milk allergy

Malinda - posted on 04/12/2009

Anne - anything that is meant to be helpful is not "bad" advice! I would hope anything said on a message board is cross checked with an medical professional, anyway. Who knows, maybe there is a good reason why goat's milk may work for her son, but this is what our allergist has said to us. It is truly amazing how much more information, support, and options are out there for those moms stuggling with *any* issue!



I also decided to search for groups and found several. I've joined Moms of Allergic Children. It seems like an excellent group - perhaps you should check it out!

Anne - posted on 04/12/2009

First off Thank you Malinda, I would never want to give unsafe advice. in retrospect  I am always amazed of two things, One how many Moms that are willing to offer support. Two how much easier (I am not even sure easier is the right word) my job as a mom with a child with a health issue I had it. I am part of an other group concerning children born with heart problems. The same daughter with the milk problem has Dextracardia.  It is where the heart and any or all body organs are on the opposite side of the body.( I checked this group out because of a question asked about a heart condition I myself was born with.) Any way these children whose mom's post on this thread have some truly sick children. Even as big a heart problem as mine was these children are very sick. Because I had time and felt so bad for giving you bad advice Jean I did search the other threads. I typed in Moms Food Allergies and found five groups. I would have listed them but I did not go into the threads and read any of the posts so I did not for the second time lead you astray. Have a Great Day and even though my children are grown it is still nice to know moms of today do not need to be "Lone Ranger Moms" but there is a lot of good advice and moms willing to offer their advice.

Malinda - posted on 04/11/2009

We're going through the same thing. Luckily I know a few moms in my boat who have given me great advice.



First, I would strongly recommend against goat's milk, as there is a strong instance of cross reaction with it. Try rice and hemp milks instead (they can be found by the soy milks, and they taste *much* better and are *much* better for your son). There is also rice cheese, but it has casein in it, so it's not a great option unless you know your son doesn't react to casein.

The nice thing about the rice milk is that it cooks very similarly to cow's milk. We've successfully used it for cinnamon french toast (our son is also wheat allergic, but not egg allergic so we used gluten-free bread, egg, and rice milk - the syrup is fine, too, if not sugary), and "omlets." I don't know where you live, but look for Hormel's uncured lunch meats - they are made with a milk-free starter culter and you get the benefit of avoiding nitrates. That is great in omlets and wraps with hummus or mustard. Tonight I made black beans and rice with chicken for my son. I cooked the chicken in olive oil, lemon juice, and a few spices (cumin, paprika, a dash of chili powder, and maybe a little oragano) and it came out really good. I served it with a corn tortilla, which is both wheat and milk free.



We're still learning and experimenting, but I'm finding that it's easier the more I think about what my son CAN eat and less about what he can't. If you son's only allergy is milk, try rice ice cream, baking with rice or hemp milks, gellato or just freeze fruit juice in ice cube trays to replace ice cream. Many candies are milk-free if you're looking for treats. Sure, you can't stop at McDonald's in a hurry any more, but your son's health will only benefit from that.



And remember, many children grow out of milk allergy, so while the next few years may be tough, use it as an opportunity to understand your food better and make better choices - those are lessons your son can take throughout his life.



GL! If there isn't an allergy group on CoMs, one of us should create one! :-)

Anne - posted on 04/11/2009

Have you tried goats cheese? Our youngest could not tolerate ANY formula that was available back in the late 80's. She could drink goats milk. Because she was under a year old I never tried her on goat cheese, so I can not offer any concrete experience with this part of your problem. The problem you may find with goat cheese is it has a different slightly stronger taste and it is more expensive.  Have you tried health food stores? They often can help give suggestions. Again price may be an issue. I live in MI and our Meijer has an isle with foods with the person with food allergies in mind.  Unfortunately you may not find very many prepared foods, so finding good easy recipes and reading All labels will be very important. You may also want to browse the rest of the Circle of Moms threads for one with moms with children with food allergies.