If you or your child has just been diagnosed with a dairy allergy, one emotion you may be experiencing is panic. How will you replace milk in your diet? How will you manage without cheese, ice cream or yogurt?
The good news is that millions of people do happily live dairy-free for medical and ethical reasons. You can eat very well dairy-free, and it's even easier than it was just 5 or 10 years ago, thanks to new products that cater to a growing population of non-milk drinkers. The bad news is that managing a dairy allergy goes beyond avoiding obvious dairy products.
Consider this Dairy Allergies 101.
Educate Yourself About Dairy Allergy
Photo © Alecsandro Andrade de Melo, stock.xchng
The first step in dealing with any chronic medical condition is to learn the basics of that condition so that you can know when your body's telling you something important and avoid needless risks. In the case of a milk allergy, you need to know how food allergies work, which symptoms require immediate attention from your doctor, and a few quirks that are unique to dairy allergies.
Reading Labels for Dairy Allergies
FALCPA, a law that went into effect in the United States in 2004, made reading labels far simpler for individuals with dairy allergies. Packaged foods are required to indicate the presence of milk in so-called "plain language," which means that they will have "milk" or "dairy" listed among or at the end of the ingredients list. This does not apply to produce, plain meat and seafood, or food sold at restaurants, sporting events and similar functions. Reading labels is a vital part of living safely with food allergies.
What You Can Eat
Growing interest in vegetarianism has been a boon to the dairy-allergic community, as alternatives to milk are available at many retailers, and good dairy-free recipes abound. Keep in mind that all vegan recipes are dairy-free as you look for dairy-free alternatives to family favorites.
- Cooking for Food Allergies
- Dairy-Free Recipes
- Milk Alternatives and Dairy-Free Beverages
- About.com Dairy-Free Cooking
- About.com Vegetarian Cooking (includes vegan and dairy-free recipes)
Eating Out with a Dairy Allergy
It is possible to eat at many restaurants with a dairy allergy, but you do need to take some precautions. Good communication with wait staff and the kitchen is essential to your safety. Chef-run, family-style, and chain restaurants can all be good experiences, but restaurants vary widely as to their allergy friendliness. Be very aware of cross-contamination, and don't feel guilty about walking out if you don't sense that your allergies are being taken seriously.
Special Health Concerns and Dairy Allergies
Dairy allergies are a special health concern to young children, who tend to drink a lot of milk. This is especially true for infants, who may get milk protein in their diet through breast milk or through infant formula. If you have been drinking a lot of milk, do plan to replace the major nutrients in milk. They're all easily available in other common foods, but you may need to plan to add them to your diet. Finally, lactose intolerance is another condition that is different from dairy allergy but which requires similar dietary changes.
