Milk-Free Diet A milk-free diet is for people who are allergic to milk. This diet is free of milk and foods made with milk.
What are possible signs of a milk allergy? Signs of a milk allergy can be:
What is a milk allergy? A milk allergy is a reaction to cow milk proteins by the immune system.
What will happen if I drink milk? If you drink milk, allergic symptoms will happen. When the symptoms are gone, you won’t have reactions unless you drink milk or eat foods with milk. A life-threatening (anaphylactic) reaction to milk is rare. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is by avoiding milk and foods made with milk.
What should I do if I have an allergic reaction to milk?
• swelling in • lips • throat • tongue • hands • feet • breathing problems such as: • coughing • choking • wheezing • gagging • tightness in the throat • tightness in the chest • trouble swallowing
• sneezing • stuffy or runny nose • red, itchy, watery eyes • red or itchy skin • rash or raised rash (hives) or eczema • vomiting • diarrhea • nausea • stomach cramps • tingling in the mouth • dizziness
Try to prevent allergic reactions by staying away from milk and foods made with milk. Talk to your Doctor as soon as possible about medications you can take if you have an allergic reaction.
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Milk-Free Diet Is a milk allergy the same as Lactose Intolerance?
The following foods are made with milk. Do NOT eat these foods:
Lactose Intolerance and a milk allergy are NOT the same. Lactose is the name for the sugar found in milk. Lactose intolerance happens when you do not have enough of the lactase enzyme in your stomach to break down lactose. If you have lactose intolerance and you eat foods with lactose you may have diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, stomach cramps, or gas. If you have lactose intolerance you can prevent the signs of intolerance. If you have lactose intolerance you can take lactase pills or drops before you drink milk or eat foods with milk in them. If you have lactose intolerance you can have low lactose milk such as Lacteeze milk or low lactose milk products such as Lacteeze yogurt. If you have a milk allergy, you cannot eat or drink milk or foods and drinks made with milk.
• Butter
• Ice Milk
• Buttermilk
• Kefir
• Cheese
• Lactose-Free Milk
• Coffee Whiteners • Coffee-Mate • Coffee Rich
• LactoseReduced milk
• Condensed Milk
• Malted Milk
• Cottage Cheese
• Margarine (except milkfree)
• Cream • Cream Cheese • Cream Soups • Custard • Evaporated Milk
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• Lactaid or Lacteeze Milk
• All Milk including • skim • 1% • 2% • 3.25% • Pudding
• Feta Cheese
• Ricotta Cheese
• Frozen Yogurt
• Sherbet
• Ghee
• Sour Cream
• Ice Cream
• Yogurt
Milk-Free Diet What ingredients should I stay away from if I have a milk allergy?
• Milk Fat
• Simplesse
• Milk Powder
• Skim Milk Powder
A food has milk in it if it has any of the following ingredients. Read ingredient lists on all food packages. Do not eat food if it has these ingredients.
• Milk Solids
• Milk Protein • Opta • Pasteurized Milk • Potassium Caseinate • Quark • Rennet Casein
• Ammonium Caseinate • Butter Fat • Butter Solids • Casein
• Sodium Caseinate • Sour Cream Solids • Sour Milk Solids • Whey • Whey Protein Concentrate
• Dried Milk • Dry Milk Solids
Is there anything else I have to stay away from if I have a milk allergy?
• Hydrolyzed Milk Protein
• Caseinate
• Hydrolyzed Casein
• Calcium Caseinate
• Lactose
• Cultured Milk
• Lactalbumin
• Curd
• Lactoglobulin
These ingredients might be made with milk protein. The source of the protein is hardly ever listed on the ingredient list so there is no way to be sure if it is made from milk protein. It is best to stay away from the following ingredients:
• Delactosed Whey
• Lactoferrin
• Artificial Butter Flavour
• Magnesium Caseinate
• Caramel Colour
• Demineralized Whey
• Caramel Flavour
• Milk Derivative
• Cheese Flavour • High Protein Flour • Natural Flavouring
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Milk-Free Diet What foods might be made with milk?
Do these ingredients contain milk?
Read the ingredient lists on all foods. These foods might be made with milk so be extra careful before you eat them.
These ingredients do not contain milk protein. You CAN eat foods with these ingredients if you have a milk allergy.
• Some canned tuna fish contains casein • Some meats, hotdogs, sausages and deli meat might contain casein
Is there anything else to stay away from if I have a milk allergy?
• Chicken
• Sandwiches
• Pancakes
• Steak
• Potatoes
• Vegetables• Waffles
• Coconut milk
• Lactylate
• Cream of tartar
• Oleoresin
• Lactate
• Stearyl actulate
Can I eat foods that do not have an ingredient list? If you are allergic to milk, it is best not to eat any foods unless you are sure that they do not have milk in them. Be extra careful with foods from bakeries, restaurants, or foods made by friends and relatives.You do not know if they used milk or if they used an ingredient made with milk. If you have questions about a food, telephone the company to get more information before you eat the food.
Milk products such as butter, margarine or sour cream are added to many foods. Sometimes you can see the butter, margarine or sour cream that is in food and sometimes they are added to foods but you cannot see them. Be careful when you eat any of these foods, especially in a restaurant, cafeteria or at a friend or relative’s home: • Rice
• Lactulose
• Lactic acid
Be careful when ordering meat from a delicatessen. Knives and meat slicers are often used for meat and cheese. The knives and meat slicers might not be cleaned properly or at all when they are used for cheese and then meat.
• Bread
• Cocoa butter
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Milk-Free Diet Enriched or fortified rice beverages have the same amount of calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin A as milk. Choose enriched or fortified rice beverages. Look for the words "enriched" or "fortified" on the package. If the words are not there, the rice beverage is not enriched or fortified.
What can I drink instead of milk? Soy Beverages Soy beverages or soy-based infant formula can be used instead of milk if you are not allergic to soy. You can add lime juice to soy beverages or soy-based infant formula to help it taste better.
Goat's Milk Goat's milk protein is similar to cow milk protein and might cause an allergic reaction. Goat's milk is low in Vitamin D so it does not give you the same nutrition as milk. Goat's milk is not recommended.
Fortified soy beverages have similar amounts of vitamins and minerals as milk. Choose fortified soy beverages. Look for the word "fortified" on the package, if it is not there, the soy beverage is not fortified. Use soy-based infant formula for children under 2 years of age. This will help them get the nutrition they need from milk products. For infants and young children who are allergic to soy, special formulas are available. Speak with your doctor or Registered Dietitian.
What can I eat instead of milk products? Tofu can be used instead of cheese. If you are allergic to soy do not eat tofu because it is made from soy milk. Read all ingredient lists because some tofu and soy products have milk in them. Vegetable oil margarine can be used instead of butter, but check that the margarine does not contain milk or milk ingredients. As well, meat bouillon or vegetable broth can be used instead of milk for meat or fish sauces. Please read "What ingredients should I stay away from if I have a milk allergy?" listed above for more information.
Rice Beverages Rice beverages can be used for older children and adults. Do not use rice beverages for infants and young children. Rice beverages are usually low in protein and fat, so they do not have the same nutrition as milk.
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Milk-Free Diet Calcium
Am I missing any nutrition if I do not drink milk and eat foods made with milk?
Most people with a milk allergy are not getting enough calcium. If you drink a fortified soy or enriched/fortified rice beverage instead of milk, you are probably getting enough calcium. You can get the calcium you would usually get from milk and foods made with milk from beans, canned salmon, tofu made with calcium, almonds, bok choy and broccoli. You need large amounts of these foods to get the same amount of calcium as you would get from 1 cup of milk.
Milk and foods made with milk give you protein, vitamin D and calcium.
Protein Most people with a milk allergy are eating enough protein. You can get the protein you would usually get from milk from poultry (chicken, duck, and hen), beef, pork, fish, nuts, peanut butter, legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and eggs.
Do I need vitamins? There are many foods, drinks and ingredients that you should not eat if you have a milk allergy. If you eat a wide variety of milk-free foods and drinks, you probably do not need vitamins. If you do not eat a variety of milk-free foods, you might be missing some nutrition. If you are worried about your nutrition, speak to a Registered Dietitian who can help you with your diet.
Vitamin D Most people with a milk allergy are getting some Vitamin D. If you drink a fortified soy or an enriched/fortified rice beverage instead of milk, you are probably getting enough Vitamin D. You can get the Vitamin D you would usually get from milk, the sun or from food. Vitamin D is made by our bodies when we are in the sun. Many things affect how much vitamin D we get from the sun such as sunscreen, season, and latitude. Talk to a registered dietitian, doctor or Public Health Nurse for more information.Vitamin D is also found in foods such as: egg yolks, fish, carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, apricots, cantaloupe, squash, broccoli, spinach and other dark leafy greens.
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Milk-Free Diet The following is a list of reliable websites that can give you more information about food allergies:
Safety Tips Tell everyone you know that you have a milk allergy. Make sure that people close to you know what to do if you have a reaction to milk. For children, tell daycare staff, babysitters and the school that your child has a milk allergy. Teach a child with a milk allergy not to share food.
Allergy/Asthma Information Association www.aaia.ca Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Online www.allergy.mcg.edu
Where can I get more information?
American Dietetic Association www.eatright.org
There is a lot of information available on the internet about food allergies. Be careful because some of the information may not be exactly true.
The Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology www.csaci.medical.org Dietitians of Canada www.dietitians.ca The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network www.foodallergy.org
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