Milk Allergy

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bowlinggirl22
bowlinggirl22 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I had a blood test on 1/1/16 for food allergies and found out yesterday I am allergic to milk. On a scale of 0-5 I was severe at a 5. I am hoping to have further testing done to determine if it is milk protein or lactose. Does anyone have any tips to share? I live in Wisconsin and used to have cheese with every meal ;( I'll take all the advise anyone will share. Thanks!
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  • OblasMummy
    OblasMummy Posts: 40 Member
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    You can get soya versions of everything including cheese, chocolate , yoghurt, ice cream. If you like coconut flavour there are similar versions. Almond milk is good and oatly or oat cream are the best for cooking. My boy has a dairy allergy. I look at vegan recipes and snacks available on the market.

    Familiarise yourself with the different ways milk can be written on labels as it isn't always clear. Good luck. It's daunting to begin with as milk seems to be in everything but it's ok when you are used to checking every label and find your new staples.

    It will be trial and error as well as you may or may not be able to tolerate 'may contains' and sometimes heavily processed milk like biscuits are OK but raw milk will not be. In a couple of months I'll be starting the milk ladder with noah. So that'll be starting with malted milk biscuits then a week later cake, cooked cheese, cheese, yoghurt etc
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    What kind of blood test?
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    What sort of reaction do you have? I have a friend who has a severe milk allergy and he needs to carry an Epi pen and be incredibly careful to never have anything that's even touched a dairy product. If you've only just found out about your allergy, I take it you have a lesser reaction?
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    What kind of blood test?

    Ditto. Did you see an allergist or someone like a naturopath?
  • bowlinggirl22
    bowlinggirl22 Posts: 3 Member
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    The nutritionist I saw used a lancet and put blood on a special paper that was sent to a lab. It only tested milk as a whole. I've never noticed any intolerance, ie no upset stomach, breathing problems etc. However I have had allergic rhinitis my whole life. I am always congested, sneeze 10x daily and had a chronic cough that Dr's can't figure out. Since giving up dairy my cough is almost gone!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    bowlinggirl22 wrote: »
    The nutritionist I saw used a lancet and put blood on a special paper that was sent to a lab. It only tested milk as a whole. I've never noticed any intolerance, ie no upset stomach, breathing problems etc. However I have had allergic rhinitis my whole life. I am always congested, sneeze 10x daily and had a chronic cough that Dr's can't figure out. Since giving up dairy my cough is almost gone!

    I'd verify this through a physician, to be honest.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    PikaKnight wrote: »
    bowlinggirl22 wrote: »
    The nutritionist I saw used a lancet and put blood on a special paper that was sent to a lab. It only tested milk as a whole. I've never noticed any intolerance, ie no upset stomach, breathing problems etc. However I have had allergic rhinitis my whole life. I am always congested, sneeze 10x daily and had a chronic cough that Dr's can't figure out. Since giving up dairy my cough is almost gone!

    I'd verify this through a physician, to be honest.

    I tend to agree. While you certainly do appear to have a reaction and are benefiting from reducing your intake, your best off getting a proper test from an allergist. I'm sceptical of a practitioner who would rate you at the highest end of the scale for a reaction.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
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    bowlinggirl22 wrote: »
    The nutritionist I saw used a lancet and put blood on a special paper that was sent to a lab. It only tested milk as a whole. I've never noticed any intolerance, ie no upset stomach, breathing problems etc. However I have had allergic rhinitis my whole life. I am always congested, sneeze 10x daily and had a chronic cough that Dr's can't figure out. Since giving up dairy my cough is almost gone!

    My son has the same problem. As a baby, he had diarrhea and diaper rash from milk, and he got contact rash on his face from cheese as a toddler. It took years to realize it was a milk protein allergy, not lactose intolerance (like his dad/grandad) His nasal allergies flare up when he cheats because he wants pizza and ice cream like his friends.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    bowlinggirl22 wrote: »
    The nutritionist I saw used a lancet and put blood on a special paper that was sent to a lab. It only tested milk as a whole. I've never noticed any intolerance, ie no upset stomach, breathing problems etc. However I have had allergic rhinitis my whole life. I am always congested, sneeze 10x daily and had a chronic cough that Dr's can't figure out. Since giving up dairy my cough is almost gone!

    A nutritionist is not a dr and is not qualified to test for allergies. Talk to a dr specialising in allergies if you believe there is a problem.
  • 20likenow
    20likenow Posts: 40 Member
    edited January 2016
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    aggelikik wrote:
    A nutritionist is not a dr and is not qualified to test for allergies. Talk to a dr specialising in allergies if you believe there is a problem.


    Completely agree. Only an allergist is qualified. My son has cow milk & beef (and many other) allergies.

    I would say that since giving up dairy your better, the testing for cow milk may be right. Now I would go and get a full food panel and blood work.

    There are no awesome tasting vegan cheeses, sorry! Earth balance makes a great butter. Start reading everything, it's overwhelming at first. Research how to read labels also, cow milk can come up in surprising things.

  • tarabole
    tarabole Posts: 166 Member
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    I don't consume dairy at all, and I use nut milks or coconut milk ( I actually make my own nut milks) in place of regular milk, vegan "nut" cheese in place of cheese, I make my own dairy-free pesto for pasta. Raw vegan recipes are often really good for those who don't consume dairy as are paleo recipes. For frozen treats I typically pick coconut milk based ones like coconut bliss or julie's organic. I don't miss milk or ice cream, but I do miss cheese. Although nut cheeses are tasty they don't really taste like cheese, nutritional yeast can also be used to add a 'cheesey flavour' to things and it's quite healthy. You can use ghee/clarified butter and macadamia nut oil is also quite lovely in place of butter. I don't personally use soy because I don't think it's healthy but you may want to do your own research regarding soy and if you want to use it.
  • LINIA
    LINIA Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Let me just say that I, 100% believe , you do have a milk allergy --- why would anyone think you need further testing when milk is so highly allergic for SO many people - please feel free to add me , I have lived without consuming milk or coconut for years --- Good Luck either way and my guess is Soy Milk may or may not work.
  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
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    LINIA wrote: »
    Let me just say that I, 100% believe , you do have a milk allergy --- why would anyone think you need further testing when milk is so highly allergic for SO many people - please feel free to add me , I have lived without consuming milk or coconut for years --- Good Luck either way and my guess is Soy Milk may or may not work.

    I agree, don't let people bully you into thinking you should have further testing. You know your body! If you feel better, then likely it's milk. Lactose intolerance usually causes bowel issues. My dh is lactose intolerant and that's what happens. If it is lactose, may hard cheeses are ok to eat. I avoid dairy for the reasons that you do, it helps tremendously with my congestion. I make homemade rice milk and nut cheese. I would avoid soy milk, for other reasons though, stick with cashew, almond or coconut milk. Good luck.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
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    Those type of test are notorious for not being accurate. Before you give up a whole food group for the rest of your life double check. I had to do an elimination diet to find out my children's food sensitivities.
  • BraveNewdGirl
    BraveNewdGirl Posts: 937 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Absolutely have a physician verify this. It's not "bullying" to encourage you to have an allergist give a much needed second opinion in determining your allergies. I spent the better part of a decade believing that I was allergic to pineapple based on a similar test and later learned it was completely false when I had a full food panel allergy test done. No, I didn't "know my body". Yes, there are absolutely cues that we can take, but they're not always 100% clear. Be sure. We have the technology!

    And if you are allergic to dairy, there are a host of nutritious, tasty alternatives in the form of nut and soy products.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
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    My daughter was diagnosed with a milk allergy when she was about 4. this was after a lot of testing from different specialist from asthma and allergy to ear, nose and throat. We couldn't figure out why she kept vomiting after almost every meal. as parents we were horrified and extremely concerned.
    We were explained that its the content of cows milk that causes her nose and throat lining to swell. food would then get caught in the folds of the esophagus from that and cause the constant vomiting. The only reason it wasn't caught sooner is bc I breastfed for a long long time. Anyway. She drinks soy milk and soy yogurt. ..things like that and Presto! No problems for the past 7 years. ..so thankful it was finally diagnosed. yes it's a very rare disorder but absolutely real.
  • Erin0164
    Erin0164 Posts: 64 Member
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    bowlinggirl22 wrote: »
    The nutritionist I saw used a lancet and put blood on a special paper that was sent to a lab. It only tested milk as a whole. I've never noticed any intolerance, ie no upset stomach, breathing problems etc. However I have had allergic rhinitis my whole life. I am always congested, sneeze 10x daily and had a chronic cough that Dr's can't figure out. Since giving up dairy my cough is almost gone!

    My ENT figured out it was dairy that was causing my sinus issues and migraines. It is hard to avoid dairy, but well worth it. I didn't realize hiw poorly I was feeling every day until I gavv up the dairy. I feel 1000% better without it.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Having dealt with this on a long term basis, with more doctors then I can count, I can tell you that MD testing is not near as acurate as the ELISA and a few other allergy tests. If you are testing positive on an MD test then you have a SEVERE dairy allergy because it takes A LOT to test positive on their standard test. It is very common to not have symptoms of an allergy until you remove it and then you start to see things go away (like the rhinitis, cough, etc). Most people just don't make those connections beforehand. The ELISA test can tell you whether you are allergic to casein or whey and to what extent but it really doesn't matter because with the exception of butter (which is all fat), anything dairy will have both whey and casein. I can tell you from years of experience, and almost losing a child to severe food allergies (including dairy), that the fix is going dairy free for at least a few years and in that time healing the gut permeability that allowed the allergy to manifest.

    As for alternatives, please whatever you do avoid soy! It will only cause more damage. The absolute best option for an alternative is raw goats milk (although it can take some getting use to). If you can't stand that then your next best option is either Hemp milk or coconut milk. Both of which have healthier fats and protein. Any of the nut milks are going to be mostly carbs and if you read the ingredients are full of sugar (evaporated cane juice). Even brands of hemp and coconut can vary widely in flavor so you'll have to experiment. But please, do yourself a favor and avoid soy! You will only make matters worse (both gut damage wise and hormonally).
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Kristinemomof3 wrote: »
    LINIA wrote: »
    Let me just say that I, 100% believe , you do have a milk allergy --- why would anyone think you need further testing when milk is so highly allergic for SO many people - please feel free to add me , I have lived without consuming milk or coconut for years --- Good Luck either way and my guess is Soy Milk may or may not work.

    I agree, don't let people bully you into thinking you should have further testing. You know your body! If you feel better, then likely it's milk. Lactose intolerance usually causes bowel issues. My dh is lactose intolerant and that's what happens. If it is lactose, may hard cheeses are ok to eat. I avoid dairy for the reasons that you do, it helps tremendously with my congestion. I make homemade rice milk and nut cheese. I would avoid soy milk, for other reasons though, stick with cashew, almond or coconut milk. Good luck.

    Bully? No one is bullying and you throwing that out there is both insulting to MFP members and to people who have actually been bullied. :indifferent:

    Suggesting that the OP get double checked by a physician versus someone who may have only had a few weeks training to get a certificate for an actual medical condition, is NOT bullying in any way, shape or form.

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