Ingredient alert - Burger King onion rings

Burger King resturants would like to inform you that the new onion rings that became available in November contain wheat and milk ingredients. All ingredient declarations are available online on www.bk.com in the nutrition and allergen download section. This nutrition page provides the most up-to-date listing of all ingredients, allergens, and general nutrition information. For more information, contact Burger King at (305)378-3535.

Red-and-White Milk and Egg free Holiday Cookies

2/3 cup dairy-free shortening

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (contains wheat/gluten)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup dairy free white chocolate chips (can substitute carob chips)

1/2 cup currants or sundried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Mix together shortening, sugars, apple sauce and vanilla. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; combine wet and dry ingredients until smooth. Add in fruit and white chocolate chips. Roll dough into balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and serve!

Oatmeal Snowball Cookies

Oatmeal Snowball Cookies

Milk, Egg, Peanut and Nut free.

2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup milk-free margarine, softened
3 T. water, 3 T. oil, 2 tsp. baking powder, mixed together
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups quick oats
confectioners sugar

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat brown sugar and margarine until creamy. Beat in water, oil, and baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat in vanilla extract. Stir in oats. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in fectioners sugar. Chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 10 minutes.

Ingredient Notice - General Mills

General Mills Dark Chocolate Chex Mix labels have changed. No changes have occurred in the product allergen content (it contains milk, wheat, and soy); this is a change only to the advisory/cautionary "May Contain" statement on the label due to a change in the manufacturing location. The product may contain peanuts. Product packaging with the new "May Contain" statement took effect in October.

Fiber One Mocha chewy bars label has changed. No changes have occurred in the product allergen content; this is a change only to the advisory/cautionary "May Contain" statement on the label due to a change in the manufacturing location. The previous allergen statement was: Contains soy and milk, may contain wheat ingredients; the new allergen statement will be: Contains soy and milk, may contain wheat, peanut, almond, and sunflower ingredients. Product packaging with the new "May Contain" statement came on the market in October.

General Mills urges you to read all labels for current allergen information. For more information, contact General Mills Consumer Services at (800) 231-0308.

Ingredient Notice - Wendy's

Wendy's Premium Buns are not buttered and toasted. The buns are brushed with a clarified butter prior to toasting. Clarified butter is butter that has undergone purification to separate the solid particles and butter oil.

The purification process may not remove 100% of the solids; therefore clarified butter may contain trace amounts of milk protein. Individuals with a milk allergy should request the bun to be untoasted (without butter).

A sweet treat for those allergic to egg and dairy

Brownie Bites (egg and dairy free)

8 oz silken tofu
1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons applesauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (or 1 1/2 cup sugar)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice or cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
grease and flour a 9 inch square baking pan.
In blender, puree tofu.

In a separate saucepan, mix 4 tablespoons flour with applesauce. Slowly add water until smooth. (This may not take the full 1/2 cup; use what is necessary.) Stir in pureed tofu until blended. Cook on low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl and let cool completely.

When tofu mixture is cool, add brown rice syrup, salt, allspice and vanilla and mix until well blended.

In small bowl, mix cocoa, chips and oil; stir into tofu mixture.

Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour and baking powder until blended.

Bake 25 minutes.
Let cool; cut in miniature squares.

Can you lose allergies to foods?

If you have been found to have an allergy to a food such as milk or wheat by skin test or blood test (specific IgE antibody), and eating that food leads to hives, swelling, itchiness, diarrhea, or wheezing, you will of course be advised to avoid that food. But in many cases, after staying completely away from it for 6-12 months (longer if extremely allergic), you may eventually lose the hypersensitivity to that food and will again be able to safely eat it. Recent studies show that this may be due to down-regulation of receptors over time. This rule does not tend to apply to severe allergy to peanut, nuts, or seafood -- these tend to last a lifetime; only 1 in 5 children with peanut allergy will "outgrow" it.

Is there a difference between having a milk allergy and being lactose intolerant?

Milk allergy and lactose intolerance are two completely different conditions, with very different potential risks as well as treatment. Food allergies occur when the immune system excessively produces a type of molecule called IgE, which specifically targets a particular food protein. Cow's milk contains several proteins to which IgE can be formed. Once "sensitized" by production of these IgE antibodies, ingestion of products containing cow's milk can produce a variety of allergic symptoms involving the skin (hives, swelling, itching), the respiratory tract (stuffy nose, coughing, wheezing), the gastrointestinal tract (abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting), or other systems -- and with repeated exposure to even tiny amounts, the reaction often worsens progressively and may culminate in full-blown anaphylaxis (the most severe of allergic reactions, which can be life-threatening).

Lactose intolerance, on the other hand, is the inability to digest the sugar portion of milk called lactose. This is caused by the lack of an enzyme called lactase, which is necessary in order to break down this sugar. This is a very common condition in adults, as well as in many children. Symptoms may be minimal when ingesting small amounts of lactose, but worsen with larger amounts. However, symptoms do not progress to more severe or widespread systemic reactions as seen with milk allergy. Persons with lactose intolerance can generally tolerate lactose-free milk, or any milk product if preceded by a lactase enzyme tablet available at most grocery stores and pharmacies.

Take home message: If you develop respiratory or skin symptoms in addition to intestinal symptoms after drinking milk, it may be dangerous to continue having milk products in your diet; stop until you can have allergy testing done to confirm whether milk allergy is the problem.