Help us transition dd to dairy free

amother

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 7:30 am

For a while dd (10) has complained of headaches, she insisted it was always after she ate dairy. She also has been diagnosed with ADD and she is a handful, emotionally and academically. Finally, she had a very awful stomachache a week or two ago and I said to her it might be from dairy. She made a firm commitment to go off dairy completely, she said she never wants her stomach to hurt like that again. I did have lactose intolerance as a teen and early 20's, so it's very possible. Also, as a baby, she could never handle regular formula, only lactose free formula.

I want advice on dairy alternatives for her. We are in Israel and only keep mehadrin, so a lot of soy-based options from the US are not available to us. Right now I'm making grilled cheese for the kids, what can I make for her instead? What about when I serve baked ziti? I should make her a portion with just sauce? She's working very hard on this and she really feels like she's missing out on a lot of yummy food. How can I make it up to her, without too many sweets?

A second question is, has anyone ever seen an improvement in their child's behavior and attention span after going off dairy? She seems a lot better, and I'm wondering if it's just in my head....

Frumme

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 11:58 am

There are many nut cheese recipes online. It might be worth it to try some of those out!

Also vegan cheese sauces aren't too hard to make. I make one with potatoes, carrots, and nutritional yeast:

https://simpleveganblog.com/vegan-cheese/
2 cups potatoes (360 g), peeled and diced
1 cup carrots (135 g), peeled and diced
1/2 cup water (125 ml)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (35 g)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (70 g)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Boil carrots and potatoes until soft (20 min). Drain. Add to food processor/blender along with other ingredients and blend until smooth. Use as you would any other cheese sauce, e.g. for nachos, lasagna, pizza.

One very important note. Remind her and yourself that dairy free cheeses aren't supposed to taste exactly like real cheese. If you go into it expecting it to taste exactly like the real thing, you'll be disappointed. Alternatively, if you go in with an open mind and take dairy free cheeses for what they represent (warm, creamy elements in a dish) you'll have a better time transitioning. Smile

amother

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 12:24 pm

gingleale wrote:

Why not try lactaid pills before completely eliminating diary if you suspect th problem is lactose intolerance?

I'm not sure what's available here, and how big the pill is, she can't swallow so big. But let's say I found it here, you just take the medicine before you eat dairy, or it has to be taken continually?

smss

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 12:30 pm

I would consult with a doctor before eliminating a whole food group. Especially at that age, calcium is so important, and while it's obviously not impossible to get enough calcium without eating dairy it is a lot harder. Remember, correlation does not equal causation.

Also as another poster said, if it's just a lactose intolerance she can take Lactaid...

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 1:12 pm

My DS (age 5) complained a lot of stomach aches the last few months, so we took him off of dairy and the complaints went away. If I made pasta and cheese, I gave him his portion before I put in the cheese. Recently we started dairy again with lactaid pills. They make chewable pills which he takes. So far so good bH. He eats cereal and milk in the mornings with almond milk. (I haven't given him milk itself yet).

amother

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 1:15 pm

amother [ Dodgerblue ] wrote:

Is there a kosher brand of lactaid chewables?

Also, my daughter is really distraught, she really feels like she's missing out. Pareve ice cream is obviously not milchigs ice cream. How can we make it up to her?

amother

Papaya

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 1:19 pm

I'm dairy free and I just concocted a new breakfast I do two breads with ketchup and oregano pizza seasoning and parsley flakes. Then I put it in the sandwich maker and voila
Theres no protein in that but I like it Smile

I know someone that eats daiya cheese (fake cheese) there is also goat cheese...
For ice cream I do "so delicious" brand and it is truly delicious

Cheiny

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 1:20 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Tofutti makes lots of different substitutes for cheeses. There are also non dairy puddings, etc. Also I hear that some people who cat handle dairy are able to to tolerate goat cheese with no problem.

FranticFrummie

Sun, Aug 16 2020, 1:31 pm

DD was lactose intolerant for 10 years, until she slowly grew out of it. She was a hyper little monster, until she dissolved into a crying mess. She could not control her moods at all, and definitely acted ADHD. It was really hard sending her to a school that didn't allow meat or nuts of any kind, and everyone else brought cheese sandwiches. The worst was when they had pizza and ice cream parties. I was constantly trying to make up for all the things she was missing out on. Crying

Look for soy and coconut yogurts that have cultured live bacteria (bio)

Anything by Tofutti is really good, and you can make decadently yummy cream sauces like Alfredo with the parve sour cream or cream cheese.

The parve cheeses on the market are getting better every year.

Parve ice cream tastes better with chocolate syrup on top. Very Happy

Good sources of calcium are green leafy vegetables, and toasted nori snacks. My DD loves them.

Search for Vegan recipes that are high in calcium. There are a ton of them online. If you have a health store anywhere near you, it's worth the trip to go in and ask the sales clerk for help in creating a better menu.

Once you are confident that she is stable, you can try to give her goat cheese or yogurt and see if she's OK with that.

Your DD may not be allergic, or even lactose intolerance, but for some kids even a dairy sensitivity that is too subtle to show up on tests can still be miserable. I'm glad to hear that you and DD are really making an effort to find out what the problem is.

If eliminating dairy doesn't work, the next step is to remove wheat, and let her have other grains instead. She may not have a problem with gluten, but rather with the other proteins in wheat. For example, if she ate a cheese sandwich and feels terrible, and you make a faux cheese sandwich and she still feels terrible, then it might be the bread that is bothering her.