How to Go Dairy Free

Breadsmith has *excellent* dairy-free breads! ,My favorite is the 100% whole wheat, but they also have softer breads that are great.

As for "milk" we use the Silk Fortified for Kids. It has extra calcium in it. My son won't drink it from a cup, but we put it on his cereal and in recipes if we make him special "cookies" or something. Places like Whole Foods have a lot more variety as far as substitute foods, but shopping there all the time can get very expensive! I've never found a fake cheese that tastes anything like real cheese, but when someone can't have something, sometimes they get used to the way fake things taste.

Our son is allergic to dairy (and eggs and peanuts). We found out when he was 7 months old, and he is now 4, so we've gotten pretty used to the dairy-free lifestyle.

I don't know why your daughter can't have any dairy, but if it's allergy-related, check out The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network web site: foodallergy.org.

We also have a very helpful cookbook called "What's to eat? The Dairy, Egg, and Nut-free cookbook" by M. Coss. We have used it quite a bit for things like pancakes, muffins, pasta dishes, meatloaf, etc....in many recipes we just replace regular milk with soy. Rice milk would work well too.

My son drinks Silk brand soy milk, both the regular (red carton) and the "Very Vanilla" (purple carton) which he loves with cereal for breakfast and as a snack/treat beverage. Every grocery store seems to carry it these days. We also buy the individual servings of the Silk Vanilla and chocolate to bring with us to places that don't have a soy option (restaurants, etc...). My son also loves the Silk brand yogurt.

If you look for the Kosher symbol on lunchmeat and hotdog products, that is a pretty good guarantee that they're dairy-free. We buy Hebrew National hotdogs.

The bread we like best is "Village Hearth Cottage Wheat Bread" and you can find it at all the local grocery stores. They also make a white bread version. Brownberry brand hamburger/sandwich and hotdog buns are dairy free as well.

Barbara's brand instant potatoes does not have dairy. We make them with dairy free margarine and soy milk, and they taste just fine.

We buy "Vegan" brand cheese slices which I get at Whole Foods or at the Wedge (21st and Lyndale). It is one of the few soy cheeses that has no caseins. They also make a "grated parmesan-type" cheese that my son loves on noodles. Right now we use "Smart Balance Light" for our butter spread, as it has no dairy (be careful because the regular one does). We've also used Fleischman's Light spread, but it has lots of trans fats, and Smart Balance does not.

For baking, you can use "Crystal Farms" or "Blue Bonnet Light" dairy free margarine. Butter-flavored Crisco has no real butter and works well too.

Duncan Heinz classic yellow cake mix is the only mix out there which has no dairy, and you can use most Pillsbury frostings, just check the label. Tofutti "cuties" soy ice cream sandwiches are terrific treats, and they (Tofutti) make a frozen "cheese" pizza that is wonderful! The "cuties" are in lots of stores; I've only been able to find the pizzas at the Wedge.

There is a bakery in St. Paul that makes chocolate Vegan cakes that are delicious! La Patisserie on Snelling and Randolph. They're kind of expensive, but we use them for birthday cakes and other special occasions.

My son eats Oreos, graham crackers, Club "puffs" crackers, Wheat Thins, Teddy Grahams, Keebler "Bug Crackers" and pretzels for portable snacks. Steer clear of all Goldfish crackers, even the pretzels, for they all contain dairy.

Hope that helps!

S.

hi S.. sorry you're having to deal with this. my 2-year-old daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs and peanuts, and when she was younger we also had to keep wheat and soy out of her diet. here are some things that have helped me:

- the food allergy and anapyhalaxis network (foodallergy.org) sells wallet-sized cards that list all the forms an allergen can take (for example, whey or casein for dairy). i found these cards enormously helpful when i first started reading labels because i knew what to look for, and i still carry them with me every time i shop.

- costco has the cheapest soy milk i've found in the twin cities; it comes in big cases of shelf-stable cartons, which is nice because you can store a lot without it being in the fridge. other than costco, i've found target has the best price on the silk soy milk two-pack: $5.14.

- soy milk is easy to substitute for milk in recipes, and you can make your own soy "buttermilk" by adding apple cider vinegar and letting it curdle for about five minutes.

- very few "soy" or "vegetarian" products are completely dairy-free, even margerine. look for "vegan" or "dairy-free." earthbalance buttery sticks are really nice.

- read labels every time you shop. it's tiresome, but ingredients do change without warning.

- izzy's ice cream in st. paul sells fantastic soy ice cream (or did; i haven't been there since summer).

- the post-punk kitchen (theppk.com) has lots of vegan (no egg or dairy) recipes. the women who run the site also published a great little cookbook called "vegan cupcakes take over the world;" they are the best freaking cupcakes i've ever had.

- i've tried to explain to my daughter that "some foods are not for you because they'll make you sick, which would make you sad. these foods won't make you sick - they are your 'happy' foods."

hang in there. it's overwhelming at first - i was scared and pissed. but now it's just part of our lives, and not even that big a part any more! ; )

My daughter had to go dairy free at around 3 for medical reasons. We struggled for awhile until I got smart about things. I went to our local health food store and was able to get everything from yogurt to icecream. My daughter loved yogurt, cheese and icecream and would cry when everyone else ate it and she couldn't. We were able to find it all in Soy or rice varieties. It all doesn't taste the same so you might have to try a different brand to find one she likes, Especially the cheese. I always packed her a lunch to take to school and if we were going to go out to eat I always took stuff with to suppliment what she couldn't eat. She was invited to a icecream party and i just called the mom and explained that she couldn't have dairy so I would bring her soy icecream when I dropped her off. It worked great. For milk we used chocolate soy milk and she was fine with this. It takes some time to get use to but she will adjust. Good luck.

I have been dairy free most of my life due to a whey protein allergy and found out (after accidental ingestion at a restaurant while breastfeeding) that my son has inherited this problem. Actually, over half my family cannot eat dairy. In fact, I was almost glad that I did not have to go out of my way to buy milk products when grocery shopping. With that being said, I do understand that the adjustment must be difficult. Our daycare, family, and friends have been supportive. All I had to do was give an explanation and it was accepted.

Even though I had experience, I consulted a naturopthic physician with ideas for complete nutrition. Almond milk was the recomendation over any other since it has more comlete nutrition. Rice milk, though good, is missing a few essential nutrients. Many people tried to pass off soy products to us and luckily, we are both intolerant, so we have an excuse. I can't say enough how horrible soy is for the body. It contains estrogens (we don't need any more) and has been shown to lower thyroid function in some people. Also be careful of milk replacements that contain chemicals subsitutes or things that appear healthy such as dairy free margerine (trans fat is never good - the current recomendation is zero). Become a label reader. Whey and Caisen and lactose are all milk related. Ask your doctor what the dairy problem is related to so you can read labels approrpiately. You can consult a licensed nutritionist (and L.N. not an R.D. - different training) or a naturopathic physician for some great food ideas and substitutes. Also look up books and websites. This is so common there is an amazing amount of information available.

I greatly recomend the co-ops in the Twin Cities or Frezh and Natural Foods. The staff are wonderful with advice and there are some great alternatives. I love dairy fee ice cream. Great bread as well. Even other grocery stores such as cub and rainbow have a small natural section that have milk repcemnts. I buy almond milk at Cub between co-op visits. Over time, your daughter may be able to have accidental dairy mishaps (depending on her problem with dairy) if she says away for a while. The health benefits are worth it.

Maybe it would help your daughter if you could wrap your mind around it yourself. I lost the taste for milk after I felt the benefits and have no desire to drink it. My son has never drank milk so he has never requested it. I understand it is hard, because it is part of our culture. However, remember this - we are not meant to drink milk because we are not baby cows! Obviously, I am biased against milk since it has caused health problems in the past. I will say that keeping away from dairy has given me more energy than I could ever express. The difference is amazing. I will have to say that my sons pediatrician is amazed at how clear his ears are for a child his age. Also remeber that calcium comes in many food forms and often cannot be digested from milk. Milk causes digestive problems, contains sugar and chemical additives, and is not natural for our bodies. As an adult, she will not have to face the health problems that come with heating foods that cause intolerances and allergies. Your daughter may come around after time. Be patient. If you are able to remain centered throughout the switch then she will pick up on that energy (and others will as well).

If possible, try shopping at a local co-op or Whole Foods. They are much more likely to have foods that do not contain milk additives. My husband is a vegan, and we find a lot of food this way. Our son doesn't drink cow's milk, more out of his own preference than anything else. The Silk brand "Enhanced" soymilk is my favorite and it is ultra fortified with DHA, B12, and calcium. I wouldn't use any other soy milk for a baby or child. Especially avoid the Silk "kid's soymilk." I noticed it has more sugar in it and the regular stuff is sweet enough.

There's a good cookbook called Vive le Vegan. Even though your child will probably be eating meat and eggs, there are a lot of good recipes in it that don't contain milk or cheese. :( The sad face is because I LOVE cheese. It's unfortunate she can't eat it. The best vegan cheese is "Follow Your Heart." Most other soy cheeses contain dairy (casein). FYH non-dairy cheese melts the best if you're making pizza. I sometimes prefer it over "regular" cheese. Nutritionally, fake cheeses don't seem to come close to real cheese, but it's fun to use so that you can still have cheese burgers and pizza and the stuff kids love.

Hope I helped a little bit.

Whats the problem that requires you to go dairy free? And who told you that you need to?

I'm only asking because alot of people get told they or thier child needs to go dairy free and they really don't, they can keep some dairy like yogurt and cheese because its so processed and broken down that the original problem (dairy protein) isn't as prevelant and won't affect the person.

I'm actually in the process of putting my kids on a gluten free, casein free, additive and preservative free, soy free diet. There are some health and behavior issues in some of them and we are trying to see if it will help any.
I just wanted to add that Coborn's has a nice selection of foods in their health and natural foods section. Rice milk can sometimes get expensive so I found a recipe to make it and it's pretty easy. I cup of cooked rice with 4 cups of water. Blend well in the blender and strain out the bits in a strainer. You can add vanilla or whatever flavoring that will get your child to drink it. I tried the store stuff and it tasted kind of chalky so I'm hoping I can get mine to taste better :o) so they'll actually drink it.
My other suggestion is to make sure to give a calcium supplement. There is a liquid Calcium/Magnesium/D supplement at Coborn's in the health section that I give my kids. It tastes like orange cream and my kids never let me forget to give it to them - they love it. Just ask the pharmacist how much to give based on her weight.
You have gotten some great advice from lots of Mom's on here so I'm hoping it will be easier for you.
Best Wishes,
J.
Mom to 4 going on 5

Two pieces of advice for you. First, you will find help with milk-substitutions (both product and advice) if you shop at a Natural Foods Co-op. If your daughter understands she feels better with non-"real" milk, she may come around.

It is very possible she will out-grow this intolerance, but in the meantime, I strongly encourage you to find a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (this is not the same as a chiropractor who does acupuncture) to find out what the larger imbalance is that is causing the inability to process milk. Resolving the imbalance is key to long-term health.

I just went dairy free for my ds for awhile, just trying to figure out some aversions/allergies she might have. It was not easy but Trader Joes has quite a few options, I don't live near a Whole Foods but they would also have quite a few options. We switched her to rice milk (soy milk is also an option but should be limited due to new research about estrogen and soy). Trader Joes has the most cost effective rice milk compared to Cub and Target. She took to it right away so we didn't have a problem. The one problem is that it does not have protien so you will need to find a way to get more protein in her another way since it won't be in her milk anymore. Cheese is a tough one as most soy or rice cheese also have casein (a milk protein) which is still an allergy risk so you will have to pay close attention to cheese alternatives to make sure casein is not in the ingred's. The fiengold diet is a popular diet program and if you go to their website (I believe its fiengold.com) and pay to join they send you a book that gives you options on where and what to buy that would be dairy free. Also there is a boy in our church that is deathly allergic to dairy products and his mom started a group of Minnesota parents with children with allergies, I am not sure exactly what the group is called but it is a support group for families dealing with allergies and I am sure they would be a wealth of knowledge and support. Google Minnesota allergy support groups and it should come up.
Good luck, it is certainly not an easy task but there is a lot of support to be found out there.
K. H