Jack, if you ever question how much I love you in life, I want you to remember back to when you were a baby and I gave up queso and chocolate for you.
If you are new to breastfeeding a baby with a dairy intolerance, see below for some of my tried and true dairy free substitutes. If you are looking for healthy substitutes, you have come to the wrong place, my friend. But, back to the boy at hand…
There is enough competing research out there to make your head spin but after 5+ blow outs a day and some eczema that just wouldn’t quit for Jack, we tried eliminating dairy from my diet (after consulting with our pediatrician and allergist, of course). Within a week of eliminating dairy, Jack’s eczema completely cleared and within two weeks, his GI issues were gone.
We know we are very lucky that we have not had to deal with food allergies in our lives until now and consider ourselves fortunate that at this point, it is only an intolerance. I took some time over the winter to better educate myself on food allergies and intolerances. Milk is a top eight food allergen and by law (thank you, Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act), must be listed on the ingredient label.
Anything with an ingredient label that reads, “Contains Milk” is a no-go for breastfeeding a baby with a dairy intolerance. I have found that Jack is okay on his GI response to my eating foods with “may contain milk” on ingredient label – which is a cross contamination warning.
I made the mistake of immediately running out to the grocery and spending a ridiculous amount of money on a bunch of dairy free substitutes, only to find that most tasted like stinky feet smell. So, please learn from my mistakes. These are a few of my tried & true continued “favorite” dairy free substitutes:
For the sweet tooth craving, I was the last to know, but Oreos do not have dairy. Now, you do not want to know what they actually do have in them, but the main point is, they are dairy-free. I LOVE chocolate, and I’m talking about the milk chocolate good-ness, not dark chocolate. The only substitute that I found that can hold a candle to real chocolate are these Enjoy Life Chocolate Bars:
I have yet to find a ranch substitute that I can stomach, so have been hitting that honey mustard hard. I wish I could do vinegar salad dressings, but they are not for me. And, Public Service Announcement, Chick-fil-A now sells their sauce in the grocery store and it is dairy free!
So, I’m on this no-dairy train for a bit. We let his gut heal for a couple of months and tried the first step of the dairy ladder and he failed so we’re not quite ready yet for reintroduction. This is the dairy ladder we will follow:
Step One: Baked Dairy
Step Two: Melted Butter
Step Three: Yogurt
Step Four: Cooked Cheese (Pizza, Grilled Cheese, Quesadilla)
Step Five: Uncooked Cheese
Step Six: Heated Milk (mac & cheese, QUESO, MILK CHOCOLATE)
Step Seven: Fresh Milk
For our allergist, he must tolerate each level for seven days before moving onto the next step of the ladder.
So, here’s to hoping Jack’s gut will heal and we can try the ladder again in a month. Fingers crossed!
Have you dealt with food allergies or intolerances for yourself or family members? Have you found a dairy free ranch that doesn’t taste like stinky feet smell?