Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ For years now I have been posting dairy-free recipes from my own kitchen and from other great bloggers who have graciously shared their ideas.  But one recipe never ceases to get click after click, particularly in the summer.  It stands out as a beacon for creating dairy-free "ice cream" without (yes, I said without) an ice cream maker.  This recipe is so deliciously simplistic, yet even with its ease, the author graciously includes how-to photos to step the reader through.  So without further ado, the most popular summer recipe on all of Go Dairy Free ... Banana Ice Cream and Toasted Coconut Bites from the Leftover Queen.

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ As a kid I remember the frozen candy bars sold at my local swim park throughout the summer.  Unless it was straight out of the deep freeze, chocolate just wasn't going to take the heat when grabbed by our little fingers. But really, what is wrong with melted chocolate?  Especially when it is confined in a quick and easy pudding.  The following recipe "addictive," yet food allergy-friendly recipe was created by Rebecca Reilly, author of the cookbook Gluten-Free Baking ...

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ In the past few years, several concerned food allergy moms have stepped up their research in an effort to keep their children "safe." But the information that one mom discovered has caused her to become a voice to be reckoned with in the media.  Robyn O'Brien shares her discoveries on her own site, AllergyKids, but in a recent article with ABC News, she gains international recognition for her concerns of industry funding ties between the agri-chemical companies and pediatric allergists who have served on the FDA 'generally recognized as safe' panels.  Read the full article, Additives, Allergies and ADHD: Is There A Connection? Robyn wants us to take the final comment in the article with a grain of salt. In a special 'off the record' note, she states "Please note, that Dr. Adesman, who contests our position at the end of the segment, represents the Speakers Bureau for Novartis and McNeil Pharmaceuticals, the makers of ADHD drugs (!) (source: Medscape)."

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ Yes, probiotics can assist tummy troubles, but as we suspected (yet a research team felt like pursuing) probiotics are ineffective in battling cow’s milk allergy.  While GI symptoms are not uncommon in milk allergies, it is in fact an immune response rather than a lack of healthy bacteria per say.  The team of researchers out of The Netherlands conducted a randomized controlled study to determine if probiotic supplementation (given via an extensively hydrolyzed formula) would accelerate tolerance to cow’s milk in infants with a milk allergy.  The trials followed 119 little ones with cow’s milk allergy through their infancy, with some receiving the probiotics and the others holding steady in the placebo (no probiotics) group. Unfortunately, the two groups showed very similar results in tolerance of cow’s milk at the end of the study.

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ For the past year I have been gradually reducing the added sugars in my diet.  These efforts have culminated into this past month, when I have managed to forgo all added sugars whatsoever.  That’s right ... no white sugar, maple syrup, or even agave.  I admit to a sprinkling of stevia in that “green drink” which would otherwise be unpalatable, but aside from this I have been sugar and sugar substitute-free. How am I doing?  Better.  Those chocolate cravings are at last subsiding and I have no problem passing up a slice of cake.  However, my taste buds are still clamoring for just a bit of the sweet stuff.  Luckily, I love fruit, which is an excellent source of natural sugar …