Milk Allergy in toddler...How to Get Enough Fat, Protein, and Calcium?

I work with a lot of families and for kids of all ages this has been their "drink" of choice.

http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/isaleanshake.dhtml

It not only has a balance of carbs, fats, proteins etc, it has the daily recommended vitamins, nutrients and minerals as well.

B.
Family Wellness Coach

You can give him Avocado, Chick peas (humus), soy beans. Calcium from spinach and other dark green veggies. He can eat chicken, beef or ham for protein. He can also benefit from soy or rice milk.

Good luck!

Milk Allergy is super serious and since you have two kiddos you're going to need to adjust the way you shop for groceries and how you fix your meals...my friend who has been dairy free since her oldest was diagnosed with casein allergy recommended these sites.

The No Milk Page
www.nomilk.com

Food Allergy Network
www.foodallergy.org

Nondairy Milk Recipes—Leave the Cow’s Milk for the Calves
www.veganmania.com/pages/non_dairy_milk_recipes.htm

Go Dairy Free
www.godairyfree.com

Good Luck!

I'm vegan so I understand your concern! My husband thinks I am going to perish without milk and cheese. I second the advice to eat avocados (in smoothies, google it!) and peanut butter as well as other nut butters. If you are fortunate enough to have a food processor, you can easily make your own peanut butter and thereby avoid the potentially contaminated store versions. Also, google vegan recipes and vegan websites. I make cupcakes and cookies without milk and no one would be the wiser! Limit the soy milk (phytoestrogens) and also use fortified rice and almond milk. Two sites I like:
www.theppk.com
http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=40&amp... (vegan mac n cheese sneaks in veggies and everyone loves it!)
Did your doctor suggest going to a nutritionist or dietician if your insurance covers it? Another great option.
Good luck!

Hi A.,

I have a daughter who is allergic to milk. She was also diagnosed Failure to Thrive since she was 2 months old and weighed less than she did a birth. Her allergy is so severe that I was unable to breast feed (to the shock and horrors of all on this site I'm sure). Her allergy manifests itself as hives and itching but is so severe that she only has to touch a milk product to react. Our pediatrician put her on soy formula and she was within weeks back on the growth chart. She has never been below 75% since then. You are not alone and have nothing to feel bad about. That was the worst part for me. Other mothers made me feel terrible about not breast feeding.

My daughter is now nearly 4. Feeding her got easier as 1) I got used to reading labels and asking for special treatment in restaurants and 2) the the list of foods she would try grew. We use soy cheese and soy yogurt (although you have to check the labels because they can add casein or whey into these products)-always the full fat versions. She eats beans, hummus, meats, and eggs for protein. She gets her calcium from dark green vegetables and calcium fortified orange juice. I've never worried about fat sources-toddlers and preschoolers seem to work enough treats into their day (crackers, bagels, etc.) to cover that. Calcium has been my biggest concern. Luckily she loves vegetables.

Good luck. With time and practice it gets easier.

K.

Some ideas for you for calories:
Carnation Follow Up Soy or Next Step Toddler Soy are toddler formulas- check w/ your pediatrician and/ or a nutritionist. To add calories- adding vegatable oil to babyfoods, veggies, sandwiches, casseroles, soups, rice, whatever. Wheat germ can be added easily to homemade baked goods i.e. pancakes, cookies, breads. Can be added on top of alternative yogurt, fruit, cooked cereals. Sprinkle cheese (almond, soy, rice varieties) on toast, veggies, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, eggs, cooked cereals, casseroles, meat, fish. Alternative cream cheese is good for dipping crackers, veggies, fruits and can be spread on breads and muffins. Eggs. Peanut butter (check with pediatrician... some allow it to be introduced earlier than age 3) But it can go on veggies, crackers, toast, muffins, waffles, and tastes great in shakes, cookies. Sour cream (again alternative) on potatoes, add to casseroles and sauces. Avocado. Salad dressings- on veggies, salads, over meats as a cooking sauce. Beans, legumes, peas are another option for protein- great in quesadilla with melted (alt.) cheese. Adding flax seed oil to (alt) yogurt can add fat too.
good luck!

My son also has a milk allergy. For the fats I give him avocados. He loves it and it is a healthy fat for him. I also give him soy yogurt along with whole soy milk (not the light). I make sure I give him fruits and veggies all day. Usually at night I give him some type of meat. We also give him polyvisol vitamins. Good luck.

The highest source of calcium (and one which the body can actually absorb) is actually in dark leafy greens... NOT milk. Also sardines. My little girl used to live on sardines when she was a toddler. I would make them (either fresh or tinned) with potatoes and a tomato sauce. They were here favourite!

Fat.... Avocados and oily fish salmon, mackerel, Nuts though make sure he doesn't have a nut allergy!

Best of luck.

Is he lactose intolerant or allergic to the milk proteins?

Ask your Doctor, if he can take "toddler formula." These are packed with vitamins and iron. My son for example, who is just REAL picky... was on toddler formula... because he would not drink milk just straight and does not like any cheese or yogurt. But, he would drink milk... if mixed with a little Formula. Per my Pediatrician, this was fine and recommended. OR, have your son drink "milk free" or soy based Formula. Still...it will be packed with vitamins, protein, and iron. It is healthy.. and he will at least get nutrition this way and a full range of vitamins, and DHA.

Or, some children who are allergic to milk, drink: Almond milk, or goat's milk. Both are said to be on par and healthy as milk in terms of proteins and fats, necessary building block nutrients.

Since your son is in the failure to thrive percentiles... I would really make sure is he is eating nutrient dense foods... does he eat eggs (the egg whites)? Also, avocado is good too. Or, Hummus. All nutrient dense and full of calories. Give him meats... minced up so he can eat it without choking. What about salmon? This is a nutrition packed food, and full of 'good' oils/fats.

ALSO, you can supplement him with "Omega-3" vitamins, for kids. These are essential for health and brain development.

Ask your Pediatrician for food recommendations or have him/her refer you to a Child Nutritionist.

All the best,
Susan

tofu, beans, peanutbutter, plenty of green veg have calcium, whole grain pastas, rice, breads

I can share a product with you that has helped failure to thrive babies. I understand your dilema. Having given up milk at our house and realizing that rice and soy are over processed and not healthy, we struggled with it as well. You didn't mention if you were interested in alternatives. Let me know. Thank you, J.

A.,

My 2.5 year old has had a milk and soy protein allergy since birth. Once I quit breastfeeding (at 18 months), I switched him to hypoallergenic formula. We are using Similac Alimentum. If he's too sensitive for that, there is "more" hypoallergenic formula - Elecare or Neocate. You can get Alimentum at the grocery store but I usually order from www.i-medica.com. Buying it by the case is quite a bit cheaper. Neocate or Elecare is special order. You can get it online or through a pharmacy.

In general, in addition to the formula, my son is on a primarily "whole" food diet. The closer it is to nature, the less chance there is something in it he can't eat. He eats a lot of meat, rice, potatoes, veggies and fruit. It is really a pretty healthy diet. I stuck with the formula to round out his diet because it is difficult to get enough fat and calcium with what he can eat. In my experience, dairy really isn't all that hard to avoid but soy is hidden in most foods. And at 14 months, he really didn't eat enough table food and enough variety to get a really balanced diet without some milk source. At 2.5, it is more of a beverage but it does help on those days when he acts his age and won't eat anything.

It is hard to adjust to a "real" food diet. Giving up convenience foods was a huge adjustment for us. But I was fortunate in many ways that my son had the issue the entire time I was breastfeeding. I had plenty of time to perfect the diet before he started on solid foods so I had a pretty good variety of foods identified before I needed to feed him directly.

If your son's only issue is dairy, having soy as an option opens up a lot of possibilities. There are things like soy milk, yogurt and cheese. You do have to read the labels to make sure they don't have any dairy in them. Tofu is also a great option for calcium, fat and protein.

I've unfortunately got quite a bit of experience with this type of thing so if you need more info or just some sympathy, my email is teralee999 at hotmail dot com.

Good Morning A.,

I have many food allergies. I have had severe food allergies since birth. I just recently starting seeing an NAET allergist. NAET allergists are the ONLY allergists in the world who treat and Elimiate allergies. I recommend that you log onto site NAET.com and locate a NAET allergist in your area and have yourself and your family all tested for allergies. If allergies go untreated they can lead to mental and physical illness. I know because I have experienced the affects of untreated allergies.

Western Medicine cannot help you. NAET uses Kinesiology as part of their treatment, so a little different approach, but the great thing is no drugs are used. Completely holistic treatment.

Since I've been seeing my NAET allergist to treat and eliminate my allergies, my health is improving. And the treatments and eliminations are working!

I am also completing my degree in Nutrition Science, so I can answer questions if you have any, my email is ____@____.com, if I were you, I would just go to NAET.com locate and allergist, make an appointment and have the testing done. They will walk you through everything that they need to do to help your child. And, my guess is that if your child has milk allergies, that he most likely has other allergies as well. They ALL need to be eliminated so that he does not have health problems in the future.

Be Well.

N.

Ask your pediatrician about Hemp Milk. I give it to my son sometimes and it's high in protein.-www.weelicious.com

Hi A.,

Sigh. I'm getting tired of having to respond to Nicole's constrant recommendation to see a NAET "allergist." There is NO scientific evidence that applied kinesiology can either diagnose allergy or be used to treat it. The process makes absolutely zero physiological sense. The amazing thing about NAET is that it "finds" allergies at a rate that is about 60 times higher than are found to exist according to scientifically sound epidemeological studies. Considering that it is so good at finding things that probably aren't there in the first place, it is no wonder that it has great success in "curing" them. I have no doubt that believers find relief in the treatments -- psychosomatic relief can be as real as psychosomatic illness and I do believe that many chiropractic practices really can make people feel better -- this just isn't one of them!

Since your child's milk allergy has been diagnosed, I assume you've had some reputable testing done and that other allergies have been ruled out. It is true that some people can have multiple sensitivities, but we're finding more and more that it is rare for an individual to be sensitized to more than 2 or 3 allergens (although it does happen). You should be aware, however, that allergy is a progressive disease that can evolve into allergies to inhaled allergens (molds, pollens, etc) and the endpoint of the disease can be asthma. Practicing strict avoidance of allergens can slow or halt this progression, however, so it is very, very important to do exactly what you're doing. Fortunately, many children will outgrow their food allergies, so it is worthwhile having your son tested every few years.

Also, I encourage you to keep up with your baby's immunization schedule. Exhaustive metanalysis of the breadth of studies that have investigated the connection between immunizations (especially MMR) and at least autism have conclusively shown that there is no supportable link. In fact, a specially convened vaccine investigatory court just ruled this morning that there IS NO LINK BETWEEN CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS AND AUTISM. See: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/12/health/main###-...

The problem with the rationale behind the claimed links to immunizations and other childhood diseases that are "on the rise" is that the evidence is predominantly circumstantial and anecdotal. They run along the lines of "immunizations are given in childhood. Allergy, autism, ADD and ADHD are diagnosed in childhood. Allergy, autism, ADD and ADHD prevalence appears to be increasing. Therefore, vaccines must be the cause." This is faulty reasoning. I would suggest that these diseases aren't actually increasing in prevalence (except for allergy, which is more likely to be linked to improved modern hygiene, oddly enough), but rather that our ability to RECOGNIZE and diagnose them is what is increasing.

Not surprisingly, these types of medical advances are keeping pace with the sciences of immunology and virology that enable the development of new vaccines. We have generated more scientific and medical research in the last fifty years than had been generated throughout all the rest of human history. The sheer number of scientific papers published annually is testament to this: consider that in 1665 there were only two scientific publications in the world (one in France and one in England), and these covered diverse topics in physics, chemistry, anatomy and neurolgy. Now, over 1 MILLION articles are published each year!

Vaccines have proven to be a tremendous boon to humanity. Witness the elimination or virtual elimination of killers such as smallpox and polio, the control of diseases such as Rubella, which was responsible for large numbers of miscarriages and children born with congenital rubella syndrome -- a life long disease characterized by cataracts, hearing loss, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and diabetes and schizophrenia in some cases later in life. The relative risks of substantial damage or death involved from contracting these and other diseases (such as measles) are much higher than the risks of a severe negative reaction to an immunization. Negative reactions are fairly rare events, so they tend to get far more attention and publicity than the millions upon millions of children (and adults) who have had no adverse reaction.

My apologies for using your request as a soapbox! Oh yes, and about your question. Beans are an excellent source of protein, fats and B-complex vitamins. Green leafy veges are high in calcium. Some orange juice brands also offer a calcium-enriched variety. Eggs are a good source of protein and fats, although the yolk is high in cholesterol (but your little one needs this to grow right now, anyway), however they also tend to be a major allergen. Soy milk, rice milk, and nut milks can provide good nutrition and are typically calcium fortified but tend to be higher in sugars. Soy and tree nuts are high on the list of potential allergens, too. Meat, chicken, and fish all provide proteins and fats. And then, there's the good ol' polyvifluor! This can be a very important source of vitamin-D and folate, both of which are essential for calcium uptake and bone development.

there are lots of veggies that contain calcium..just google..i use almond milk a lot..i like the vanilla and the chocolate by Blue Diamond you can get it at Trader Joe's

Have you asked your pediatricain to set you up with a nutritionist? That might be the best bet. There are many foods high in protein & fat - meats, nuts, vegies, etc. Although you need to be careful with nut intake until he is older. If he was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive, I would think his doctor would direct you better. Maybe set up an appointment to discuus this with him/her. And if you don't get the answers you want take him to another doctor for a second opinion.

Good luck.

My kids are dairy allergic - we use WestSoy brand Soy milk. (It is a healthy one - check labels, some are not) It has all the calcium and Vit D of regular milk along with good protein. You can look for many other soy products such as yogurt, ice cream, soy cheese, pudding, etc. Most of these will be good sources of protein and calcium, check labels (make sure they don't contain whey or casein - these are forms of dairy) As for healthy fat - that has always been a concern of mine too. Here are some of the things I would suggest - avocado, eggs, fish or fish oil supplements (mixed in w/ food). If he is ready for this - toast spread with sunflower seed butter (This is like peanut butter but is less likely to cause an allergy. I would not give him any nuts or peanuts until after age 3 - it can trigger an allergy, especially in a child that is already proven to have a propensity for allergies)You can buy sunflower seed butter at Trader Joe's or Albertson's. It is high calorie and high in good fats.

I would suggest that ypu spread some tahini on a whole grain bread, and put some blackstrap molasses on top. If you make it like a sandwich (folded for instance), he can eat it wihtout being too messy. I know this is not a whole solution but even for adults having the above recipe once a day covers for about 30% of daily calcium and 30% iron needs +it is delicous so you won't have any difficulty trying to feed it to him (oh, did I mention: full of calories and healthy fat as well? ). However, I want to caution against tofu because it contains a lot of a substance that is similar to estrogen which is not good for boys. Occasional soy bean products would not hurt i suppose, but I myslef am trying to refrain too much of them just becuase it is high in calcium and protein. I think the estrogen content offsets any benefit boys might get from tofu.

Does he eat meat? Brocolli is a surprisingly good source of calcium. Nuts and nut butters are loaded with protein and good fats, as are whole grains. Try giving him bean burritos with black olives instead of cheese. We aren't very allergic to dairy around here but it does give us congestion so when we get colds we switch to soy products which have a lot of protien and calcium. Try sprinkling wheat germ on just about anything for some healthy fat. Good luck!

Hey A.,
You have some really good responses so I'll just suggest that you give him goat's milk. You can get it at Trader Joe's and you WON'T have the same problems with it as cow's milk. There is goat's milk yogurt avliable there as well. Good luck to you and your family,
V.

First off, I would highly recommend no more vaccinations for your baby as this could have contributed to the milk allergy and the failure to thrive.

Second, there are SO many alternatives and so many people/children with this problem. I recommend many families to go to the TACA website because even though it is for families of autism the information there is universal for everyone. Check out the pull down menu for GF-CF Diet. Everything you need to know is there regarding milk/casein but also know not to substitute soy instead. It is very close to the same structure and most of it is genetically modified so not a good substiute. I would recommend hemp (best in nutrients), rice, or almond milk. Replace your oils with a coconut and/or palm oils. Very healing to the gut (not what we have been lead to believe), good fats for the body, and extra calories. Make some chicken strips in it. Yum. He'll eat them up. (recipe is at the TACA website)

The AAP recommended schedule of shots for children is too many, too soon. Here are sites and books that I always recommend for people to start their research:

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, by Dr. Kenneth Bock

www.909shot.org
www.tacanow.org
www.generationrescue.com

The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Childhood Vaccinations, by Dr. Stephanie Cave
Evidence of Harm, by David Kirby

my 3 year old is severely allergic to anything dairy. if she ingest anything dairy she would throw up and then her entire body would turn red and then she would start scratching like crazy. she is so allergic that if you touch anything dairy and then touch her skin she would start scratching and then her skin would have red blotches all over. she drinks alot of soy milk - she still does. she drinks the traders joes brand and now she drinks the ones from costco. we is doing really well. she is completely healthy. you just have to watch his diet. it is not easy - i know. you do have to read the labels every carefully. anything on the label that has the word "Pavare" - that particular item is completely dairy free. try the brand "toffuti" - they have lots of dairy free products. my daughter eats ice cream (soy of course), there is soy cream cheese, soy butter, lots of things. you just have to read labels. hopes this helps. good luck.