Dairy Free

[celiac-mommy]

I called to make an appt for the kids' yearly checkup with the gastroenterologist. He called me back to see how things were going and I mentioned that our dd has been complaining of random stomachaches. They aren't consistant and I know she uses them to get out of things sometimes (like chores and bedtime), but I would feel horrible to ignore them and have it actually be an issue. Anyway, he called back again and asked that we completely remove dairy for 3 weeks prior to her appt and then monitor the stomachaches.

I know the obvious substitutions for milk, yogurt, cheese and I will make as much of an effort as I can to diversify the alternate sources--don't want to sub all soy for example. But I need to know what else to look for. Is being dairy/casein free as critical as being gluten-free? Is cc as important? I know for those 3 weeks I will do my darndest to make sure cc doesn't happen, but if this turns out to be the culprit, I need to know (I am SOOOOO praying this isn't the issue!!).

Any help from all you df'ers out there, I would so much appreciate your wisdom. I kind of feel like I'm starting all over again!

[MaryJones2]

But I need to know what else to look for. Is being dairy/casein free as critical as being gluten-free? Is cc as important?

I'm sorry that your son is having issues. It is so frustrating at times. I've been dairy-free for 3+ years and I have to be every bit as careful with dairy as gluten but that isn't the case for everyone. I find a lot of dairy cc in products so you'll need to research the brands and ask the same questions about processes, manufacturing, testing, etc. Lactose is a popular additive to medications so that's something to check too.

[AliB]

Well, you could be right - it might not actually be the issue - there are so many things that we can potentially be intolerant of, but dairy is certainly a contender.

When I was totally dairy-free (I can tolerate a little now my gut has healed somewhat) I had to avoid it completely or even a small amount would bung me up which was a sure sign it wasn't working through properly. In some people it causes D. My daughter has been trying to get our youngest grandson on DF but it is so difficult - on top of the being small for his age and having some learning delay his symptoms are wiry untameable hair and a fairly regular rash, but then he is not gluten-free and I wouldn't mind betting that is behind it.

Dairy is in so much, as you say, almost more difficult than gluten-free. As it is only for 3 weeks I think you need to try and give it your best shot, then at least you are more likely to know one way or another.

I am wondering if it might be an idea to keep a food diary of everything she eats and drinks to see if a pattern emerges? Reactions, as you know with gluten, don't always happen immediately. At least then if she is still getting the stomach pains whilst DF you may have a little more info to be able to pinpoint the real culprit.

[taweavmo3]

I would definately stay away from replacing with soy like you said....it messes up my kids tummies as much, if not more, than dairy. We tried soy milk one night, and we were all up with bad stomach aches.

I think dairy is harder than gluten.....I know with my kids, so much of their "filling" foods were dairy. Most snacks were yogurt, cheese sticks, ice cream, etc. So it was quite an adjustment, but now we are used to it.

Here are a few of our staples:

Almond milk

Apples w/peanut butter & honey

Trail mix w/Rice Chex, raisins/craisins, and marshmallows

Delimex chicken taquitos for a quick snack...the beef ones have milk

Leftovers are essential.....I make huge batches, otherwise I never leave my kitchen!

Muffins and quick breads

For butter, I use Smart Balance w/olive oil. To bake, I use Earth Balance buttery sticks

And as for cheese, I haven't even bothered with replacements. There is only one I have found by Galaxy foods, and it was just okay. It wasn't worth the $5 for 8 slices when you have four kids!

As for ice cream, Purely Decadent makes a rice based ice cream that is pretty good. They also have a coconut ice cream that is supposed to be really delish, but I haven't tried it yet. Good luck with the trial, I hope you are able to figure out the cause of the tummy troubles.

[lizard00]

I think dairy free can be harder than gluten-free, too. You really do have to look for it in places you wouldn't ordinarily think. I can't do soy either. In fact, if I had to chose, soy products make me sicker than their dairy counterparts.

I use rice milk for baking and stuff, ghee for butter, and goat cheese for cheese. Although your daughter may not like goat cheese... it's got a very disinct taste. I've recently started using nutritional yeast to add a "cheeselike" flavor. It's different, but adds a nice flavor.

I LOVE the coconut milk ice cream and yogurts. YUMYUM! They even have a gluten-free cookie dough flavor.

[MaryJones2]

Liz's comments made me think of something else. You'll have to figure out the casein vs. lactose thing too. I happen to have issues with both so goat is out for me. I am a teetotaler but everyone has a different tolerance level.

[celiac-mommy]

I'm having a little trouble trying to figure out the total difference between casein vs lactose vs dairy free. I'm thinking she should be all milk-product free for those 3 weeks, whether it's cow/goat/sheep~we eat a lot of specialty cheeses that are goat and sheep. I'm finding it really hard because like taweavmo3 said, my kids also eat quite a bit of dairy, snacks especially. She loves her cheese sticks and yogurt!! I know I can make my bread df, so she can still have that. She eats a large variety of foods and when I talked with her about this she seemed fine with it because she said I can always find substitutions for her. (she's such an amazing kid!) I think the thing that was most devistating for her is not being able to eat my homemade mac&cheese. It's a staple in our house and it's the only thing she ever asks me to make for her.

I don't cook a lot with dairy, so preparing meals isn't much of an issue either, it's the baking and the snacking. Also, it's the label reading. I was online yesterday for about 2 hours trying to plan menus and shopping lists and I agree to what was posted before~I think this is harder than going gluten-free-I think dairy hides in nutritional info more than gluten does! We really didn't have that much of an issue going gluten-free-all in all it was a very smooth transition. I am hoping this will be as well.....

For a milk substitute, which she doesn't drink a whole lot of, I will probably go soy. I know she likes Silk and it will mostly be for cereal anyway. What is the best alternate for baking? I've had rice milk once and wasn't a fan and almond milk didn't really taste to me, but maybe it would be good for cooking...?

Thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciate it!

[MaryJones2]

Open Original Shared Linkfrom the Dairy Council covers casein vs. lactose and might help you out. I tend to associate stomachaches with lactose intolerance and I think that's the easier one to avoid. There are a lot of lactose-free products out there.