How to Live with a Milk Allergy

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You would have it quite difficult to survive in today’s environment if you have a milk allergy. Almost every food has some form of milk or milk products in them. It is hard to avoid eating something that contains milk. The worst part is that you may have to give up eating desserts since cakes, puddings and ice creams bought commercially all use milk as an ingredient.

So here are some tips on how to live with a milk allergy:

1. It would seem as if you will need to prepare some of the foods yourself. Luckily, it is possible to substitute equal amounts of water or fruit juice in some recipes that call for milk. The cooked product may not taste just as creamy in the end, but it is still better than nothing.

2. When purchasing items from your local deli, you also need to be watchful that cheese (a milk related product) and meats are not sliced on same deli meat slicer machine. There is a risk of food contamination if this is the case.

3. Certain brands of canned tuna fish contain a milk protein called casein (a milk derivative). Check tuna can labels carefully for this ingredient if you or someone in your family is allergic to milk.

4. Then, there are also other non-dairy products that contain casein. Food manufacturers put the casein into their products as a binding agent. Check the following products for casein: breath mints, coffee whiteners, fortified cereals, ice cream, infant formulas, nutrition bars, processed meats, salad dressingshigh-protein beverage powders, and also whipped toppings.

5. If you are eating in a restaurant, check if the meat is prepared with butter. Butter is often put on steaks while grilling for more flavor. You would not want to start chomping down your food and then realise that you made a mistake with eating it. If you accidentally ingest milk or a milk product you are likely to experience symptoms such as sneezing, wheezing, vomiting, or hives.

6. If you are over at your friend’s place for a meal, let the host or hostess know beforehand about your allergy.

7. Get in the habit of checking food labels before buying or eating a product.

8. Ensure that you have a complete diet by talking to your nutritionist on alterantive sources of calcium and Vitamin D. It is likely that he or she will recommend foods such as broccoli, spinach, and soy products.

9. Always let close family and friends about your milk allergy in case you get into an anaphyletic shock. Let them know that they should call 911 rightaway.

Jul

22

Teach Your Kids About Their Food Allergies

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It may be quite difficult for kids with food allergies to cope. They may feel dismayed when they are not able to eat what all their friends are eating. Imagine if they have a milk allergy and have to give up all the sweets and chocolates. They start to feel left out and may even get angry at you, the parent, for not allowing them to. They may feel tempted to take just one bite but with certain food allergies, even one bite can prove to be fatal.

You will need to be patient in getting your kids to understand more about their food allergies. Explain to them about the types of reactions that they are possibly going to get. Let them know the risk that they put themselves into, even with just a bite of the food that they are not supposed to be eating.

Educating the kids to be independent is also important. You cannot always be around with them all the time. Hence, teach them how to read food labels. Also let them what to do if they should suspect that they are having an allergic reaction. You need to let them know what are the allergic reactions to look out for eg. a tightness in the throat, swelling throat or tongue, a hoarse sounding voice, feeling faint, breathing difficulty, wheezing, coughing, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, indigestion, and also bluish skin around the lips or nails.

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