairy and lactose.  So what happens, you ask?  You can end up with a visibly skinny, malnourished patient on an enteral feeding tube.  Shouldn’t nurses know about Pancrease® and pudding?  Not all of them do, so please share this post with any nurses you know, as well as any patients taking this medication.  They can look into Boost lactose-free pudding or just use applesauce instead.

After eliminating milk, pudding, cheese, cheesecake, coffee creamer, whipped cream, and other obvious things, you take a deep longing sigh, and think once again your job is done.  Nope.  Check your chocolate, is it milk chocolate?  That’s right, going dairy and lactose free means taking aim at fudge; brownies; s’mores; chocolate kisses, hugs and eggs; candy bars; chocolate frosting; Yoohoo; even chocolate Easter bunnies, dagnabbit.  And you’re still not done.  There’s cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies and ice cream, yet to go.  When you’re done screaming “Noooooo!” as you stare blankly into your echoing kitchen, there is some good news.

Below are three luscious Lactose Free Desserts to ease your pain.  There is life after lactose, and it can be sweet.

Birthday cakes are a necessity not to be tampered with.  Here’s a Delicious Dairy Free Birthday Cake that baker Beth at 990square adapted for her niece’s first birthday.  Yes, there’s plenty of frosting, as you can tell by the pics of the adorable cake and birthday girl.

Cheesecake and chocolate lovers can rejoice over Brownie Bottom Cheesecake from Alisa, whose cookbook and blog share the title Go Dairy Free.  When the first ingredient in a recipe is Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies, and cocoa powder shows up twice, you know it’s gonna be good!  Now, just try looking at the picture of that perfectly marbled cheesecake and not licking the screen, I double-chocolate-dare ya.

And now, the recipe I’ve been waiting for: Southern-Style Banana Meringue Pudding from Teri Gruss, a gluten-free guide at About.com.  Although I’m not lactose or dairy free at this time, if I were, this would save me from the pits of despair.  It is over-the-top awesome!  While she labels this mile-high delight as gluten free, it’s dairy free, too.  If you made it through my challenge in the previous paragraph, you won’t survive this one.  One look and you’ll dive right in. 

Please vote for us by clicking on the Picket Fence Blogs button atop the right column. 

Our lactose free aisles are up and running in the Café Belinda Grocery Store.  Shop our selection of alternative milks, baby formula, coffee creamer and more today. 

Soup du Jour: South of the Border Tortilla Soup (Gluten Free)

Cookbook of the Day: The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook (Dairy/Lactose Free)

Bon appétit!