Milk Fat

[sickchick]

I got a box of After Eight dark chocolate mint candies and they contain MILK FAT...

is that an irritant for me since I am not tolerating dairy?

in case anyone knows..

thanks!:)

sickchick

[tarnalberry]

It's the protein or sugar that causes problem for people, so theoretically, pure milk fat shouldn't be a problem, but purity is never assured. So, I'll often not worry about a little tiny bit of *just* milk fat in something like that. Like one or two pieces of Dove dark chocolate (the little bites ones) or one or two After Eight mints, but be aware of how you may react. (When I say one or two, I mean in a day.)

[confusedks]

It depends...but if you really are wanting to avoid dairy strictly, I would avoid it. That would make me sick...but you'll have to see how you react. It's up to you, but that does contain casein.

[MNBeth]

...It's up to you, but that does contain casein.

This is an issue that I've been frustrated about, too. I can find all kinds of lists that have "milk fat" on the no-no list for casein intolerance, but nobody talks specifically about the whys and wherefores, which I think are particularly relevant here.

Milkfat, as tarnalberry pointed out, does not contain casein. Casein is a protein. Milkfat is a fat. The protein is not contained in the fat. So, repeating tarnalberry again, the issue with milkfat should, theoretically, be only the degree of purity - whether the milkfat has been completely separated from the other milk ingredients. I cannot find an answer to this question to save my life.

I'm wondering whether eventually this issue is going to be reminiscent of the whole vinegar/alcohol issue. For years everyone said you couldn't have those because they were grain-derived, but then they realized that once the products are distilled, there are no longer any proteins in them, so being grain-derived is no longer an issue.

I have read that some people react to milkfat itself rather than to casein, but that's whole other ball of wax.

And, yes, this is 100 percent all about whether I can still have my dark chocolate Doves!

[tarnalberry]

I'm wondering whether eventually this issue is going to be reminiscent of the whole vinegar/alcohol issue. For years everyone said you couldn't have those because they were grain-derived, but then they realized that once the products are distilled, there are no longer any proteins in them, so being grain-derived is no longer an issue.

The distillation process is pretty straightforward in what can come out and what won't. It's a different, though also physical, process that's usually used to separate milk into it's derivatives - whey, curds, fat (cream that then gets purified further), etc. It's at a macroscopic level that separation occurs, rather than what is essentially a microscopic scale of distillation. So, there's room for impurities, and how much room will depend on the exact details of the process and how well each person follows it. Translation? THERE IS NO SINGLE ANSWER. Even chocolate can't be that simple.

I don't think there's anything for it but to either buy dark chocolate that doesn't have milk fat (and there's plenty that doesn't), or to do an experiment on yourself with the chocolate that you want.

[sickchick]

So, regarding the Milk Fat, I get a super bad "d" reaction to Butter. Serious "bubbly guts" and end up on the toilet with a bucket in my lap. You think Milk Fat would have the same effect?

I am cool with cow milk and cheese, but butter gets me every time.

I am off all of them temporarily anyhow so maybe I'll save my candies until March! lol

It's just hard cause I love peppermint and that's all I can smell is the peppermint oil in the candies

THANKS!

lovelove

[tarnalberry]

that's an interesting case. unless you're talking about no-fat milk and cheese, you're getting dairy fat, and it seems that it's likely something else that you're reacting to. but unless you can pin it down, it does seem like that's the most obvious culprit. (if milk and cheese are all fine, then it sounds like casein is *not* a problem for you, or moderate amounts of lactose, for that matter.)

I'd suggest getting one of the dark chocolate bars that has a mint flavor but does not use milk fat as an ingredient.

[sickchick]

thanks so much:)