Gluten Free Diary Free

[Worriedtodeath]

For some strange reason, I can't wrap my mind around diary free/casein free/whey free diet. GLuten came really easy but this is much harder for some reason.

I have 3 kids 10 yr, 7yr , 19 months. We know the 10 yr and 19 month old have lactose intolerance for sure. THey have both responded great to gluten free and due to the lactose need to be diary free for awhile. I haven't been able in the last week to get diary free. My middle son has not had much response to gluten free and after reading about milk allergies believe he may have a problem with the protein itself. SO now I am going to elimante diary out of everybody's system and see what happens. I've read removing diary should result in changes pronto so I am hoping he will have a great response to that soon.

BUt I can't wrap my head around it!!!! I bought lactaid milk but if it is protein for the middle child , he can't have that even if it is cooked in stuff, right?? So to cook and use butter/maragine what should I use?? I did switch to gluten free mixes that have no diary in them. Are there hidden sources or code names to watch out for _ And good god is it a smaller list than the gluten one....

And then what foods do I need to make sure they are getting a lot of to ensure they get plenty of calcium? I don't want to do supplements yet so I am looking at food. Where can I find a list of calcium rich foods?? The dr is always harping on how much milk they drink so I know when i walk in and say we are diary free, I had better have a list of how I am replacing that all mighty glass of milk.

Thanks

Stacie

[dandelionmom]

I was dairy-free for years (I didn't know I had Celiac Disease, I thought I was lactose intolerant). It isn't as hard as it seems once you get into it.

Instead of lactaid, could you try soy milk? It really isn't that bad. I like the Silk plain (red box) but my girls really liked the Silk Vanilla (it is kind of sweet). You can cook with the soy milk too, it works fine in almost all of the recipes I tried it in.

Instead of butter, I often sub olive oil.

I'm pretty sure that milk is one of the things that has to be clearly labeled. This site has a pretty good list of what to look for one labels: Open Original Shared Link

Some good calcium foods:

salmon

tofu

rhubarb

sardines

leafy green veggies (like spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, bok choy)

beans

almonds

sesame seeds

And my favorite was the calcium enriched orange juice.

[shayesmom]

Avoiding both casein and whey can be tough. But it's not impossible, nor will bones begin disintegrating the minute dairy is removed from the diet.

If you think about it, the only mammal which continues to drink milk beyond weaning is the human. All other mammals manage to grow and thrive just fine without it. And you don't hear of elephants suffering from osteoporosis.

Depending on the type of food you're making, there are several different butter substitutes. Olive and coconut oil are good for frying/sauteeing. Earth Balance buttery spread is good for mashed potatoes and to put on veggies (and I believe that Fleishmann's has one variety of margarine that would work). In lieu of regular shortening, try the Spectrum Organics shortening made with non-hydrogenated palm oil.

We use rice milk (not Rice Dreams) as a milk substitute. And in baking, I opt for light coconut milk because it adds moisture to the gluten-free flours that no other milk can duplicate.

In addition to the list the previous poster gave, things that are high in calcium are molasses and chia seeds (can be used to make "granola" bars). I also believe that amaranth contains more calcium than dairy, so you could work some amaranth flour into your baked goods. As for your doctor....I will share a tidbit that our dietician shared with us (she has her PhD). Most MDs are about 45 YEARS behind on nutrition. They only take one 3 credit hour class in nutrition which basically covers the difference between protein, carbs and fat. If your doctor expresses concern, ask for a referral to a dietician. End of story. If the discussion continues, ask your doctor about the benefits of anti-oxidants. Then ask him to name one oxidant. Dairy is an oxidant. Oxidation of the fats in dairy begins as it sits in the dairy case under fluorescent lights.

[Worriedtodeath]

nor will bones begin disintegrating the minute dairy is removed from the diet.

chia seeds (can be used to make "granola" bars).

I swear my ped is great and update on so much but just freaks whenever I go in and don't list the several glasses of milk, yougurt, cheese, and pudding. Must be her hang up. As she is intent on labeling the baby as Non Celiac even against the ped gi. So she's not bad.....probably has stock in the diary company

Chia seeds as in Chia pets??? Those aren't safe to eat are they? Or do they come some other way???? Showing real ignorance here.

ANd aren't all those ancient skeletons of man before they settled to be diary farmers stockier and heavier than people today???

Thanks

Stacie

[shayesmom]

Chia seeds as in Chia pets??? Those aren't safe to eat are they? Or do they come some other way???? Showing real ignorance here.

ANd aren't all those ancient skeletons of man before they settled to be diary farmers stockier and heavier than people today???

Thanks

Stacie

Yes, chia seeds as in chia pets. Not only are they high in calcium, but they are an incredible form of fiber. I buy the food grade seeds and use them in "granola" bars. You can also soak them in water and take them that way....but there is no real flavor. Plus, they turn into a gelatinous mess once soaked....so they can be slimy going down. They are safe for people with diverticulitis as once soaked, they won't get stuck in the intestines while 1 TBSP is all you need for your daily intake of fiber.

As for man being stockier and heavier before dairy farming....I don't know if that due to dairy or evolution. But if you look at how we evolved, dairy and grains were never really necessary to our evolution and are a fairly recent addition to our diet. Here's a "link" to a really great paper on why these foods are not necessary to our diet. I found the connection made between the two biggest plagues and where they came in connection with dairy farming and the agricultural age where grains became a staple to be very interesting. Type this into your search bar "The Answer. what in the world do I eat". You'll find a site maintained by doctorj....a veterinarian who has celiac along with other food sensitivities. His paper is eye-opening to say the least.

[April in KC]

Soy milk doesn't taste bad, but some kids can't have it - my oldest Celiac son is allergic to soy and peanuts.

He drinks the Calcium enriched OJ. Also Almond Breeze almond milk has added calcium, and it cooks up great as a milk substitute. We like Almond Breeze Original and Chocolate.

When cooking cakes, sometimes I add an extra egg, replace milk with almond milk, and also add applesauce to help with some of the moisture. Instead of butter, I often split 50/50 between Spectrum shortening (health food stores) and olive or canola oil.

For cinnamon toast, we toast, brush on canola oil and top with cinnamon sugar.

Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is casein-free or has 99% of the casein protein removed. So - depending on your son's tolerance, you might be able to use a smear of ghee on toast. Ghee is commonly used in Indian cuisine, but you can find it in the fridge at health food stores.

[dbmamaz]

I used earth balance natural - i think the regular earth balance had some dairy in it? I use that everywhere i used to use butter or margerine.

I dont like the taste of soy milk, and i've been using plain rice milk (full circle, which is like a generic whole foods brand) and almond milk. I like to cook with the rice milk - it seemed to make almost no difference in gravies, mashed potatoes, that kind of thing. My son was OK with rice milk in his cereal, but preferred the almond milk (which costs 3x as much). but also i was buying vanilla almond milk, to put in my coffee, so it was totally yum! They are both fortified with calcium (make sure to shake before evry use)

There is a lot of buzz for Gluten-free Casein-free diet in the autism community, so if you search Gluten-free Casein-free diet (gluten free, casien free) you will find a lot of websites which include recipes. Also, if you search on You Tube for kimmykrocker, she is a mom who has made a series of home videos of her Gluten-free Casein-free cooking, very easy stuff.

I know every time i find another thing i need to remove from my diet, I kinda panic for a few days (or a week or so!) but eventually you'll figure it out!

GL

[gfgypsyqueen]

I have to agree...removing the dairy is a bugger! One health food store employee finally gave me the easy start method...look for Vegan dairy substitutes. If it says Vegan it CANNOT contain dairy, casein, whey, or any of those other names I couldn't remember. So I bought Vegan butter, cheese, etc. It worked to get us started. Now I am much more comfortable with the gluten-free/CF diet. I have to agree the Autism sites have some good info on gluten-free/CF. My kids love English Bay non-dairy milk. It is potato based. They LOVE this one. I use it for almost all baking and cooking.

[taweavmo3]

It does take a bit to get used to, but it does get easier. For butter subs, we use Smart Balance made w/flax oil. I use this b/c I can get it at Walmart for less than $2. You can't bake with it though, so I try to find recipes that call for shortening or oil instead of butter. Or, I just buy a Namaste mix b/c those are allergen free, and super easy.

As far as food for the kiddies goes, I don't try to replace dairy products, we just do without. We do without cheese, yogurt, etc. and have actually gotten used to it. There are two flavors of Hunts snack pack puddings that are casein free...the lemon ane lemon meringue. And I always try to have some cookies, cake, or jelly beans on hand to satisfy those sweet cravings (that one is for me just as much as the kids, lol).

For calcium, we drink calcium fortified OJ, some almond milk, and I also give them a chewable calcium supplement (Nutrition Now Rhino Calcium). Another good milk sub is Vance's DariFree, it's a potato based milk that comes in a powder form. And I totally agree about checking out the autism sites, they are a great source of information not only on gluten-free/cf, but also supplements that may help our kids as well.

Our pediatrician isn't thrilled about my kids being casein free either, but he has also admitted that I probably know more about diet than he does. That made me smile. I honestly do NOT ask the pedi for nutrition advice, that is not the place to get info. And when the nurse asks me how much milk the kids drink, I tell her...I just don't go into detail about what kind of milk it is, lol.

[slee]

Hi-

I didn't finish reading everyone's responses, but I do want to add mine quick. I saw someone mention Flishmans (sp) it's the unsalted margarine that is dairy free, and tastes just the same as regular in our opinion. Also, my kids like soy, and rice yougrt, there is a good dairy free cream cheese (I think tofutti makes it), and sour cream, you'd have to check if they are gluten free though... haven't gotten them since we became gluten free as well. Almond milk is great, my kids love the chocolate almond milk, and coconut milk is good for cream soups. My kids prefer rice milk to soy to drink, or on cereal.

Like someone mentioned if it says vegan it's okay from the dairy standpoint. Also, Kosher (can't remember which, I think Pavre, but you'd have to check that too) is a helpful thing to look for.

[ruthla]

Also, Kosher (can't remember which, I think Pavre, but you'd have to check that too) is a helpful thing to look for.

Yes, Kosher Pareve cannot contain dairy, meat, or poultry, but it can contain eggs or fish (although items with fish in them are usually labeled kosher fish.) Many times kosher items will simply say kosher, or have the particular kosher symbol, if it's pareve, and will say "dairy" or "D" if it contains dairy, or "fish" or "meat" next to the symbol if it contains one of those.

However, all vegetable products are also pareve- including gluten! So you can't rely on kosher labeling for things to be gluten-free. Kosher pareve also includes many other allergens that some people need to avoid, such as eggs, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts.