No dairy question

[bec28]

I'm not sure if this is the right place or not so feel free to move it if you need to

DS is almost 4 months old and EBF. I have eliminated dairy from my diet to see if that would help his spitting up and the little bit of cradle cap (and maybe some exzema, I'm not sure) he has.

It's been about a week and a half, and I'm just curious. Do I have to avoid ALL dairy? Like, no butter in my mashed potatoes? And no chocolate? What about using butter to cook pancakes?

I know I have to do this for about a month to get all the dairy out of my system before I'll see if there has been any affect, but already, the only foods that sound appetizing all have some sort of dairy! I never realized how pervasive it was!

I hope this doesn't sound whiney...it's just been one of those weeks and I could really use a chocolate fix

[ramama]

Originally Posted by bec28

I'm not sure if this is the right place or not so feel free to move it if you need to

DS is almost 4 months old and EBF. I have eliminated dairy from my diet to see if that would help his spitting up and the little bit of cradle cap (and maybe some exzema, I'm not sure) he has.

It's been about a week and a half, and I'm just curious. Do I have to avoid ALL dairy? Like, no butter in my mashed potatoes? And no chocolate? What about using butter to cook pancakes?

I know I have to do this for about a month to get all the dairy out of my system before I'll see if there has been any affect, but already, the only foods that sound appetizing all have some sort of dairy! I never realized how pervasive it was!

I hope this doesn't sound whiney...it's just been one of those weeks and I could really use a chocolate fix

Unfortunately, the only way is to avoid all dairy until you know if that's it or not. Sorry! But the good news is, you can get rice milk chocolate and it actually tastes really good. Chocolate soy ice cream is pretty decent (the chocolate over-powers the nasty soy taste).

[bajamergrrl]

I've been avoiding dairy too and yes it is tough. Right now I stick to avoiding the most obvious sources like cheese. Purely Decadent (Turtle Mountain Co.) makes coconut milk and coconut milk "ice creams" so that might be a tasty option if you don't want to do soy. I've been loving their chocolate peanut butter swirl.

[bec28]

Alright ladies Thanks! I figured that was the answer...

I think I'll have to look for that coconut milk ice cream. That sounds good! And I also did some reading online and found that supposedly, Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chocolate chips are dairy free. I might go to the store today and take a look

[ramama]

Oh, just thought I'd add that non-diary creamer has dairy in it. Go figure. Going dairy free was really really hard for me, since I was a heavy milk-drinker (nearly a gallon a day! LOL) It helped not to try diary substitutes for a while, until the taste of the "real thing" was distant memory. Eating fake cheese and vegan mayo just hammered home what I was really giving up. Chocolate really was the best way to satisfy my dairy cravings, as dairy-free chocolate really can be good, and hits the spot.

[hijadelrey3]

If you like to cook you can also make chocolate treats using cocoa and a milk substitute like soy, coconut, or rice milk. (Soy has always worked best for our family) We like to make chocolate pudding, chocolate cookies, etc. Cocoa powder does not contain milk.

[Mom2M]

Originally Posted by bec28

Alright ladies Thanks! I figured that was the answer...

I think I'll have to look for that coconut milk ice cream. That sounds good! And I also did some reading online and found that supposedly, Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chocolate chips are dairy free. I might go to the store today and take a look

Yep, I eat Ghirardelli's semi-sweet choc. chips! Very good! The coconut milk ice cream is amazing, I'm eating some right now and I don't feel as deprived.
I never realized how much of the food I eat contains dairy.

[bec28]

Yes, I just got some of the Ghirardelli's chocolate chips, and they are wonderful a little bite of heaven. I don't feel nearly as deprived now.

It really is eye opening to see how much stuff has milk as an ingredient! I never thought much about it before. The only thing I'm really missing right now is my cup of tea in the morning. I love to put a bit of milk and sugar in it and have really missed it. Although something my DH said this morning gave me an idea....

I might try putting some breast milk in it...see how that tastes.

Would that be weird?

[ratrodgrl]

Trader Joe's choc chips are also dairy free. You really need to read labels, though; whey & casein are in many things, including many whole wheat breads. I've had good luck with sourdoughs, though. Even some soy cheeses have casein! I just found out about Daiya 'cheese', not sure if you can get it (google it...) in your area.

Dark chocolates tend to be milk free, just check the ingredients.

Soy can sometimes also be a culprit if dairy is, so you may want to take it easy with soy products. Rice milk, oat milk are good low-allergy milk alternatives.

good luck!

[bandgeek]

Yup, I avoided it all. And I was pretty miserable for a while because I had no idea there were good substitutes out there.

But now I'm learning (for my own sake, dairy never did agree with me but the only time I eliminated it was when I was nursing) and there's TONS of great dairy free-products.

I like Earth balance margarine (way better than other margarines and even tastes yummy in baked goods), Purely Decadant coconut milk ice cream, and almond milk

For my chocolate fix, I make brownies or cookies with cocoa and a milk substitute.

And yes, I've made stuff with my own milk in it. Just make sure you only serve it to people who are ok consuming it. Lots of people are freaked out by human milk. I made blueberry muffins with it once and they were the RICHEST muffins ever! My friend used it for mashed potatoes and she said the same thing.

[Unconventional1]

I second the watch out for soy- DS had reflux from dairy and eczema from soy. DD can't tolerate cow/sheep dairy either-

But once I fully eliminated cow dairy, I was able to use goat milk products. I get raw goat milk, butter, ice cream, yogurt, the works. So you could slowly experiment with that- but try to wait 6-8 weeks to make sure you are truly cow dairy free!

Oh and DC always reacted more a week or two after I STOPPED eating the dairy- for some reason the exit out of my system made it worse for them. So if it seems like your LO is getting worse despite being of dairy- give it more time!

[karika]

we are GFCFSF here

I have done a lot of research into this and believe it is the healthiest thing people can do to remove casein, gluten, soy and corn (since the nation's supply of corn has mostly been compromised by GMO). When I firs thought of doing this, I was intimidated by what could be left to eat? It is easy it turns out and there is plenty to eat. First of all, Ghiradelli's most likely uses GMO products. http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/S...ners/index.cfm

Try Enjoy Life chocolate chips and bars instead (if your LO can tolerate it. dd1 could not tolerate me eating dairy free chocolate either, think it was the caffeine in the chocolate. I had to be chocolate free for a year and it was very tough, but I did it rather than hear her scream. of course I had a few infractions). dd2 does fine with me eating chocolate. We have homemade almond milk and store bought hemp milk for cooking and drinking. Cow's Milk is actually detrimental to a body (IMO) and the only safe way to ingest it is raw if you choose to ingest it. http://www.milksucks.com/index2.asp As for ice cream, let me tell you all the answer to your dreams! It is called Mimiccreme http://www.mimiccreme.com/ I looked up ways to make ice cream without a maker online, and found a few methods, but the only one that worked for us was sooooo simple. take the sweetened mimiccreme and put it in a baggie that zips close. add a few drops of flavor and zip it closed and palpate it around. (or if you want cherry or another flavor, put it in a blender or food processor first and whir it up with frozen organic cherries or blueberries... maybe a few drops of safe flavoring (I like almond flavor) then get it in bag. stick it in freezer. every 30 min or so, take the baggie out and smush it around. at some point it will get hard all around and you can't smoosh it anymore. it is then ready. I got lazy last time and just put it in freezer overnight and it was still tasty. it is not creamy like ice cream maker done this way, but there are recipes for using a maker on their site http://www.mimiccreme.com/community.html I still havent gotten a new replacement spread for rice and potatoes because I am looking for one that is canola, soy, corn, dairy free... many people use earth balance which has a soy free variety at whole foods. but since I don't like canola anymore i dont use it. so far I am using bacon grease to cook up an onion and a potato that I have cubed up real small, or making one pot meals that have a homemade roux in them them that I make with the unsweetened mimiccreme and potato starch... I use the unsweetened version in my decaf coffee and in cooking. I would definitely recommend giving up all forms of dairy for life or at least in the first 2 years of nursing. oh yeah you mentioned cheese, there is a brand new replacement product on the market called Daiya cheese, from waht I understand it is very much like real cheese.... it is in some whole foods, http://www.daiyafoods.com/ (click where to enjoy daiya at top to find out who sells it near you) and can be purchased online too. Apparently Amy's is making GFCF mac n cheese with it too. here's to our health!

[lthw]

I'm eating the Purely Decadent coconut ice cream right now! I've been gluten free since DS was a week old. He's 7 mos now. 2 wks ago I went dairy, chocolate, and nut free for DS to figure out eczema on his face, chronic stuffed nose, diaper rash, and short sleep stretches. Switched to soy milk. Within a day he was spitting up every time I fed him. So I added soy to the list. I use coconut milk instead of milk, coconut creamer in my coffee, and coconut oil to cook my eggs in (works well at high heat, not that strong a flavor). I ate a lot (A LOT) of marshmallows the first couple of days but then the chocolate cravings stopped. I think it's a sugar thing -- when you eliminate it, the cravings go away. I messed up a lot in the first week because of all the soy ingredients in things that I hadn't thought of (e.g., vegan butter substitute, gluten free pretzels, gluten free pizza dough). DS's eczema is gone. He's sick so I can't tell about the other symptoms. I'm giving it one more week until I start adding back the foods to discern which one(s) are the culprits. Now I don't have cravings but I"m a little bored with my food choices, I have to say! DS's clear skin makes it all worth it. Good luck, and PM me if you like! p.s., this blog helps with food choices & menu ideas: http://www.greenandbitchy.blogspot.com/

[ears73]

Wow, lots of great info - thanks mamas!

[texmati]

I'm a huge milk drinker too... when my son was younger, I thought I saw a difference by cutting back on just the milk I was drinking straight. I guess my son didn't have a full fledged allergy thought.

[bec28]

Thanks for the encouragement and info mamas! I was actually able to find that coconut milk ice cream and it is great! Creamy and smooth, just like regular ice cream

And actually, I'm feeling so much better now that I feel I have some choices of food to eat. I'm not even really craving them now that I have them....

DS definitely spit up much less yesterday. We'll see how today goes

And thank you karika for all the links to non dairy items. You definitely gave me a lot to think about!

[TeaJunkie]

Some of my favorite dairy free products (not mentioned above) are Tempt hemp milk ice cream (coffee biscotti is my fav!), Silk Pure Almond Milk, and coconut milk yogurt. I also second Earth Balance as a butter substitute (they even make baking sticks!) and the Purely Decadent soy ice cream (chocolate chip cookie dough is my fav). Oh, I also love the cookbook "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." It's awesome!

Good luck with everything! It really does get easier once you know what to avoid.

[notjustmamie]

I just wanted to add that if you're avoiding ALL dairy, you need to read labels on absolutely everything. I've been (mostly) dairy-free for years now, and I still run across stuff that I think should be safe but has hidden dairy, like taco seasoning, chicken broth, and lime-flavored tortilla chips.