becoming dairy-free....advice?

[MamaLuna]

Hi, I am pretty sure that my 10 y/o dd is lactose intolerant and would like to try to get her off dairy (she gets stomach aches, gas, and sometimes bumpy scratchy skin--is that a symptom??). While we are at it, I am going to try to take myself off as well. However, my dh and ds are still very loyal to dairy, so we will be a split household I guess.

Anyways...I am looking for some food alternatives for her. Mainly for snacks (she loves cheese sticks) and lunch ideas. She's fairly picky, so we are having a hard time getting her off of some of the few foods that we can count on her eating. One of my concerns is protein. At least if she's eating cheese with crackers I know she's getting some protein.

Any ideas?

[MamaLuna]

And...oops again. sorry for posting 3 times.

[cathe]

I removed your other two posts

Also - I could move this to allergies forum if you like - you may get more responses.

Can she eat eggs? Hardboiled eggs are a fun (high protein) snack for kids. For lunch scrambled eggs can be eaten plain or in a pita pocket - also egg salad sandwiches.

Other ideas for snacks: apple slices with almond butter to dip, trail mix, crackers and almond butter, hummus or bean dip.

For lunches - peanut or almond butter sandwiches, bean and grain salads, are you vegetarian? If not, turkey and avocado sandwiches are good.

[MamaLuna]

Hi Cathe,
thanks for removing my extra posts. Sure, that would be great if you moved this to the allergy forum. It's been a while since I've been on here and I didn't see that one. Thanks for the suggestions. Like I said, she's pretty picky, but I am going to keep trying with some things that she normally doesn't care for, maybe she will come to like them more? I like your idea of eggs and hummus, I also like the turkey and avocado idea. Wish she would like beans more.

Thanks again.
~Erin

[mama_nomad]

Before you cut out dairy all together I would suggest rying raw milk first. You can obtain raw milk from a farm in your area or ask about it at your local health store

"Dairy" cannot be lumped into one category: Pasturized is totally different than raw dairy, because it has not had all of the "good stuff" taking out of it by pasturization, including lactase which helps break down lactose. this may sound crazy to you, but there are many people that believe that pasturization is completely unneccessary, just another fear-based and illogical thing we have come to believe is neccessary.

Here are some links to look at :

www.realmilk.com

www.westonaprice.org

If she is truly lactose intolerant, raw milk should not bother her at all. It is worth a look into...and I swear many people out there are doing it and it is healthy and safe!!

Good luck to you!

[cathe]

moved to allegies.

[MamaLuna]

Hi Mama Nomad,
Thanks for the raw milk tip...You know, we have actually been drinking raw milk from a local farm. I also thought it might make a difference, but didn't really notice one. I have not given up on that yet. I think we are going to do a milk-free break just to see what happens, and then re-introduce raw milk after a while.

Thanks again for the info!
~Erin

[wendy1221]

It sounds more to me like an allegy b/c of the rash. I htink lactose intolerance is one of the most overdiagnosed conditions in this country. It seems like so many people are told they're lactose intolerant when their symptoms sound more like protein allergy/intolerance. Justa thought. And btw, people don't need milk. Most of the people in the world don't drink milk and are fine and healthy. There are much healthier sources of calcium and protein out there than cow's milk. nak