15 Things You Wouldn't Expect to Contain Dairy

Milk is one of the many elements of the food pyramid that make up a healthy diet. However, despite the many health benefits, consuming milk in large quantities can cause migraines, and for some, have more harmful effects. Lactose intolerance, an allergy to milk and milk-based ingredients, is one of the eighth most common allergies in the world. For people with this particular allergy, dairy is a product best avoided, as it can cause varying degrees of stress to the body. If you’re on a dairy-free diet, here are some foods you might want to double-check the ingredients for, as you probably wouldn’t expect them to have dairy!
 
1. All Beef Hot Dogs
With a name that includes the phrase “all-beef”, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but many hot dog brands do use milk ingredients to create their products. 

2. Tomato Sauce
While the main ingredient in tomato sauce is tomatoes, various brands of tomato sauce feature grated Romano cheese as one of the main ingredients. 

3. Canned Pasta in Tomato Sauce
Speaking of tomato sauce, many canned pastas that are purchased as quick meals for the kids also have trace amounts of cheese or milk products for added nutritional value. 

4. Store-bought crackers
Most store-bought crackers contain either butter or milk powder, so if you’re looking for a dairy-free option, your best bet is organic crackers. 

5. Instant Potatoes
The best way to get your mashed potatoes creamy and smooth is with a dash of milk and it's no different for instant mashed potatoes. Always check the ingredients, as some instant potatoes contain cream or other milk products to add to the taste.
6. Potato Chips
Here’s another potato product, but milk isn’t a common ingredient for it, usually. While milk would seem like an obvious ingredient for Cheddar flavored chips, you probably wouldn’t expect to see it in flavors such as dill pickle, jalapeno, and barbecue.    

7. Chicken Nuggets, Fish sticks, and other frozen foods
Most frozen foods, especially breaded items, such as fish sticks and chicken nuggets, contain milk ingredients (usually in the breading mixture) along with the usual spices and meat. 

8. Vinaigrette and other salad dressings 
It’s important to check the ingredients of salad dressing before purchasing, as some brands may use different forms of cheese, or other milk products in the ingredients. 

9. Nutella

Nutella is a chocolate-like spread, made up of cocoa, hazelnut, palm oil, and sugar, along with skim milk, or skim milk powder, as well as whey powder. 

10. Canned Tuna
For those who think Tuna is a dairy-free product, think again and check the ingredients for casein. Casein is a protein derived from skim milk and is sometimes added to canned tuna to increase the nutritional value. 

11. Soy Cheese
This does not sound like something that should contain dairy. Normal soy cheese may contain casein or whey protein, both of which are dairy products, so look for a vegan label to ensure your soy cheese is dairy-free. 

12. Granola Bars
These breakfast bars and quick snacks usually contain only grains and nuts, with a sweetener like honey to solidify the bar. However, some granola bars contain small amounts of milk to add to the calcium and protein content of the bars. 

13. Baby Cerealsre sometimes recommended by doctors for babies switching to eating solid foods. Much like granola bars, some brands add skim milk powder for extra calcium and protein. 

14. Spice Mixes

Here’s a revelation for all people with lactose intolerance. Some spice mixes may contain whey powder, for increased protein content.

15. Medications

There is a plethora of vitamins, pills, prescription and over the counter medications available today that most likely contain lactose. Dairy accounts for the base of approximately 25% of the most commonly used medications, so if you’re looking for a lactose-free medication, its advisable to check for alternatives with your doctor.  

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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What Foods Can We Eat Past Their Expiration? Find Out Now

Pantry Staples

Let me preface this by stating that the information I am about to throw down pertains to unopened foods. For example, we all know that if you have children and you open a box of cereal, there is a slim to none chance they will seal the bag back properly, let alone shut the box. Just saying. That being said, if you have a box of cereal that is unopened, you can safely consume this for six to eight months past the expiration date on the box. Truth be told, from a “safety” standpoint, an opened box of cereal will probably still be edible for longer, but it may taste pretty stale.

Along these lines, dry pasta will be safe to consume roughly one to two years past its expiration date. Cooked pasta doesn’t fare as well; in fact, that should be tossed three to five days after cooking. But even if you won’t be eating it right away, when you see a deal on pasta, go ahead and snag a few boxes.

Refrigerator Staples

I always found it odd that folks ran out to buy extra milk and bread when fear of any inclement weather was forecast. These are two foods that always come printed with an expiration date that’s relatively soon after purchase. However, both are usually good anywhere from seven to ten days past their expiration, provided they are stored properly—even after they’ve been opened.

Bread is pretty obvious as it will begin to grow mold. Milk isn’t as obvious until you pop the cap off. You will know instantly by the smell if it is safe to consume. (You know what I am talking about.)

Believe it or not, eggs can be consumed roughly three to four weeks past their expiration date. If you are able to get fresh eggs that have not been washed and packaged, you can keep fresh eggs at room temperature for several months. (Once washed, however, they should be immediately stored in the fridge.)

Frozen Meats and Seafood

Please notice I said frozen and not raw. Raw meat and seafood should generally be used before the expiration date, and you can usually tell just by looking at it or feeling it when it’s passed its prime. Once frozen, ground beef can last three or four months past the expiration date, seafood can last six to nine months past the expiration date, and chicken and turkey can go up to a year.

Frozen Fruits and Veggies

Provided they aren’t freezer burned, frozen fruits and vegetables can last upwards of one to two years. And some would argue that they can be healthier than fresh options depending on the variety and how you are using them.

Canned Foods and Condiments

One would assume canned goods are a relatively safe bet. Not exactly. These can typically only be used one to two years past their expiration; however, canned goods that are acidic (e.g., tomatoes), I personally would be a little leery of.

The same goes for three of the condiments we always have on hand in my house: ketchup, mustard, and peanut butter. As long as they aren’t opened yet, they can last upwards of a year beyond the expiration date.

Are There Forever Foods?

Are there any foods you can keep around forever? You would be surprised at what research has uncovered.

I am just going to get this one out of the way because I know you are all wondering. Hard Alcohol. This stuff lasts forever. (Although I am not sure how long that bottle of water in my parent’s liquor cabinet lasted, or the exact moment when they discovered I had replaced their vodka one summer before graduation.)

Rice. If stored properly, rice can last forever. It can also fix your waterlogged electronics, but that’s for another article.

Sugar and salt can last almost indefinitely. Sugar cannot support microbial growth, and salt, well, salt is salt. So, this makes it a mineral, which cannot spoil. Along the lines of sugar, honey is basically all sugar and contains almost no water. If you ever notice your honey begin to crystalize, simply reheat it in a warm water bath (not in the microwave!), and it will go right back to liquid form. Same holds true for real maple syrup. 

One of my favorite ingredients/condiments is ACV (apple cider vinegar). Both apple cider vinegar and white vinegar will hold their own for decades. Vinegar contains a low pH and is technically a preserved food.

Dried beans. As long as you store them in a cool, dry location and keep them from getting in contact with water or moisture, dried beans can go the distance.

I would venture to say if you stockpile these foods, you will survive a zombie apocalypse.

If you are curious about a specific food that isn’t mentioned, foodsafety.gov has a super cool app you can download here: FoodSaver App

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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No, You Don't Need To Disinfect Your Groceries. But Here's How To Shop Safely

The vast majority of the country is under lockdown right now. But stay-at-home orders come with a few exceptions — like grocery shopping.

Many of us are still venturing out to stock up on food and toiletries. But what's the safest way to shop during this pandemic? And what should you do once you've brought your haul home?

We asked infectious disease, virology and food safety experts to share their tips about safe grocery shopping — and what you can stop worrying about.


Know the dangers — focus on the people, not the food

Many people worry about the possibility of picking up the coronavirus from things like grocery store conveyor belts or cereal boxes. But every expert NPR spoke with agrees that the biggest risk when it comes to groceries is being inside the store itself with other people who may be infected.

How Safe Is It To Eat Takeout?

"While it is possible to contract the virus [from contaminated surfaces], the majority of transmission is probably going to be from respiratory droplets, which you're exposed to when you're around other people," says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

Avoid crowds and shop quickly
Donald Schaffner, a food microbiologist and distinguished professor at Rutgers University, advises that you look for a grocery store that limits the number of shoppers who are allowed to go in at one time. While that might lead to a long line outside, it's also likely to make it easier to practice social distancing inside the store — staying at least 6 feet away from other people. And once you are in there, he says, focus on getting in and out as fast as possible to minimize your risk.

"Be as efficient as possible in the store," Schaffner says. "Have a list. Move through the store quickly and efficiently. Get out of the way. Be respectful of other people. Maintain social distance while you're in the store."

Wear a face covering

Given the growing evidence that people can shed the virus before they are showing symptoms, they might not know they're infected either. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that people wear cloth face coverings out in public, and some stores now require shoppers to wear them — not so much to protect you as to protect other people from you in case you are infected.

Go alone

Dr. David Aronoff, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says to go to the store alone if you can, because bringing the whole family shopping is just going to add to crowding in the aisles — and could potentially raise your household's risk of infection too.

"If you have three people living together and all three people go to the store, even if all three people have a low risk of getting infected at an individual level, as a group they've tripled their risk, essentially," says Aronoff, who recently wrote about safe food practices during this pandemic in the medical journal JAMA.

Sanitize carts and hands
Once you are in the store, make sure to sanitize the handles of your cart or basket. Many stores do this for customers now, but it doesn't hurt to bring your own hand sanitizer or disinfecting wipes if you have them. Be sure to avoid touching your face while you are there, until you can sanitize your hands again.

One other tip, from Rasmussen: Don't use your cellphone while you're in the store, because a "phone is a great way to get your hands right up next to your face."

Skip the gloves

"Gloves are not magic," Schaffner says. "Gloves don't make you invulnerable. As soon as you touch something with your gloved hand, that contamination is on the gloves."

Rasmussen agrees. "I've seen a lot of people wearing gloves out in public, and they just kind of wear them all day and do a lot of normal activities, like talk on their phone, potentially eat, potentially handle food that they're going to eat later with those gloves on," she says. "And that's not great practice."

She leaves the gloves at home and sanitizes or washes her hands instead — before entering the store, after leaving and again once she gets home.

Rachel Graham, a virologist who studies coronaviruses at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health, also skips the gloves. But if you do choose to wear them, she says be sure to remove them properly: "The best way to remove gloves that might be contaminated is to basically grab them from the inside on your palm side and pull them out like you're pulling off a sock, so you end up turning them inside out."

Give the cashier some space

While grocery shopping may stress you out, it's the workers at the grocery store who are more at risk, because they interact with many customers daily. Protect them by making sure you stand 6 feet away, or as far as you can, while checking out.

As for whether to use self-checkout or a cashier, look for the option that allows you the most room to maintain social distance. It all depends on how the store is set up. Some checkout counters now have plexiglass between the cashier and the paying customer. In that situation, says Aronoff, going to a cashier is fine, especially if one or both of you is wearing a mask or face covering.

Choose no-touch payment when you can

If you've got a no-touch option like Apple Pay or Google Pay, use it. If that's not an option, a credit card machine with a chip reader can be no-touch, notes Graham. She's personally avoiding cash at the moment, because earlier research has found that cash currency can harbor lots of microorganisms.

However, Rasmussen notes that we don't know how long this coronavirus survives on cash. And she says that if your credit card transaction requires you to touch a keypad, that's a "high-touch surface" that could potentially harbor other pathogens, if not the coronavirus. That said, "I don't want to encourage people to be extreme germophobes," Rasmussen says.

Cash or credit, she says, just make sure to sanitize your hands (and your credit card) after the transaction.

Don't drive yourself crazy disinfecting your groceries

Many shoppers are now following elaborate routines to disinfect their groceries, thanks to a viral video put out by a Michigan family doctor. But all of the experts we spoke with say that disinfecting and hand-washing every last item in your grocery haul is really not necessary. You might find it comforting to know that none of these experts are doing this themselves.

Rasmussen explains that the probability of getting infected from a contaminated surface is not zero, but it is fairly low. That's because respiratory droplets would have to have landed on the exact spot on, say, a box of cereal that you are touching. And even then, you'd have to get enough residual virus on your hand to start an infection — and you'd have to transfer that virus to your face. Bottom line: If you follow good hand-hygiene practices — washing your hands after unpacking your groceries, before cooking and before eating — then, she says, your risk is probably "very, very low."

As Aronoff notes, "Time is really on your side here." That's because as soon as the virus lands on a surface, it starts to lose infectiousness. "After 24 hours, the vast majority of virus is no longer infectious," he says. And after 72 hours, he notes that research has found the virus is trace or undetectable on most surfaces. So if you know that you're not going to use a can of soup for two or three days, he says, just put it away, wash your hands and go about your day. And one more thing: Make sure to wipe down your countertops after you unpack.

If you're still worried and it's a food that doesn't need to be refrigerated, Graham says just leave it out for 24 hours.

If you really want to wash your groceries, don't use disinfecting spray or wipes
If it somehow lessens your anxiety to wipe down every last jar of jelly, there's no harm in that, experts agree. But Graham warns that if you feel compelled to wipe, it might be wise to stick to soap and water. "A lot of the packaging that groceries come in is really not meant to be sprayed with disinfectant, and you [could] actually end up contaminating your food," she says.

Schaffner adds that disinfecting sprays and wipes are meant to be used on hard surfaces, which would not include many of the kinds of plastics or cardboard used for food packaging.

Rinse fresh produce in plain water — and eat your veggies!
Some people are advocating washing produce in soap and water. But Schaffner says that's a bad idea because it's possible that if you ingest soap residue, it could lead to diarrhea or vomiting. He says the best thing is just to rinse your produce in cold water. If it's an item with a tough skin, you can use a vegetable brush.

And Schaffner says, please don't reduce your consumption of fresh fruit or vegetables. "There's just no evidence that these foods can transmit the virus or can cause COVID-19," he says. Plus, he says, produce offers valuable nutrients that are especially important in these stressful times.

Should you shower or change clothes after shopping? It depends
"I personally don't like to do a full de-con [de-contamination] when I get home from the store," Rasmussen says. "I wash my hands. I'm not routinely putting my face and mouth all over my clothing."

But, she adds, "people with small children might consider otherwise, since kids — especially little kids — are maybe not so concerned about where they put their mouths or their hands." She says it comes back to personal comfort. "If you feel more comfortable changing clothes and taking a shower after you come back from an essential errand, then by all means do so," she says.

Graham adds that if you live with someone who is at high risk for severe disease with COVID-19, showering and changing might be a reasonable precaution to take.

Still anxious? Order online
One simple way to stop worrying about grocery shopping and to practice social distancing is online delivery. You can pay ahead of time online and have the groceries delivered outside your door with no face-to-face contact. Just remember, while you're staying home safe, workers are putting themselves at risk to collect and deliver your food. So be sure to tip generously. As for what to do with unpacking those groceries, experts say the advice is the same as if you'd gone to the store yourself.

A word about frozen food

Some of you have asked if freezing food kills the virus. The answer is no. Refrigerating or freezing would actually help the virus survive longer — that's why research labs freeze virus samples to preserve them, as Graham notes. But if you're worried about handling a frozen dinner, just throw away the packaging and remember to wash your hands after you've removed the food, Rasmussen says.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement