BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Food Allergies => Topic started by: deckchariot on April 08, 2011, 12:47:49 pm
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We just found out yesterday that dd2 (in addition to reflux) has a milk protein allergy. So I'm going dairy free. My ped said go off all dairy (and avoid soy as a substitute just in case) and then after 2 mos, try reintroducing one thing and see what happens. DD2 is ebf. Dh and I don't eat a lot of processed food, so I know that helps, but I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed at where to start. I know there's lots of good resources here, so I'm not asking about that, I guess mainly just some personal btdt experiences of how this can work.
TIA
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Dh and I don't eat a lot of processed food, so I know that helps, but I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed at where to start.
That is a great start...there are so many processed things milk hides in that you would never think of.
For me the biggest thing was learning all the names that dairy can hide behind...once we got that down pat it is now like second nature to always scan the ingredients of anything before we buy it and to make sure and bring food for Spencer when necessary if we are going out.
Are you to avoid trace soy too? I've read on another website( http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/ ) that doing that is much tougher than dairy, cause apparently soy is in next to everything. We didn't have that issue, so I'm no help there!
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no, I don't need to avoid trace soy at this point - my ped just said not to use soy as a dairy substitute to avoid complicating the issue (in case soy turns out to be a problem), so no soy milk, soy cheese, tofu - the obvious culprits. I saw the list on what is "dairy" in foods, so I'm going to print that out so I have it with me when I shop - who knew it could hide in so many places?! yikes!
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Hi Michelle, welcome to FA board but sorry you are here too :-* Out of interest has your LO been tested already for an allergy??
It is SO over whelming isn't it? You may find however that the reflux improves with no dairy - you never know ;). I would start by getting yourself a good stock of basic milk alternatives eg milks, margarines etc and some foods that you can eat. I found it useful to write a list of dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, and make sure you have some of these foods in, so when you are hungry and tired and looking for something to eat you can get inspired by it.
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Just wondering how you got a diagnosis for DD? I have found that Oliver gets mucousy with dairy so am also dairy free - Murray already is on a dairy free trial so I know what brands to use etc but it is so much harder as I know how tasty dairy things are!! To be fair though, I used to eat so much cheese and chocolate and now don't even really fancy either (apart from on rare days!).
Read every label; in the UK the food allergy label on each product tells you if it contains milk, etc so it is easy.
The main thing I struggle with is puddings (which I love!!) and eating out. If we are going to a big chain of restaurants I check the menu online for allergy lists (which most have) and otherwise I just choose what I think wont have dairy in it (got it wrong once for DS but he was fine!!).
There are actually a lot of things I assumed were dairy that weren't so it's not as bad as it seems! The odd ones with milk in them are salt+vinegar (and most flavoured) crisps, processed meats and low fat mayonnaise (Hellmans anyway - the full fat one is fine but the low fat one has cream powder!!!).
Good luck. It is worth it when you see results. If I feel like eating dairy I just remind myself of what Oliver is like all mucousy and it makes it worth it.
Hugs
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Yep - labels, labels, labels. In Canada, milk is an ingredient that's required to be clearly labeled in plain English. (so even if the ingredient list includes sodium caseinate, 'milk' must be stated somewhere)
Some brands that are fabulous: becel makes a vegan margarine that is dairy free. Carl buddig deli meats are all dairy free (just about every other one has milk ingredients), many kraft salad dressings are dairy free (Italian, Catalina, etc), Dare Breaktime oatmeal and Ginger cookies are dairy free too. Those are all Canadian, but hopefully there's some crossover!
If you have a sweet tooth, heres a website I use all the time: www.foodallergymama.com
Everything is dairy, egg, and nut free and her recipes are delicious!
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I tend to use "normal" recipes but just use dairy free margarine and oat milk instead of dairy versions - they usually taste fine!
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its quite easy to replace it in most cooking... but you do need to pick your treats
i found knowing my treats which i could have without dairy it made it easier
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OK here's some of my top dairy free tips:
1. Before coconut was cut from my diet, I found that coconut milk desserts was a good substitute when the sweet tooth called.
2. There is absolutely no replacement for cheese worth eating though!
3. Oat Milk is creamier tasting than rice milk
4. Dark chocolate 70% cocoa is dairy free and ok in small quantities - watch out it's a powerful stimulant
5. Soy sauce substitute for matrinating meats : - maple syrup and balsamic or malt vinegar - suprisingly good!
HTH x
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great tips ladies!!! I'm reading labels like crazy and still trying to wrap my head around it all. We got the diagnosis because she had green mucous poops, so I called the dr and she asked me to bring in a diaper to test, they tested it, and it came back positive for a milk protein allergy. We already had the reflux diagnosis at that point. I'm avoiding as much soy as possible, but not being as diligent on that as I am with milk right now, we'll see. I'm finding soy in a lot of bread (as soy lecithen), so I'm hoping that's not a problem.
eating out is challenging, but I'm just asking lots of questions and thinking now I'll save money on eating out ;) Sweet treats are also going to be a problem. So thanks for website tips! My birthday is Weds, and my mom and dd1 were going to make cupcakes - but the recipe has milk :( So no cupcakes for me....
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glad it is going well - I agree about desserts being hard (unless you make them) .... happy birthday when it comes - use oat/rice/almond milk in the recipe instead and enjoy some cupcakes :)
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My birthday is Weds, and my mom and dd1 were going to make cupcakes - but the recipe has milk So no cupcakes for me....
Oh, but it's so easy to replace it! I use soy, but there are many other non-dairy milks available. Hmmm, not sure what others would work best in baking, I'm so used to using soy.
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You can do it!!! My LO had reflux (mainly nasal congestion) and bad ezcema and then right around 7 wks old he had green mucousy blood streaked stools. So my dr told me to cut out dairy, which helped a little bit, but honestly he didn't get 100% better until I went on a total elimination diet (TED) and then added foods back in to figure out what he was intolerant to. After a good 4 wks we found that he's having problems with diary, soy, egg, and tomatoes. So I'm avoid all of those, and nuts and shellfish just to be on the safe side. Hopefully you won't need to be that extreme! But I just wanted to offer you encouragement that it can be done!!
I would definitely cut out ALL dairy, which I think you said you were? And soy because soy and dairy proteins are very similar and a lot of babies who have problems with dairy will have problems with soy (a lot but not all). But you're right, it's tough because if it doesn't have milk in it, it usually has soy, or vice versa. For the dairy, I've found that finding vegan products is helpful. And sweet and white potatoes have become my new best friends! LOL!
You just have to be diligent about reading labels, and make most things yourself. Good luck, you can do it!! Don't get discouraged if it takes some time to see improvement you have to let your LO's gut heal, YKWIM? It could take 2 wks (or more) for all of the mucuos to go away.
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If you can get through the first 3 weeks that's the hardest part. And expect to make lots of mistakes. You can eat cupcakes if you use rice milk.... we bake with rice milk and dairy free butter and gluten free flour as our substitues and things like cakes and cupcakes taste absoutely fine, as do pancakes, waffles, and pikelets.
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we found some dairy free cupcake mix :) I'm starting to get the hang of it - and getting a handle on what is "safe". I'm not eliminating trace soy yet, I"m hoping I don't have to. We're starting to see some improvement in dd2's crying spells, so I'm encouraged by that!! You ladies are wonderful and a great encouragement to me!!!
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GLad it is going well - hope you had a lovely birthday, if it is/was today (sharing it with my best friend's husband, and her first ever niece was born today in the Czech Republic too! :) )
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Brilliant - well done!