Dairy allergy, anyone else?

[celticgarden]

Last year I found out I have a dairy allergy. Been off it since. Anyone else have this? I'd love to discuss strategies/recipes. What do you do for calcium?

This past weekend I tried making a nut "cheese" made from raw macadamia nuts. It's awesome! Had some on a wrap today with olives, spinach, black pepper and mustard. It's the consistency and nearly the flavor of ricotta.

Linda

[OakLeaf]

I don't miss dairy as far as calcium is concerned. It contains so much phosphorus that trying to get calcium from dairy is a vicious cycle. Plenty of leafy greens, and I do take a supplement - magnesium is really as much of an issue as calcium, with the amount that I sweat.

I really want to learn more about raw foods. I'm not interested in going wholly raw, but every time I've been to a raw foods restaurant, it's been so delicious and made me feel so good, I want to learn more. It's just that every book I look at has a whole lot more preaching than recipes and techniques, so I haven't bought one yet. I'd really like a book I can browse and learn to understand the techniques, is why I don't just get recipes from the internets ... but I suppose I should just take the plunge.

[badger]

yeah, the dairy industry's done a good job in brainwashing the public that dairy's the only source of calcium. Green leafy vegetables are a good source as are some nuts and most seeds. I usually take a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses in my oatmeal.

I avoid dairy as I'm lactose intolerant. Soy/almond milk are good substitutes, though I can't acquire the taste for rice milk. blech.

[jessmarimba]

I don't have personal experience with this, but I had a friend who had issues with cow-dairy but was fine to digest reasonable amounts of goat-dairy. Are you allergic to both?

[celticgarden]

I can't tolerate goat dairy either.

Isn't the calcium in greens not as available when raw (oxalic acid or some such thing)?

Magnesium - YES! I am a long time believer in the importance of magnesium and have supplemented for years. The ratio of Ca to Mg in my supplement is 2:1.

Raw foods. I have found the library to be a great source for checking out raw foods cookbooks. I doubt i could ever eat raw exclusively.

I'm amazed at the percentage of my children's diet that comes from either dairy or wheat. I minimize my wheat intake as that was a suspected culprit when I was experiencing allergy symptoms.

Love almond milk for smoothies and the occasional hot chocolate. I avoid soy anything unless it's a fermented soy. I read that soy can be a thyroid inhibitor (or something like that).

[OakLeaf]

People who are lactose intolerant can sometimes handle goat's milk because it has much less lactose than cow's.

People with a true allergy, it will depend on the protein that's the trigger - actually I'm much more sensitive to goat's milk than cow's, but much less sensitive to sheep's milk cheese.

[Atlas]

I don't consume dairy for ethical reasons. I get enough calcium with a balanced diet including lots of greens. Plus we eat a fair amount of calcium fortified soy foods (milk and tofu). You mentioned you don't eat a lot of soy so most of my favorite substitutes are out but you can certainly do a lot with raw cashews; they make an excellent cream. I make a ricotta-like spread with them that is wonderful in lasagna. The new Daiya vegan cheese is really good as well, and is the best dairy-free cheese I've had (especially the cheddar-type in quesadillas!).

[itself]

Yep, I cannot do dairy either. As I am allergic to soy, hemp milk has been my saviour. I miss yogurt a lot, and cream cheese on my bagels!

[OakLeaf]

I miss yogurt a lot

Have you tried culturing coconut milk? I see a lot of cultured coconut milk products on the shelves - I've bought them a few times and really like the taste, but there's a limit to the amount of plastic packaging I'll bring home on a regular basis.

I know the commercial products have a lot of gums and stuff added as thickeners, since you need a protein content comparable to dairy or soy to get yogurt to curdle and thicken. But it's still possible the bacteria would grow well on the sugars.

I might have to try culturing coconut milk. And find a kombucha starter...

[MiriamZ]

Yep, I have a dairy sensitivity (vs. allergy), but any dairy makes me bloat, gives me gas, makes me tired, the works. It's more common than you think! I believe that the only creature that should consume cow's milk is a calf, anyway (what other animal eats the milk of another animal? Just weird).

Don't believe the BS on calcium, lots of others on this site recommend greens and nuts, which are healthier alternatives. Since you can't have whey protein, consider a rice/pea/hemp protein powder for shakes once a day, and use coconut milk (just 1/4 cup to 1 cup water) to make it creamy and smooth. I'm not big on faux dairy products, because no soy will pass my lips, and rice "cheese" is nasty... and most of those items have zero nutritional value. Stick with whole foods like veggies, lean proteins, fresh fruit, healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olives, etc. and you'll get all the nourishment you need!

A good multi vitamin/mineral blend, along with essential fatty acids (DHA, EPA, and GLA) will be a good foundation for support too.

In time, you'll never miss the dairy...

[jordanpattern]

I'm vegan, so I don't eat any dairy, and I get lots of calcium, mostly from dark leafy greens, but also from quinoa (which also has a fair bit of protein), tofu, and almonds/fortified almond milk.

There's some great info here: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm

[ny biker]

You mentioned you don't eat a lot of soy so most of my favorite substitutes are out but you can certainly do a lot with raw cashews; they make an excellent cream.

I have no problems with dairy products, but I am allergic to cashews, or more specifically, to whatever they break down into after I've digested them -- the symptoms take a few days to appear. Apparently this type of allergy can be a problem for people who are sensitive to poison ivy.

Just something to consider for anyone who eats lots of cashews.

[angelaslc]

I have a dairy allergy and a lactose intolerance.

I started itching in Jr. High. Doctors blammed it on dry skin - soaps and detergents. In my twenties my right ear started itching. It got so bad that I would scratch in my sleep and make my ear bleed. Then late twenties itching got really bad on my legs and I couldn't sleep at night. I went to several doctors and no one could tell me what was wrong. I was given allergy meds but then I feel like I've been hit by a bus.

At age 30 I did a detox and stayed off dairy for 90 days. After I added it back it I itched all over. BINGO!! I also noticed it aggrivated my asthma and made me tired.

I don't really use any type of milk anymore but if I do, I use coconut milk or almond milk. I've used raw organic goat cheese and I actually really like that. I absolutely love coconut yogurt - my dessert of choice.

I've been studying detoxification programs and have detoxed quite a bit this year. I noticed my dairy allergy was minimized - even my lactose intolerance was hardly noticable. However, if I start to eat it daily the symptoms increase. Also the symptoms seem to be worse in the summer.....some pollen bothers me in July and August and it makes me itch and agrivates my asthma.....but according to my allergy specialist I'm not allergic to anything.

I agree with everyone else on Calcium. What's more important is Vitamin D and Magnesium. You should take at least 500 mg of Mag a day. For those who train hard, consume caffiene, sugar - may need more. Too much Mag orally will cause is loose stools. My boyfriend needs a lot of mag or he gets major cramps. So I use a magnesium oil and apply topically so he doesn't get loose stools.

Vitamin D is really important too - even more important than Calcium - Actually I think it's the most important vitamins. But you don't absorb it from dairy products. My boyfriend thought he got plenty of sun from his daily rides but he was deficient. I was taking 2,000 IU of D and I was deficient.

If you use any sunscreen at all it prevents you from making vitamin D. So we take vitamin D - but in a liquid gel cap form. I take 2,500 in summer, 5,000 in the fall and spring and 7500 in the dead of winter. So far so good.

Don't listen to the dairy marketing. Countries where dairy is a staple in their diet have a lot more osteoporosis.

Eat GREENS!....I'm gonna go make me a salad....