What is Casein?
Q. What is casein exactly?
A. Casein is the protein found in all mammals’ milk. Mammals include cow, goat, sheep, yak, buffalo, camel and humans. This includes human breast milk even if the mother is on a GFCFSF diet.
Q. Why can’t ASD children have casein?
A. Research shows that people with ASD have an abnormal immune response to the protein in casein (as well as the proteins in gluten and soy). Whether or not your child tests positive on IgE or IgG tests to casein, it must be removed to be on the GFCFSF diet.
Q. What are the most common foods that contain casein?
A. The common foods are: milks, ice cream, sour cream, yogurt, butter, lunchmeats and cheese.
Q. Does it matter if the milk or butter is organic?
A. No. Casein is casein, organic or not and is therefore not allowed.
Q. What are the Kosher labeling rules for casein?
A. A "D" on a label next to "K" or "U" indicates presence of milk protein
Q. Don’t kids need milk to grow?
A. No, children need calcium to grow healthy teeth and bones, not dairy products. You must give a separate calcium supplement. Children need between 800-1200 mg of calcium per day and you can find it available in powder, chewables, liquid and pills.
Q. What are the most common ingredients that contain casein?
A.
| Artificial butter flavor Butter Butter fat Butter oil Buttermilk Casein (casein hydrosylate) Caseinates (in all forms) Cheese Condensed milk Cottage cheese Cream Curds Custard Dry milk Evaporated milk Ghee Goat's milk Half & Half Hot dogs Lactalbumin Lactalbumin phosphate Lactic acid starter culture (may contain milk) Lactoferrin Lactoglobulin Lactose Lactulose Low fat Milk fat Lunchmeat Magnesium caseinate Malt Malted Milk Margarine |
Milk (in all forms including condensed, derivative, dry, evaporated, goat’s milk, and milk for other animals, low-fat, malted, milkfat, non-fat, powder, protein, skimmed, solids, whole) Milk cheese lactose Milk powder Milk protein Milk solids Naturlose (sweetener derived from whey) Non-dairy creamer butter Nonfat milk Nougat Powdered Milk Pudding Rennet casein Sausage Skim milk Sodium lactylate (may or may not contain casein) Sour cream Sour cream solids Sour milk solids Tagatose (sweetener derived from whey) Whey in all forms (including sweet, delactosed, protein concentrate) Whole milk Yogurt |
Ingredients which may contain milk protein flavorings:
- Caramel coloring
- Brown sugar flavoring
- Bavarian cream flavoring
- Coconut cream flavoring
- Natural chocolate flavoring
*Please Note:
Lactic acid is found naturally in sour milk but also commercially produced from whey, cornstarch, potatoes and molasses. Therefore, if listed on a product as an ingredient, you must verify its source.
Q. What isn’t casein?
A. There are some ingredients that sound a lot like casein but aren’t.
- Calcium lactate
- Calcium stearoyl lactylate
- Cocoa Butter
- Cream of Tartar
- Oleoresin
- Sodium lactate
- Sodium stearoyl lactylate
