The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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ElizabethB said:
Hello all of my CB family. Sorry for my absence. I have missed you all. IDK what has gone wrong with me. Too many doctor appointments an test and scans for both of us. I feel like my life revolves around medical appointments instead of enjoying life. I have begun to find cooking a chore instead of a joy. I really miss you all very much. :love: you all.
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I've been worried about you. Thanks for checking in. Keep your chin up, and try to have some fun whenever you can.

CD
 
ElizabethB said:
Hello all of my CB family. Sorry for my absence. I have missed you all. IDK what has gone wrong with me. Too many doctor appointments an test and scans for both of us. I feel like my life revolves around medical appointments instead of enjoying life. I have begun to find cooking a chore instead of a joy. I really miss you all very much. :love: you all.
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:hug:Sorry to hear this, I've been in a similar boat this year. Hope you can find some moments of peace and joy in between the struggle. Know we'll be here when you're back :love:
 
We had a cold front come through Friday late in the day, and thunderstorms for a few hours. They were predicted to be strong to severe, but here in Frisco, they were pretty tame. The worst was some small hail. No damage.

North and East of me, on the Oklahoma/Texas/Arkansas borders, there were several tornadoes, with two people killed, and several missing. That is not a wealthy area, so it's hard to say whether people had adequate insurance, if any.

Overnight Friday/Saturday, it got down to 46F/8C. I had to break out my light quilt to sleep. I have a heavier one for mid-winter use.

CD
 
Seems I developed a mild lactose intolerance from my illness. I already noticed in hospital that milk products were making me feel worse, but it's not gotten better. The RD said this can happen after a serious GI condition.

Butter and cheese seem fine, but yoghurt, milk and cream give me problems so I am changing those for vegan alternatives now.
 
Windigo said:
Seems I developed a mild lactose intolerance from my illness. I already noticed in hospital that milk products were making me feel worse, but it's not gotten better. The RD said this can happen after a serious GI condition.

Butter and cheese seem fine, but yoghurt, milk and cream give me problems so I am changing those for vegan alternatives now.
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That's how I was initially (back in my 20's) after a severe bout of multiple chest infections and bronchitis, though it wasn't an intolerance. I got away from the protein that triggered my allergy by moving to goats milk (not an option for lactose intolerance sadly).

Have you come across this company?
NotCo - Why Not
My doctor mentioned it to me last time I saw him and because it was on special offer, I thought I'd try it. It is the first non-dairy milk I have been happy to drink straight from the container in a glass as though it's dairy milk.

Their approach is different from everyone else's because they used an AI to analyse milk at a molecular level and then told it to replicate that molecular pattern using only plant based foods. The result is a milk that is amazingly like cows milk (or at least my memory of it) and you can cook with it without it curdling. I'm guessing it isn't in the Netherlands yet, but it is well worth looking for. We get the "longlife" version from the shelves (the fridge certain doesn't seem to be available yet). I'm not interested in their chicken or beef replicas because I don't like replacement meat stuff, but the milk side of life has always been an issue.

Anyhow, yell if you need assistance in converting something to a non-dairy base. I've got reasonable alternatives for a lot of things nowadays. I would recommend you try getting your hands on a Vitamix blender though. I know they are not cheap, but they do come up second hand. They make the non-dairy side of life so much easier and it is worth every cent.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
That's how I was initially (back in my 20's) after a severe bout of multiple chest infections and bronchitis, though it wasn't an intolerance. I got away from the protein that triggered my allergy by moving to goats milk (not an option for lactose intolerance sadly).

Have you come across this company?
NotCo - Why Not
My doctor mentioned it to me last time I saw him and because it was on special offer, I thought I'd try it. It is the first non-dairy milk I have been happy to drink straight from the container in a glass as though it's dairy milk.

Their approach is different from everyone else's because they used an AI to analyse milk at a molecular level and then told it to replicate that molecular pattern using only plant based foods. The result is a milk that is amazingly like cows milk (or at least my memory of it) and you can cook with it without it curdling. I'm guessing it isn't in the Netherlands yet, but it is well worth looking for. We get the "longlife" version from the shelves (the fridge certain doesn't seem to be available yet). I'm not interested in their chicken or beef replicas because I don't like replacement meat stuff, but the milk side of life has always been an issue.

Anyhow, yell if you need assistance in converting something to a non-dairy base. I've got reasonable alternatives for a lot of things nowadays. I would recommend you try getting your hands on a Vitamix blender though. I know they are not cheap, but they do come up second hand. They make the non-dairy side of life so much easier and it is worth every cent.
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Hey thanks so much for the tips! ❤️

We just assume it's an intolerance, but it might also be an allergy like you have. I will have to see how it develops.

I very much appreciate the advice! But indeed that company is not active in the Netherlands. But that's OK, I have found very good alternatives already and the goats products also help so far.
I have been eating coconut based yoghurt for breakfast and it's absolutely delicious. Also the cashew based cream cheeses are great. The vegan options have come a long way!
Abbot Kinney's
Boursin Plant-Based | Boursin Verse Roomkaas

Definitely will be making hummus and cashew cheese.
 
Windigo said:
But indeed that company is not active in the Netherlands
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If that is from their website, I'd ignore it. I didn't see Australia in the list either but the doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened milk is very definitely available.

Edited to add, I found this dated April 2022 (my bold), so it definitely looks like they are planning on entering the European market very soon. (Source)
Our commitment to this market is unprecedented with a huge investment program largely exceeding the original half a billion euros including the extension of the existing plant in Vic-sur-Aisne (France), the investment in a textured vegetable protein plant in Horst (the Netherlands) and the commissioning of the world’s largest pea protein plant in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba (Canada).
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SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
If that is from their website, I'd ignore it. I didn't see Australia in the list either but the doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened milk is very definitely available.

Edited to add, I found this dated April 2022 (my bold), so it definitely looks like they are planning on entering the European market very soon. (Source)
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That sounds great!

I just need to see how this develops, I think you might be right that it's more likely to be an allergy. I get an itchy throat after drinking cows milk.. and start retching mucus. Does that sound familiar? It doesn't happen with goats milk.
 
Windigo said:
That sounds great!

I just need to see how this develops, I think you might be right that it's more likely to be an allergy. I get an itchy throat after drinking cows milk.. and start retching mucus. Does that sound familiar? It doesn't happen with goats milk.
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Apologies, this is long, and it is what I established for me. I can't say how it will work for you, but you know the routine... talk to a doctor or nutritionist and work with your symptoms. This is just my story, not medical advise (sorry but not everyone here knows you and I and our heath issues.)

So yeah, sorry but that is very familiar.
Goats (or sheep's) was fine for me for about 14/5 years after the first problems (left me needing resuscitation after a bad asthma attack (1994)).


Interestingly, a lot of cheeses (speciality ones in particular) I was fine with initally because they were sheep's, goats, a mixture or a dedicated breed of cow that produces less of the specific protein I was sensitive to, and some cheeses are buffalo (mozzarella) or even camel's milk etc...

Then it went down hill after a 6 month illness in about 2007/8. My sensitivity became a full blown allergy.

What I have worked out....
An intolerance is more gastric (lactose), an allergy more breathing related (any one/or more of a number of proteins).

I know I'm OK with whey protein because my vegetable stock has it in in tiny amounts, but I generally avoid it because I'm very sensitive to whichever protein I'm allergic to (to the point where medication that isn't lactose free can give me anaphylactic shock from the protein contaminants in the lactose monohydrate used as a tablet/capsule filler and stabilizer.)

The easiest way to test is with both goats and lactose free milk. Both will confirm suspicions and help clarify things beyond doubt. With goats milk if there are no symptoms (or they are less severe than with cows milk) then it's most likely a protein that is causing the issue. You'll still get the same issues with lactose free cows milk because it still contains the proteins. Goats milk does still contain proteins, it is just they are in different quantities and different proteins which is a key point.

If it is an intolerance, then you'll get the same symptoms with goats milk because goats milk contains almost as much lactose as cows milk. And obviously the symptoms will disappear with lactose free milk. (Lactose free ice cream is what put me in anaphylactic shock exactly 1 year ago whilst in hospital when served you me as sorbet).

That's the easy part. The harder part is that not all cows produce the same proteins (different breeds of cow produce milk with different quantities of protein and some don't produce 1 protein whereas another will), and goats, sheep, camel, buffalo and so on also produce different proteins, though there are common ones between them. This is why there are so many different regional cheeses.
So for instance Jarlsberg cheese is milk from a specific breed of cows and the one with the orange rind in the big wheel (?), it's the proper Jarlsberg for want of a better expression, I was able to consume that quite happily until 2007/8 whilst not being able to have cows milk or cream since 1994 yet it is made from cows milk. So you may find you can still eat some cows cheese but not others, or you can eat it cooked but not as is (cooking denatures protein so your body may not respond to it in the same way, but it has to be well cooked, not just melted). If that sounds familiar then you may well be starting down the same journey as myself and major health issues have been my turning points with it which obviously you have been experiencing as well.

So you may find you'll be OK with some cows cheeses, but not others. The cheap cheese is the stuff I had issues with. Specific brands made with a set guidelines (I forget what the term is now, but the regional speciality stuff) I was fine with a surprising number of them (Emmental, Comté, Jarlsberg, Brunost, Cornish Yarg, Wensleydale, Lancashire, Cheshire, Caerphilly) yet couldn't eat a 'bog standard' cheddar. I could eat 1 dedicated brand of cheddar cheese provided it was cooked (Wexford) but that was the only one i risked consuming repeatedly.
Again my research showed that they made it from their herd of cows, all the same breed and not a 'dairy milk' breed if that makes sense. The cheap as chips cheddar is made from whatever milk is surplus and the old milk marketing board in the UK used to combine all milk from all farms, so not herd specific... best way I can put it (we knew someone who worked in a cheddar cheese factory so knew how and what happened etc).

So basically not all cows produce the same proteins in their milk, hence the variety of cheeses there are today. And if I knew exactly which protein(s) I am allergic to and could locate a cow breed that doesn't produce it/them, in theory I would be able to consume that cow's milk. That's why some cows milk cheeses were fine for a long time whilst others I couldn't consume at all.

So I hope that helps you.

There are many options available now. I even have a decent camembert and a decent blue cheese that I make from cashew nuts myself. And I have a great almond based 'feta' (honestly I don't think of it as a feta replacement, but that's what they call it). If you go down the naming it yourself route you'll be significantly more successful if you bite the financial bullet and purchase a Vitamix (the only good news is that there come with a 10 year warranty and sound last a lifetime. ) My only regret is that we didn't buy one sooner. We tried to make do with a cheap imitation which frankly held me back for 5 or 6 years until it finally broke in Australia and we couldn't repair it (yipee!).
We also now have a great "cream" base for soups or sauces that is so simple (but relies on a decent Vitamix) and as you know I've a good cheese sauce (dependant of finding a good miso that you like and the right nutritional yeast, I gave up and buy from the USA, it's a nicer tasting one).
So if you are after a solution just pm or tag me in a post. The only thing I've not sorted that I'm happy with is buttermilk. I so miss my Irish soda bread. I even have a European cultured vegan butter that works really well... It's cheaper to make your own and actually not difficult, you just need a couple of ingredients you probably won't have yet.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Apologies, this is long, and it is what I established for me. I can't say how it will work for you, but you know the routine... talk to a doctor or nutritionist and work with your symptoms. This is just my story, not medical advise (sorry but not everyone here knows you and I and our heath issues.)
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Of course I will, if necessary I will request an allergy test too. Right now I am working with an RD so I will see what she can do too.
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
So yeah, sorry but that is very familiar.
Goats (or sheep's) was fine for me for about 14/5 years after the first problems (left me needing resuscitation after a bad asthma attack (1994)).
Click to expand...
Oh dear that sounds awful :hug:
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Interestingly, a lot of cheeses (speciality ones in particular) I was fine with initally because they were sheep's, goats, a mixture or a dedicated breed of cow that produces less of the specific protein I was sensitive to, and some cheeses are buffalo (mozzarella) or even camel's milk etc...
Click to expand...
Interesting, that seems the same for me right now. Thank you very much for this helpful post!
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Then it went down hill after a 6 month illness in about 2007/8. My sensitivity became a full blown allergy.

What I have worked out....
An intolerance is more gastric (lactose), an allergy more breathing related (any one/or more of a number of proteins).

I know I'm OK with whey protein because my vegetable stock has it in in tiny amounts, but I generally avoid it because I'm very sensitive to whichever protein I'm allergic to (to the point where medication that isn't lactose free can give me anaphylactic shock from the protein contaminants in the lactose monohydrate used as a tablet/capsule filler and stabilizer.)

The easiest way to test is with both goats and lactose free milk. Both will confirm suspicions and help clarify things beyond doubt. With goats milk if there are no symptoms (or they are less severe than with cows milk) then it's most likely a protein that is causing the issue. You'll still get the same issues with lactose free cows milk because it still contains the proteins. Goats milk does still contain proteins, it is just they are in different quantities and different proteins which is a key point.
Click to expand...
Thanks for spelling this out! I'm certainly going to try and compare.
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
If it is an intolerance, then you'll get the same symptoms with goats milk because goats milk contains almost as much lactose as cows milk. And obviously the symptoms will disappear with lactose free milk. (Lactose free ice cream is what put me in anaphylactic shock exactly 1 year ago whilst in hospital when served you me as sorbet).
Click to expand...
A hospital should never make such mistakes! Did they apologise at least?
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
That's the easy part. The harder part is that not all cows produce the same proteins (different breeds of cow produce milk with different quantities of protein and some don't produce 1 protein whereas another will), and goats, sheep, camel, buffalo and so on also produce different proteins, though there are common ones between them. This is why there are so many different regional cheeses.
So for instance Jarlsberg cheese is milk from a specific breed of cows and the one with the orange rind in the big wheel (?), it's the proper Jarlsberg for want of a better expression, I was able to consume that quite happily until 2007/8 whilst not being able to have cows milk or cream since 1994 yet it is made from cows milk. So you may find you can still eat some cows cheese but not others, or you can eat it cooked but not as is (cooking denatures protein so your body may not respond to it in the same way, but it has to be well cooked, not just melted). If that sounds familiar then you may well be starting down the same journey as myself and major health issues have been my turning points with it which obviously you have been experiencing as well.
Click to expand...
Yeah major health issues can affect your gut microbiome and change it, it also changed after my ileostomy surgery.
Interesting that you noticed the same happening to you.
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
So you may find you'll be OK with some cows cheeses, but not others. The cheap cheese is the stuff I had issues with. Specific brands made with a set guidelines (I forget what the term is now, but the regional speciality stuff) I was fine with a surprising number of them (Emmental, Comté, Jarlsberg, Brunost, Cornish Yarg, Wensleydale, Lancashire, Cheshire, Caerphilly) yet couldn't eat a 'bog standard' cheddar. I could eat 1 dedicated brand of cheddar cheese provided it was cooked (Wexford) but that was the only one i risked consuming repeatedly.
Again my research showed that they made it from their herd of cows, all the same breed and not a 'dairy milk' breed if that makes sense. The cheap as chips cheddar is made from whatever milk is surplus and the old milk marketing board in the UK used to combine all milk from all farms, so not herd specific... best way I can put it (we knew someone who worked in a cheddar cheese factory so knew how and what happened etc).
Click to expand...
Yes so far butter has been fine and soft cheeses too, but no liquid dairy from a cow at all. The cream yesterday made that clear to me.
Still need to try goats yoghurt and milk. It does seem it might be a specific kind of protein causing the problems.
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
So basically not all cows produce the same proteins in their milk, hence the variety of cheeses there are today. And if I knew exactly which protein(s) I am allergic to and could locate a cow breed that doesn't produce it/them, in theory I would be able to consume that cow's milk. That's why some cows milk cheeses were fine for a long time whilst others I couldn't consume at all.

So I hope that helps you.
Click to expand...
It absolutely does, thanks so much! ❤️
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
There are many options available now. I even have a decent camembert and a decent blue cheese that I make from cashew nuts myself. And I have a great almond based 'feta' (honestly I don't think of it as a feta replacement, but that's what they call it). If you go down the naming it yourself route you'll be significantly more successful if you bite the financial bullet and purchase a Vitamix (the only good news is that there come with a 10 year warranty and sound last a lifetime. ) My only regret is that we didn't buy one sooner. We tried to make do with a cheap imitation which frankly held me back for 5 or 6 years until it finally broke in Australia and we couldn't repair it (yipee!).
We also now have a great "cream" base for soups or sauces that is so simple (but relies on a decent Vitamix) and as you know I've a good cheese sauce (dependant of finding a good miso that you like and the right nutritional yeast, I gave up and buy from the USA, it's a nicer tasting one).
So if you are after a solution just pm or tag me in a post. The only thing I've not sorted that I'm happy with is buttermilk. I so miss my Irish soda bread. I even have a European cultured vegan butter that works really well... It's cheaper to make your own and actually not difficult, you just need a couple of ingredients you probably won't have yet.
Click to expand...
I'll definitely keep this in mind, I am already quite familiar with most alternatives but am definitely going to try make some ' cheeses' myself so I will check out your recipes.
Thanks for sharing!
 
I do not believe it! We are going to get hit by a subtropical storm up to a possible category 1 hurricane later this week. In my almost 50 years of living here, we've never had a storm this late in the season. There was 1 mid October several years ago when we were still doing the big Halloween decorations, we had to get everything down in a couple of days rather than over a couple of weeks. But into second week of November, NEVER!
 
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