Allergic to Dairy Foods?

Dairy foods include milk, cheese, cream or yogurt and are amongst the most nourishing and enjoyable foods of all.

Sadly a milk allergy is one of the most common childhood allergies and often extends not just to cow’s milk but also to goat’s milk and non-dairy drinks such as soy milk or nut “milk”.

Symptoms of a dairy food allergy appear rapidly after eating or drink the food and may include vomiting, wheezing or hives. These are bad enough but a milk allergy can trigger a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis which requires emergency treatment.

Most kids will out grow a milk allergy at the age of 3 but this will depend on the individual. And even then it may be wise to be careful with cheese. Many folks think that if they are allergic to one dairy food then all of them should be avoided but each of these foods is different.

You may be able to drink milk with no symptoms but have an allergic reaction when eating cheese.

In my case, I am allergic to hard cheeses such as Cheddar but not to soft cheeses such as cottage cheese, Feta cheese or Brie.

If an allergy test shows you really are allergic to dairy products then you may want to consider alternatives such as “rice milk” or soy or nut drinks. These are often called milk although they should just be called rice drink or soy drink.

Many of these are from plants and look and taste like milk so that catering at home is not much of a problem. The issues arise when eating out! Sometimes the staff will not know all the ingredients of a food that is bought from a third party and careful questions will need to be asked. Best really if you can phone ahead to save frustration in the restaurant!

Allergies are usually reactions to proteins found in the food and in the case of milk it is the protein casein which triggers allergic reactions. There is also a sugar called lactose in milk which some people react to. This is a food intolerance but looks a lot like an allergic reaction.

Another reason that dairy food allergies are such a common problem is that many bakery products have milk mixed into the dough or used on the surface to provide a glaze. Other places to find casein include Ice Cream, protein powders and even processed meat.