enter Jane Zukin's book. it's a lactose - intolerance reference guide and a bunch of great recipes in one. the section on hidden sources of lactose and careful label reading was particularly enlightning (who would have thought plain pre-processed bread crumbs had lactose ingredients?), as was the section on fast foods. now I'll be a lot more comfortable eating at Burger King with him. the substitution suggestions are also helpful, and conveniently located in an easy to use table.

but the main thing I love about this book are the recipes! so far they have all been clearly explained, easy to make, and delicious. I love the fact that nutritional information is included with each one (be aware that her portion sizes were a lot smaller then mine, but I DO cook for 3 college boys on a regular basis).

as an example - her vegetable linguine. my boyfriend begs me to add meat when I tell him I'm making it for dinner, so I give in and add shrimp to it. when we sit down to dinner, after all 8 servings are devoured, he says, that was great, and it really didn't need meat at all. first time he's EVER indicated a recipe would be better WITHOUT meat! that alone would put it on my list of things to serve often, even it weren't one of the most fabulous tasting recipes I've ever found.

the only criticism I have is that so many of the recipes rely on "milk - substitute", "soy-cheese-substitute" or "milk-free-margerine". but it does keep me thinking about it as I prepare a complete meal.

definately buy this if you or someone you love is lactose intolerant. it will become one of your most frequently used resources and recipe books.

156 of 157 found this review helpful:
Not for those with Milk Allergy, 2000-10-02
Ms. Zukin's book is probably an invaluable resource for those who cannot tolerate lactose, but those of us who are allergic to milk protein will find dangerous information in this book.

She lists as "dairy-free" products which clearly contain milk (Wendy's bread sticks contail "skim milk"; their hamburger buns contain "sodium caseinate"). These are not items that have changed over the years; my dairy-allergic son has never been able to eat Wendy's buns,and he's nearly 13 years old.

The recipes are fairly good, though I get irked by reading "milk substitute" in them - I'd rather see the brand name of the product she used (soy milk tastes very different from rice milk, for instance).

With this book, as with every packaged food product, you must read carefully and be certain the food she mentions is safe. You can't take her word for it. The title, therefore, is quite misleading.