Milk Allergy Diet for Children
General guidelines for milk allergy
The key to an allergy-free diet is to avoid giving your child the foods or products containing the food to which he or she is allergic. The items that your child is allergic to are called allergens.
A milk allergy is an abnormal response of the body to the proteins found in cow's milk. Milk allergy is most common among infants and young children. Milk and milk products are found in many foods. Obvious forms of milk are cream, cheese, butter, ice cream, and yogurt. Milk and milk products may also be hidden sources in commonly eaten foods. In order to avoid foods that contain milk products, it is necessary to read food labels.
Important information about avoiding milk and milk products
The words nondairy on a product label indicate it does not contain butter, cream, or milk. However, this does not necessarily indicate it does not have other milk-containing ingredients.
The Kosher food labeled pareve or parve almost always indicates food is free of milk and milk products. A D on a product label next to the circled K or U indicates the presence of milk protein. These products should be avoided.
Processed meats, including hot dogs, sausages, and luncheon meats, frequently contain milk or are processed on milk-containing lines. Carefully read all food labels.
Foods | Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|---|
Beverages | Carbonated beverages Coffee Tea Soy substitute-milk formulas, water Fruit drinks | All milks (whole, low-fat, skim, buttermilk, evaporated, condensed, powdered, hot cocoa) Yogurt, eggnog, milkshakes, malts All beverages made with milk or milk products |
Breads | Milk free breads French bread Wheat, white, rye, corn, graham, gluten, and soy breads made without milk or milk products Graham cracker or rice wafers | Wheat, white, or rye breads Biscuits, donuts, muffins, pancakes, waffles, zwieback, crackers, saltines, rusk Most commercially prepared breads and rolls contain milk or milk products French toast made with milk |
Cereals | Any cereal to which no milk or milk products have been added | High protein cereals Prepared and precooked cereals with milk solids, casein, or other milk products added |
Desserts | Meringue, gelatin, popsicles, fruit ice, fruit whip, angel food cake Cakes, cookies, and pie crusts made without milk or milk products | Cake, cookies, custard, pudding, cream desserts, or sherbet containing milk products Ice cream, cream pie Pastries brushed with milk, junket, popover |
Eggs | Prepared without milk | Scrambled with milk, creamed eggs, egg substitutes |
Fats | Vegetable oil, meat fat, lard, bacon, shortening, milk free gravy Peanut butter (made without milk solids) Margarine without milk solids Kosher margarine | Butter, cream, margarine Salad dressing or mayonnaise containing milk, milk solids, or milk products Some butter substitutes and nondairy creamers |
Fruits | Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and juices | Any served with milk, butter, or cream |
Meats, fish, poultry, & cheese | Baked, broiled, boiled, roasted or fried: beef, veal, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, fish, organ meats, or tofu (prepared without milk or milk products) Sausage, deli/luncheon meats, or ham if made without milk products Note: A small number of people with cow's milk allergy may develop a reaction to beef. Thus, those with cow's milk allergy should be careful when consuming beef or foods containing beef. | All cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese Some sausage products, bologna, frankfurters Breaded meats, meatloaf, croquettes, casseroles, hamburgers (unless made without milk) Commercial entrees made with milk or milk solids |
Potatoes & substitutes | Macaroni, noodles, spaghetti, rice White or sweet potatoes prepared without milk, butter, cream, or allowed margarine | Au gratin, buttered, creamed, scalloped potato or substitutes Macaroni and cheese Mashed potatoes containing milk or butter Frozen french fries sprayed with lactose |
Soups | Bouillon, broth, consommé or soups with broth base plain or with all allowed foods | Bisques, chowders, creamed soups All soups made with milk or milk products |
Sweets | Corn syrup, honey, jam, jelly Hard candy, candy made without milk or milk products Granulated, brown or powdered sugar | Candy made with milk, such as chocolate, fudge, caramels, nougat |
Vegetables | All fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables without milk or milk products added All vegetable juices | Au gratin, buttered, creamed, or escalloped vegetables Batter and dipped vegetables Vegetable souffles |
Miscellaneous | Catsup, olives, pickles, nuts, herbs, chili powder, salt, spices, condiments Any foods that are milk-, cheese-, or butter-free, or that do not contain powdered milk or whey | All items containing milk, cheese, butter, whey casein, caseinates, hydrolysates, lactose, lactalbumin, lactoglobulin or milk solids, artificial butter flavor Nondairy substitutes containing caseinate |
How to read a label for a milk-free diet
Be sure to avoid foods that contain any of the following ingredients:
Artificial butter flavor
Butter, butter fat
Buttermilk
Casein
Caseinates (ammonium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium)
Cheese, cottage cheese, curds
Cream
Custard, pudding
Ghee
Half and Half
Hydrolysates (casein, milk protein, protein, whey, whey protein)
Lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate
Lactoglobulin
Lactose
Milk (derivative, protein, solids, malted, condensed, evaporated, dry, whole, low-fat, nonfat, skim)
Nougat
Pudding
Rennet casein
Sour cream
Sour cream solids
Whey (delactosed, demineralized, protein concentrate)
Yogurt
Other possible sources of milk or milk products
Brown sugar flavoring
Caramel candies
Caramel flavoring
Chocolate
High protein flour
Luncheon meats, hot dogs, sausages
Margarine
Natural flavoring
Simplesse