Alisa Fleming ~ Eggs have been a trial and error thing in our household. I had an egg allergy as a young one, and my husband realized a few years ago that eggs don’t make him feel very great. He later tested quite positive for egg sensitivity, so in general, he avoids them. Consequently, we have become quite familiar over the years with vegan mayonnaise, and actually quite like it. In fact, when confronted with a choice between vegan mayo and egg-based mayo, illnesses aside, we would both take the vegan version. Needless to say, I was excited to trial out the new Organic MindfulMayo from Earth Balance.

Earth Balance is well known for their dairy-free buttery spreads, but in the past few years they have been dabbling in other products, including soymilk, peanut butter, and now sandwich spread. I sampled the "organic" version of their new sandwich spread, but MindfulMayo also comes in Original and made with Olive Oil varieties ...

August 2011 - A new documentary film is asking Americans to question the deep-rooted belief in the health benefits of milk. Got the facts on Milk? traces the increasingly important role dairy has played in the U.S. food system, and explains why its consumption is fraught with high-stakes political, economic, ethical and environmental considerations.

Got the facts on Milk? examines the scientific research on dairy consumption and cancer, osteoporosis, weight gain, asthma, acne, hormones, early menstruation, as well as the prevalence of lactose intolerance in African Americans, Asian Americans and Indigenous Americans.

"This is the most hard-hitting documentary I could ever imagine attacking the dairy industry, and they deserve it all," said John McDougall, M.D., a physician and nutrition expert who appears in the film. Other medical and scientific authorities in the film include diet/health experts Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D.; Isabel Maples, M.Ed., R.D. and Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D.; nutritional researcher T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.; physicians Neal Barnard, M.D. and Joel Fuhrman M.D.; large animal veterinarian Mira L. McGregor, V.M.D.; environmental researcher Victor E Cabrera, Ph.D.; and physicist Noam Mohr.

Q: Katherine - I am after some lunch tips for a 7-year-old girl who has just been put on a dairy-free diet. She loves yogurt and cheese, so I’m not sure what to do.

A: Alisa – There are ample dairy-free substitutes available on the market for both yogurt (So Delicious, WholeSoy & Co., and more) and cheese (Daiya, Vegan Gourmet, and more), but they may not meet your little one’s expectations at first. Sometimes switching straight from a dairy product to a dairy-free substitute for that product can be a bit too "different" for young and more sensitive taste buds. Taking a "dairy break" can remove a little of that taste memory, so that she can later enjoy these other products in their own right.

You can certainly trial these dairy alternatives, many are excellent, but also consider venturing out into some other kid-friendly foods. I can offer ample resources, recipes, and ideas in this area ...

Sweet Sundays - Coming up with healthy back to school snacks seems to be getting trickier with each passing year. Celiac disease, food allergies, and intolerances have become widely recognized issues, leading schools to instigate peanut-free, nut-free, and even dairy-free zones and policies. Fortunately, with a little ingenuity, free-from recipes can be made to meet almost all of the special diet needs.

When I'm looking for kid-friendly snack ideas (that won't violate a peanut ban!) I usually open up my copy of Cookies for Everyone!, a food allergy-friendly cookbook created by Enjoy Life Foods. Two of my favorites from this book are still the Granola Bar One Bites and the Sunny Nature Snack Bites (both recipes follow).

Though they still qualify as sweet treats, these two recipes are suitable for an after-school (or work!) snack, and nutritious enough that you can feel virtuous about feeding them to your family. But best of all, they are extremely versatile. The recipes in Cookies for Everyone! were tested to be dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, and soy-free, making each of them so easy to customize if your free-from needs aren't quite so restrictive ...