Crumble Cake

I read about this great traditional German recipe the other day and thought it was a fab idea. I love crumble. I love cake. Here we have the two together – how yummy! I’ve adapted it as usual to make it healthier:

Simply make a crumble mix using 300g wheat-free flour (like Dove’s Farm), 75g ground almonds, 2tsp gluten-free baking powder,150g Pure dairy-free spread and 100g brown sugar (or Zylosweet/Perfect Sweet for those of you needing to keep sugar low). Mix together with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs and bigger bits. Pop most of this mix into a greased dish, leaving about a third and then bake in a low oven (3/175 degrees) for 15-20 minutes.

Meantime, stew some fruit in season (apple and rhubarb would be good) with 1 tsp vanilla extract and a big spoonful of orange juice, or mash down some fresh fruit. Simply pop the fruit mixture onto the baked layer and then cover with the rest of the crumble. Turn the heat up to 6/200 degrees and bake again for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool and then cut into slices. If it collapses into a heap, don’t worry – it’ll taste delicious anyway! I think a bit of xantham gum might help in view of the lack of gluten in the flour, so use that if it doesn’t turn out cakey enough for you.

Call For ‘May Contain’ Labelling To Be Minimized

Allergy charity The Anaphylaxis Campaign (AC) also wants food companies to limit ‘may contain’ labelling to circumstances where it is “unavoidable”. The call comes as part of a programme by the charity aimed at improving the way allergens are managed during food production and increasing consumer trust in allergy information on food labels.

‘May contain’ labelling is the source of great confusion and misunderstanding among allergy sufferers. Overuse of the term by food firms ‘playing safe’ can lead to people with life-threatening allergies ignoring warnings, says the Anaphylaxis Campaign. The charity quotes one allergic shopper commenting “we ignore all ‘may contain’ warnings since we found one on a cabbage’.” Says it all! NPN June 09

EU Legislates On ‘Gluten-Free’ Labelling

The EU has passed new food labelling legislation aimed at protecting people with coeliac disease, reports the Anaphylaxis Campaign. In future people seeing food labelled ‘gluten-free’ will know that the finished product does not contain gluten exceeding 20 parts per million — a level thought to be safe for most people with coeliac disease. The on-pack statement ‘very low gluten’ will indicate that the level is within 100 parts per million. Food businesses have three years to comply with the new regulation.

New Foods On The Block

Thank you to those of you who keep me informed about lovely new foods for those avoiding the ubiquitous wheat and dairy. First, Genius Bread is a new free-from bread that can be used untoasted and tasted ‘fab’. Foods Matter magazine also think it passes muster: “Excellent bready texture, light good flavour, really remarkable for a gluten-free bread, it does not need refreshing and keeps well.” It is made from potato, corn, tapioca, brown rice, egg, rice bran, cellulose fibre, sugar, salt, sunflower oil and fresh yeast. Available initially just from Tesco, although it should be on wider distribution by Autumn. For more info, go to www.geniusglutenfree.com.

 Next, Debbie & Andrew’s 97% Pork Harrogate Sausages. I know I always advise against sausages, but these are an exception as they are almost 100% meat, are gluten and dairy free and contain nothing other than the pork, herbs, spices and some balsamic vinegar. I often cook the whole pack and munch them as a high protein snack as they’re very filling. Try them as a sausage casserole, to make a healthier cooked breakfast, chopped into pasta or rice or simply with sweet potato mash or barley couscous. Yum.

Sweet Freedom is my next choice. This is a liquid sweetener made from extracts of apple, grapes and carob, comes in mild or rich flavours and in a handy squeezy bottle. Ideal for weight management as it has a low GI (Glycaemic Index) and GL (Glycaemic Load) and 25% fewer calories than sugar. It is also suitable for diabetics and vegans. I’ve checked and nutritionally-speaking, it’s almost identical to agave syrup. It’s available in most supermarkets and can be used on toast, porridge, drinks and cooking.

For a treat, here are a couple of recipes suggested by Sweet Freedom, which I’ve adapted to make slightly healthier. Of course, you could use SF or agave to get a similar result:

No added sugar Apple Crumble

This recipe is also wheat free! Ready In: 45 minutes or less Serves: 4

• 2 large cooking apples
• 1 tbsp SWEET FREEDOM
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• zest & juice of half a lemon

Crumble topping:

• 100g porridge oats
• 50g medium oatmeal or
• 50g ground almonds
• 1 1/2 tbsp SWEET FREEDOM
• 50g Pure spread

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
2. Wash and peel the apples, remove the core and chop into small slices.
3. Put into an oven proof dish, and stir in the SWEET FREEDOM, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice.
4. Put all the crumble topping ingredients into your blender and pulse until well mixed. If you don’t have a blender, rub the spread into the oat and almond mix first and then stir in the SWEET FREEDOM.
5. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the apples.
6. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden.

No added sugar Nutty Flapjacks

This recipe is also wheat free! Ingredients

• 80g Pure spread 
• 110g SWEET FREEDOM
• 50g peanut or other nut butter (no added sugar version)
• 175g porridge oats
• 50g ground almonds
• 55g desiccated coconut (no added sugar)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4.
2. Grease a medium-sized square baking tray.
3. Melt the spread in a large saucepan with the SWEET FREEDOM
4. Stir over a low heat until melted then stir in all the other ingredients and mix together well.
5. Turn the mix into the baking tray and spread out evenly.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cut into squares.
7. Leave in the tin until completely cool and then turn out.

Arsenic in Rice Milk – Is This True?

Thank you to those of you who pointed out the recent media story about arsenic being in rice milk. It seems the Food Standards Agency has issued a new guideline that babies and toddlers under four years old shouldn’t be given rice milk as it contains too much arsenic. Shocked, I have looked into it for you. First, a quick summary and then I have included the press release from the FSA, and finally a response from the makers of Rice Dream. Hope it helps.

 

My summary: It seems a lot of foods contain a natural level of arsenic and rice has an ability to store it slightly more from what I read. Most experts are saying there is no real danger as it is endemic in our environment and foods, but that because babies and toddlers tend to drink a lot of it per body weight, the possibility of having too much should be recognised. The  best approach seems to be to not to have too much and to vary different milks around ie. not be too reliant on rice generally at that age. Another example of saying what’s wrong with something, but not really much help to those little ones who can’t drink cow’s milk (or soya)! Don’t forget too that the body is very efficient at getting rid of metals like this as it is a normal part of our environment. That said, it should be limited and we always need to ensure the right vitamins and minerals are in place to achieve the detox process in the body. It’s just a problem when a little one has to have a lot of it. Perhaps we need to think of alternatives such as oat and a little soya milk if little ones can’t have cow’s milk and are too young for nut milk, and always buy organic rice products.

 

From the FSA Press Release: The Agency has today published results from two studies: arsenic levels in rice drinks and one on cooking methods to reduce arsenic levels in rice. As a result of the rice drink study, the Agency recommends that toddlers and young children should not have rice drinks, often known as rice milk, as a replacement for cows’ milk, breast milk or infant formula.The rice drink study followed concerns about results from a study published last year that measured arsenic levels in these types of drinks. The research published today examined 60 samples of rice drinks and found low levels of arsenic in all of them (see The science behind the story section below).

The level of total arsenic ranged from 0.010 – 0.034 milligram/kilogram and the levels of inorganic – the more harmful – form of arsenic ranged from 0.005 – 0.020 milligram/kilogram. The proportion of inorganic arsenic in the rice drink samples ranged from 48 – 63%. None of the results were over the current legal limit (but see the Current regulations section below).

In the second study, researchers looked at the effect of cooking methods on arsenic content of rice. The Agency is not advising anyone to change the way they cook rice as a result of this study as the impact on the overall dietary intake of arsenic from different cooking methods is minimal.

What the Agency advises

As a precaution, toddlers and young children between 1 and 4.5 years old should not have rice drinks as a replacement for cows’ milk, breast milk, or infant formula. This is because they will then drink a relatively large amount of it, and their intake of arsenic will be greater than that of older children and adults relative to their bodyweight. This is both on nutritional grounds and because such substitution can increase their intake of inorganic arsenic, which should be kept as low as possible. A daily half pint or 280 millilitres of rice drink could double the amount of the more harmful form of arsenic they consume each day.

There is no immediate risk to children who have been consuming rice drinks and it is unlikely that there would have been any long-term harmful effects but to reduce further exposure to arsenic parents should stop giving these drinks to toddlers and young children. If your child is allergic to cows’ milk, you are strongly advised to seek advice from your health professional or dietitian on suitable replacements. Other groups of people do not need to change their diet because their exposure to inorganic arsenic from rice drinks is lower relative to their bodyweight. Children under a year old should drink breast milk or infant formula milk. Cows’ milk or alternatives are not suitable as a drink until an infant is 12 months old.

The research published today does not affect the Agency’s advice on any other weaning foods. Advice from a survey in 2007, which included baby rice and other rice products, concluded that these foods did not have levels of inorganic arsenic that caused concern.

Further information:

For further information on this survey, please contact: arsenic_enquiries@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk.

The science behind the story

Arsenic is widely distributed in the environment. It occurs in soil, water – both sea and fresh – and in almost all plants and animal tissues. As a result, arsenic occurs naturally at very low levels in many foods and it is not possible to avoid it completely. How harmful the arsenic is depends on the chemical form in which it is present. The organic form is less harmful than the inorganic form which can cause cancer by harming our genetic material (DNA). Rice and rice products have higher levels of the inorganic form of arsenic compared with other food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) (an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the Food Standards Agency) has concluded that people should consume as little of this form of arsenic as reasonably practicable.

Related links

Survey of metals in weaning foods and formulae for infants Read the Food Survey Information Sheet

Survey of total and inorganic arsenic in rice drinks Food Survey Information Sheet 02/09

See more background at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis0209arsenicinrice.pdf

 

Rice Dream response:

“All Rice Dream and Lima products are significantly below the legal maximum limit for levels of arsenic in food products….They pose no risk to customers and this has been confirmed by tests conducted by the FSA and an independent laboratory.”

I shall keep you updated if anything else comes to light.

Recipe Book Launched!!!!

 

 

Instead of a recipe this month, how about a whole book full? At long last, I have finished my recipe book! And, though I say it myself, I think it’s rather good. Just click on the picture in the website to view a contents page and 10 free preview pages via Lulu self publishing website. If you like what you see, you can download all 87 pages for just £10. Not bad as it took me years to research and write! Called How To…Eat Well, it is full of all the advice I give to patients every day in-clinic and will save a shed-load of time and money for those of you who want this info to hand easily.

It is split into 16 chapters and 6 of those are full of easy-to-make mostly wheat and dairy free recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, puddings and drinks. Other chapters include How to Boost Your Metabolism, Why You SHOULD Eat Between Meals and Tips, Tips and More Tips? You will be able to find out which fruit and veg are classed as the pesticide-ridden Dirty Dozen, get past the myths and discover exactly what is a healthy diet, which fish to choose sustainably and how to stock cupboards full of healthy, easy stuff you can always make great meals from even when you’ve ‘got nothing in’.

I have put the preview and link onto my website too, or simply ask me to send you a preview or to buy it with your normal order and I will send it to you direct rather than via Lulu.

Get Wrapping!

I recently read that you can now get wraps made from soya beans – a bit like the rice pancakes I’ve talked about before. A good high protein, low GL alternative to flour tortillas that are easy to eat and very portable. You can get them from www.japanese kitchen.co.uk. Beware, though – they come as a variety of flavours in the pack and I noticed that the original and sesame versions have wheat in them, but the rest don’t. Just wrap whatever you want to eat as a sandwich in these instead. Miles better for you.

 

Whilst I’m at it, remember there are other great ways of making wraps too, without having to resort to tortillas. These will also work well: a thin omelette, rice pancakes, lettuce leaves, cabbage leaves, banana leaves, seaweed (nori) sheets or make your own using a wheat-free flour recipe. You could make a selection to get great nutrition and taste.  Here’s one of my favourite recipes for a wrap:

 

Use any of the above wrap ideas and pile prawns, a bit of mayo or sweet chilli sauce and some avocado in the middle. Simply wrap up and eat as you would any sandwich. Or, how about bits of organic chicken or turkey and mango chutney, a simple egg mayo or hummus, rocket and a few sundried tomatoes? Anything you would normally put in a sandwich (except sweet things, of course – lettuce and jam – yuk!) will go nicely in a wrap and they’re often quicker to make. If I am tempted very occasionally into a Chinese restaurant to have Crispy Duck, I always ask for lettuce to make the wraps with rather than the flour ones – they’re not fazed; that’s often how they eat it…

Foods Matter Forums

Just thought I’d tell you about these useful forums which are especially for people who want to talk to others about allergy and intolerance. Foods Matter is a really useful resource if you’re avoiding foods or environmental stuff so take a look – I keep having my two-penny’orth on there which is fun! Go to www.foodsmatter.com.

Green & Blacks Chocolate – Now Contains Milk Powder!?

I was shocked recently to see that Green & Blacks dark chocolate (the mainstay of milk allergy sufferers!) now contains whole milk powder as an ingredient. This is really bad news. I researched it and here is the statement given by the company…you’ll see the recipe has not changed, but because it is made on the same production line as the milk chocolate, new tests have shown it is almost certain to contain traces of milk…

Green & Black’s has announced changes to the labelling of its organic dark chocolate bars as part of a major packaging re-haul.

The new communication will highlight milk as an ingredient in its previously labelled ‘vegan’ dark chocolate bars. There is no change to the dark chocolate recipe but since both the milk chocolate and dark chocolate bars are made using the same production line there is a risk of cross contact. A recent audit revealed that traces of milk residues can still be found on manufacturing equipment despite intensive cleaning.

In order to ensure that consumers are at minimum risk the new packaging will clearly state on pack that milk residues may be present in dark chocolate bars across the range. The new packaging has already been printed and is filtering through to retailers over the next few months.

Dominic Lowe, managing director, said, “Green & Black’s is committed to an open policy and we have always been transparent about what goes into making our organic chocolate. While we feel there is no added risk to milk allergy sufferers consuming our dark chocolate bars, we want to keep customers informed about the potential inclusion of milk ingredients albeit in low levels and provide a clearer warning than we have done previously.”

For further information on the labelling change please see our Q&A which is available online at www.greenandblacks.com

Harrumph! (Much gnashing of teeth). Kinnertons make guaranteed dairy-free chocolate, and you can find them at www.kinnerton.com  , but I suppose if you feel you’ve been OK with G&B up to now, there is no need to change. Incidentally, Kinnertons are in most supermarkets and they make most of M&S chocolate apparently.

Allergy Restaurant Online Guide

Leaveitout.com, an online allergy-friendly restaurant guide has now launched. Have a look if you’re trying to find somewhere to eat and you don’t know the area.