Dairy Free

christiesmith1017

I'm currently dairy free as my 19 week old is intolerant and I'm breast feeding. Since cutting it I've notice my skin improving after a lifetime of eczema so I'm thinking of possibly getting rid of it forever. (Once I'm done nursing I'll reintroduce it to check it wasn't just a coincidence!)

I'm just wondering how people kept up with the calcium etc once going dairy free? I can't seem to ever get enough!

kam26001

Most of the plant based milks on the market are fortified with calcium. Most cereals as well, if you eat cereal. Check the packaged foods you eat to see if calcium has been added. I personally use a lot of kale in my smoothies... there's 100mg of calcium per cup.

MikePfirrman

We don't need more calcium in the American diet, we need more Vitamin K2. As a society, we eat tons of cheese and yet there are more brittle bones than ever before. Why? They figured out a few years ago that Magnesium, Calcium, Vit D and Vitamin K2 are all complimentary with each other. Historically, we got a lot of K2 from diets -- head meats, organ meats, grass fed cheeses. It's all but been eliminated from the modern diet. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium better. Vit K2 tells the body where to place the calcium, in the bones and not in the arteries. I haven't done dairy in two years and don't take calcium (or Vitamin D that often for that matter) but being mostly Vegan, I do supplement with K2 (NK-7 variety). It's great for both joint health and heart/artery health.

K2 was just "discovered" around 10 years ago and it took them a while to figure out why it was important. It could be the key to reducing bone loss with aging. Not to be confused with Vit K.

dovnkels

Do a search for calcium rich vegetables. My 15 year old just gave a persuasive speech on becoming dairy free and I believe sge said oranges, almonds and spinach all provide higher levels of calcium that are better utilized by the body than that which comes from cow milk. I am dairy free (vegan) and feel like giving up dairy was one of the best decisions for my overall wellbeing.

christiesmith1017

Thanks everyone

dangerousdashie

I eat eggs with the egg shell on to get my calcium.

Karenmarciano

Thanks for posting! Dairy free nine months for my son also!

shaumom

Hugs and good luck! I had to do the same thing for my son, as well.

And figured I'd share something that happened to us - when your little one is getting older, if you ever decide to explore if he can have dairy, our experience (and one that we have since found out is shared by many others) was that emotional/mental reactions were a BIG deal. No longer any rashes or tummy aches, best we could tell, but seriously, if he got dairy, it was like someone turned my kid's button to 'satan' and left it there.

I would say there was screaming and throwing things and such, but it's hard to express how much worse it is than the normal toddler tantrums. Mostly, the frequency of it, the intensity of it, and the length of time. There were tantrums for hours every day. Unbelievable tantrums that just defied belief. I still remember one time he pitched an utter screaming fit for an entire hour until he finally pass out. And then when he woke up...he kept on going for another hour. 0.0

We hadn't even realized it was dairy until we ran out for a little while and the tantrums subsided within a couple days, and then started back up when we did dairy again.

Seriously unreal - so, just something to be aware of, I guess. :-)

re: calcium - supplements. That was seriously the only way I could keep up. I know there are a lot of calcium supplemented foods, now, and drinks (including orange juice) but the amount I had to consume was kind of crazy, so supplements ended up being cheaper.

proudmymmysj

christiesmith1017 wrote: »

I'm currently dairy free as my 19 week old is intolerant and I'm breast feeding. Since cutting it I've notice my skin improving after a lifetime of eczema so I'm thinking of possibly getting rid of it forever. (Once I'm done nursing I'll reintroduce it to check it wasn't just a coincidence!)

I'm just wondering how people kept up with the calcium etc once going dairy free? I can't seem to ever get enough!

Dairy free alternatives will keep your calcium up. Have you been prescribed vitamins from the doctor? Bf your supposed to take high street ones for your calcium but when being dairy free as well they recommend a prescription dose. I wasn't told until I seen a dietitian.

All this info came from our dietitian last year and was correct at that time. I cannot guarantee this is correct now. We are all dairy free due to allergies.

fruitily

If you go dairy free, please either supplement with B12 or eat fortified foods.

WholeFoods4Lyfe

I've been dairy free off and on for years. Always thinking, it's not the dairy, adding it back, and then ultimately becoming symptomatic again. This go around, after a particularly diary-heavy Memorial Day Weekend and subsequently feeling like poop the few days after, I went Diary Free on 5/31/18. It was hard at first, because I love cheese and heavy cream in my coffee, but I've moved past it. I now use a Coconut/Almond Milk creamer in my coffee. I had tried swapping in some Goat's Milk products, but I'm thinking that I might be reacting to that as well. Last night after having just a little over an ounce of cheese I got really bloated and gassy. Ugh.

Anyway, you can do this. I had blood work done 2 weeks ago and my Calcium levels are perfect with no supplementation. Yes, it's important to get Calcium in your diet where you can, but Dairy is not the only source. Two of my favorites are green leafy veggies and sardines. And like another poster said, it's not just about the Calcium but also the cofactors of K2, D3 (much preferred to D2) and Magnesium to help with absorption and retention of Calcium in the bones and blood.

Remember, the RDA is basically a random number selected by the government based on averages and best guesses. My advise is to eat a well balanced diet, and to have your vitamin and mineral levels tested once a year. If, and only if, you are deficient would you then want to take a supplement. Taking a supplement for anything unless you are deficient is just expensive pee.

janejellyroll

fruitily wrote: »

If you go dairy free, please either supplement with B12 or eat fortified foods.

B12 is found in meat and eggs so supplementation wouldn't automatically be necessary for someone eliminating dairy from their diet.