quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit: Thanks for reminding me about Oreos. Knowing I will never feel obliged to eat another Orea is one of the few perks of being gluten intolerant. Oreos are vile.
You just don't remember how good they are.
O contraire. I remember quite well how vile they are.
Years ago, when I first met my SIL, I made a crack about how horrid Oreos are (flavorless rock hard black cookies filled with sugar lard frosting, blickk). She took deep offense for which I have still not been forgiven. For years there after I felt obliged to eat Oreos when they were offered despite their vileness. But now I can polite say, "No, I'm gluten intolerant" and I never have to eat another Oreo.
Lactose intolerant people also hate Oreos. It's the same reason for why bread bereft of butter and butter bereft of bread are inadvisable.
I am pretty sure Oroes are dairy free. Not that it matter to me, becasue they are vile. Give me Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's anyday.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Not necessarily by any standard other than kashrut. I mean, it could have maltose in it. It could have any number of chemicals derived from dairy products that no one but us considers dairy.
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quote:Originally posted by Uprooted: Jon Boy, I can barley understand what you are talking about.
Wheat's wrong with you? Do you have some kind of bran damage that impairs your reading comprehension?
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quote:Originally posted by Lisa: Not necessarily by any standard other than kashrut. I mean, it could have maltose in it. It could have any number of chemicals derived from dairy products that no one but us considers dairy.
True. They used to contain lactose, but apparently not anymore.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I have a serious concerns about lactose intolerance.
First the background, Lactose intolerance is caused by a difficiency in or total lack of the enzyme lactase which makes it difficult or impossible to digest lactose. Since lactose can't be properly broken down in the small intestine, it passes into the large intestine where it is broken down by bacteria that produce gases which can then lead to bloating, diarrhea and flatulence. From a simple mechanistic perspective, there is no way people with lactose intolerance, even people with absolutely no lactase, could have problems with very small amounts of lactose.
Lactose intolerance isn't like allergies or gluten intolerance. There is no immune system involvement that can amplify the effect of a few molecules. The number of molecules of gas produced will be simply related to number of molecules of lactose consumed.
So now to the question. Despite the indisputable facts I have explained above, there are a lot of people who identify themselves as lactose intolerant who claim to get very sick from eating trace amounts of dairy products in things like Oreo cookies. What's going on? Are these people
a) suffering from lactose intolerance and also IBS and confuse the two problems.
b) misdiagnosed and actually suffering from some other digestive disorder or a genuine dairy allergy.
c) hypocondriacs who are imagining symptoms.
d) wackos obsessed with the "evils of dairy".
e) other.
And finally, I'm a person who suffers from gluten intolerance, which is an immune system mediated disorder and therefore really and truly mechanistically sensitive to trace amounts of gluten. How much do I need to worry that people will presume that gluten intolerance is just like lactose intolerance and a little bit can't possibly hurt me? How much do I need to worry that people will think I'm a hypochondriac or a nut job because I'm worried about the little bit of flour they put in the sauce? How much do I need to worry that friends and associates will lie to me about what they consider to be "just a little bit of flour" that won't hurt me if I don't know about it?
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
Oreos use vegetable oil in their filling. In fact, Kraft Foods has been under pressure to reduce the amount of trans fats from what is in the partially hydrogenated soybean oil used presently. Link: http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/14/oreo.suit/
Think Crisco mixed with sugar and vanilla. And maybe some wheat flour to thicken it.
Posts: 3742 | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote:Do oreo cookies contain any dairy ingredients?
Some Oreo cookies do not contain any dairy ingredients as of now.
However, they can change at any time to contain actual dairy. We advise checking the ingredient panel. Additionally, they are made on dairy equipment.
...one might note that the suggestion to check the ingredients is in direct contradiction to what they say elsewhere. Why they think not noting DE is a good idea is beyond me.
Posts: 884 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I'm lactose intolerant but I'm not bothered by cheese or yogurt, that I can tell. It's hard to know what is causing your problems when you eat a wide variety of things over the course of several days, so I'd go with the idea that people are trying their best to figure out what's causing their problems and once they realize dairy bothers them, they just prefer to have none. It's always possible that they could have actual allergies, too, as in celiac disease.
I usually eat almost no bread, but lately I got out my breadmaker and have made multiple loaves. I've noticed a real difference in how I feel from it. So I think I'm going to try going gluten free as soon as my current supplies are used up. Rice has always made my tummy feel good.
Rabbit, I think the only safe thing is never to eat food that you didn't prepare yourself (or close family). Other people will never be as careful as you are, because to them the problem is not acute and unmistakable as it is to you. Because they're not accustomed to cooking gluten-free, they're often going to forget, or else think it's too much trouble, or believe a small amount won't hurt, etc. And they're likely not to mention minor ingredients if you ask.
Of course, that makes travel almost impossible. =(
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Shmuel, the D (rather than DE) decision by the OU a few years back is a question of politics and convenience.
And checking the panel is probably being recommended for those with lactose intolerance. Although it would make sense for batul questions as well, those nasty politics come back into play if they admit that publicly.
Anyway, when Oreos first got their hechsher, they definitely had lactose. And once I tried them and was sure I didn't like them, I stopped paying much attention to their ingredients. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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