Here were my top 5 questions starting out. My answers are through research of my own. I am no way medically trained, you should always consult your doctors.
1. What does it mean to be allergic to dairy?
In very simple terms it means your body attacks the milk thinking its a bad guy. The milk allergic body has a overreaction of the immune system, specifically to cows milk.
2. What can a milk allergic person eat?
What can they not eat?- See What’s Safe, What’s Not for a complete breakdown and Favorite Finds for food and product specifics. Basically a milk allergic person cannot have any component of milk and milk proteins (although to be super confusing a person can be allergic to one milk protein and not another- blood tests can be ran to see the level of each specific protein). Were talking cows milk, most coffee creamers, most yogurts, cheeses etc.. Fortunately for us, vegans have made our lives a bunch easier. Vegan cheeses and vegan yogurts are safe (I still ALWAYS read labels and call even if it says vegan.) Vegan products are made of 100% animal free products think: no egg, no dairy, no meat.
3. I think it’s a dairy allergy, now what?
This is a super broad question, but… My first point of direction would be to find a allergist. If your child is allergic, find a pediatric allergist; most children’s hospitals can point you in the right direction for locating one. If your in the central Florida area I HIGHLY recommend John’s Hopkins All Childrens- USF Allergy and Immunology.
4. Nursing & dairy allergies:
– Can I nurse my dairy allergic baby?
– Are they allergic to my milk?
Yes and No! The baby is allergic to the cows milk proteins which are transferred from what you (mom) eats, to baby via breast-milk. They are NOT allergic to human milk but the dairy that you put (so to speak) in your milk. If you completely eliminate dairy from your diet then milk allergic baby should have no problem. See Favorite Finds for some ideas on eliminating dairy from your diet. KellyMom also has a excellent section of their site dedicated to nursing and allergies.
5. How do I know if something has milk in it?
All products regulated by the FDA are required by law to label for all the top 8 allergens, including milk-more on product labeling here.
FALCPA is a law that requires any imported or domestic foods within the U.S. to be labeled- more on the specifics of the law here
“in plain English for any major food allergen” or any ingredient that includes a major allergen’s protein.
Products not regulated by the FDA are NOT mandated to label for anything including allergens.
Frustrating is a understatement when it comes to things like: lotions, vitamins, fever reducers, shampoos, hand-soaps, shaving creams etc.. For these products their ingredients are considered proprietary. Always call, always always always call the manufacturers. Explain there is a allergy and usually they can tell you right over the phone whether their products are: made on lines with dairy, or if the product contains milk itself as an ingredient. I’ve made the mistake before assuming a product is safe (FYI Children’s Blue Raspberry Advil contains milk) and had super scary consequences because of that.
U.S.food products all have labels usually on the backs of their products. You’ll want to look for statements like:
contains milk
may contain milk
milk (in bold)- listed in the ingredients
Whey protein (milk)
Lactic Acid (milk)
made in a facility with milk products