Need Help Eliminating Dairy, please!

[luckymamaoftwo]

I've tried two dairy elimination periods, unsuccessfully, but ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO get it done this time around. I suspect that my 4 month old DS has an intolerance causing all sorts of gas, digestive discomfort, etc. and I'm at the end of my rope (not to mention the poor babe is so miserable at times) and can't fail this time.

Anyway, I can do just fine without the main dairy staples... milk, yogurt, sour cream, creamer.....but the last time I tried to eliminate dairy, I realized that the bread I was eating had nonfat milk listed as one of the ingredients, as did the granola bars I was relying on. WTF? Do I need to be that particular or are there such minute amounts in a piece of bread that it doesn't matter that much? I'm just not sure what to eat if I can't even have bread or a granola bar.

Please help....any suggestions very much appreciated.

[lyterae]

Originally Posted by luckymamaoftwo

I've tried two dairy elimination periods, unsuccessfully, but ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO get it done this time around. I suspect that my 4 month old DS has an intolerance causing all sorts of gas, digestive discomfort, etc. and I'm at the end of my rope (not to mention the poor babe is so miserable at times) and can't fail this time.

Anyway, I can do just fine without the main dairy staples... milk, yogurt, sour cream, creamer.....but the last time I tried to eliminate dairy, I realized that the bread I was eating had nonfat milk listed as one of the ingredients, as did the granola bars I was relying on. WTF? Do I need to be that particular or are there such minute amounts in a piece of bread that it doesn't matter that much? I'm just not sure what to eat if I can't even have bread or a granola bar.

Please help....any suggestions very much appreciated.

My dd is dairy intolerant, we've found that the Arnold brand of bread is usually without milk (still double check of course). We have not found any granola bars at a standard grocery store that are safe. We bought some at our local organic food store, I don't recall the brand though.

In a lot of homemade recipes you can substitute oil for butter, I make breadsticks using olive oil instead of butter for example. My dd LOVES coconut milk and coconut yogurt so we will use both in recipes that we need those ingredients for.

[Alyantavid]

Yes. At least when you do eliminate to check for an allergy. My youngest has been dairy free for years and we've found he can't handle casein, but does fine with whey (though we do limit that).

You can make almost anything at home with subs. We did find a brand of bread that's super cheap and dairy and HFCS free. So they're out there, but you just have to read labels.

[AFWife]

Yes. When you're trying to diagnose an allergy it ALL has to go. It's hard for the first month or so because it will feel like there's nothing you can eat (ingredient lists are your friend) Know that even if it doesn't say, "Contains milk" you need to read to make sure!

[Mama Mko]

Yeah I agree with the other posters. You need to cut it all out entirely. There *are* some types of breads sold that don't have milk. You just have to read all the ingredients every time because they can change without notice. We had found a granola bar we could have but they stopped selling it at our stores and I dont remember the name. Good luck.

[kjbrown92]

French/Italian bread "usually" is made without dairy. Or you can be doubly sure by making your own. Also in agreement that if you're trialing it, you need to eliminate all of it. Once you get to baseline (no symptoms) you can see if he can tolerate small amounts or goat's milk or whatever else you want to try. But without eliminating entirely, you won't know for sure. You might also want to keep a food journal, so you can track what you're eating, in case you need to eliminate another food. And if things get worse, then it usually means you're putting more of something else that's bothering him in you (like a lot of people replace milk with soy, and a lot of milk intolerant kids are also intolerant to soy).

[MariaMadly]

As a shortcut, go for things labeled vegan.

[mamafish9]

You can get bread and crackers and granola bars that are dairy free. And fortunately for you, it's one of the ingredients manufacturers are required to identify on the label (things like corn are far harder to avoid!).

What really helped me is to go to the grocery store alone, on a quiet morning, with a short list of staples, and then spend time reading labels and finding at least one of each of my "mainstay" foods that would work. If you have a natural foods or whole foods store near you, that might help expand your options. If you have really limited food choices, there are several online groceries (amazon.com) that carry things like DF granola bars.

[luckymamaoftwo]

Wow ladies...you are all so great. THANK YOU for responding to my post. My two "trial" elimination periods were thwarted by me relying on other foods, i.e. toast, snacks, etc. that I didn't even THINK to check first. Today is my first day of trial three and I'm going to be so diligent. I love the idea of going to the grocery store ALONE to check ingredients.

I should start to see some results in 21 days, right?

Thanks!

[AFWife]

You may start seeing some relief after a week or so.

[mamafish9]

We saw results within a few days. It can take 2-3 weeks for the dairy to be completely out of your system, but I'd be surprised if you don't see results a lot sooner than that.

In terms of hidden dairy, also check any supplements you are taking...

[luckymamaoftwo]

Originally Posted by mamafish9

We saw results within a few days. It can take 2-3 weeks for the dairy to be completely out of your system, but I'd be surprised if you don't see results a lot sooner than that.

In terms of hidden dairy, also check any supplements you are taking...

Supplements I'm taking are....
Prenatal vitamin
Vitamin D
Calcium, magnesium, zinc
Sustenex Probiotic

Just checked my absolute staple tortilla's ingredients and didn't see any dairy (that I know of...). Guerrero Brand. Anybody know if these are "safe?" If so, I can do without bread okay.

[mamafish9]

The probiotic could be grown on dairy, it doesn't say. Which prenatal are you on?

[karika]

your sustenex probiotic is not milk free. Ask for a vegan probiotic. We are GFCFSF here and wanted to avoid the strep strain in our probiotic... I just went to Super Supplements and asked for the vegan ones, then went from there. I found only one brand that suits our needs. There is a company (at least one) that specializes in GFCFSF supplements that mails them out, like you shop online. I would guess your prenatal is also not milk free. Here is a list of all the hidden names of dairy http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringauti...-is-casein.htm (halfway down) Here is hidden soy (because soy acts the same on the brain as casein, it should be removed from the human diet too IMO) http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringauti...hat-is-soy.htm In the beginning, we just didn't have bread. I made homemade GFCFSF muffins and pancakes from scratch and that sufficed. But then dd1 wanted a PB N J on something besides a rice cake. So we found Udi's bread in the freezer section of the store. It tastes like regular bread really. I agree you should remove all dairy and soy. I also recommend removing gluten. This means no processed foods (you can make your own tortillas or wraps GFCFSF, I do). It is actually easy to eat this way, we just eat fruit, veggies, and protein mostly. For baked items, I make cakes, cookies (peanut butter chocolate chips, no flour at all, very yummy) muffins of all types (blueberry, carrot, zucchini, all from the same basic recipe), pancakes, crepes, wraps (all are GFCFSF and I don't use corn very much either, only organic popcorn and organic blue corn chips) It can be done, it is very easy once you just stop buying anything premade and make it yourself. tocopherol is in so many things and it is soy.... there are many GFCFSF granola bar recipes here are two I have in my computer
Granola Bars I

2 c GF granola (above)
1/2c GF flour blend (use a bean blend if possible for extra protein)
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1c unsweetened applesauce*
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg, beaten or egg sub
1/2 c sunflower nuts
1/2 c coconut
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c dried cherries or blueberries
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8 to 9-inch square pan.
In large boal, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in
center comes out clean.
Cool. Cut into bars.
*If your child cannot eat apples, substitute with pear sauce. You can make it
yourself or use baby food pears.



Granola Bars II
This recipe is chewier and much sweeter--more like a dessert than breakfast.

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c pure cane syrup or GF brown rice syrup
1/2 c CF margarine, melted
1/3c nut butter
1TBS vanilla
4 c granola
1/2 c coconut
1/3c amaranth flakes (available from Gluten Solutions)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the first five ingredients and stir well.
Add the granola, coconut, and amaranth flakes and mix well. Press the mixture
into a greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan and bake until golden brown. Cool
and cut into bars.

Good luck on this new journey! I feel so much better and my body is working so much better.

[Jenine]

Check this bakery out! I discovered it the other day. A little pricey but good for treats and when you want to be lazy. She does mail order...

http://www.shortbreadnyc.com/SHORTBREAD_NYC/home.html

Good Luck! I know it's hard, I want through the same thing with DS.