Kellie wrote:


>   I have four kids, three of them have a milk allergy (is it common to have so
>   many in one family?).
>
At least two of my three children have milk intolerance (the youngest
never had much dairy -- we removed dairy from the whole family's diet
before she turned 2). The second child did not seem to have symptoms as
severe as her brother. In my own family, I was the one with overt milk
intolerance and trouble with formulas. My brothers sailed through, yet
both developed Type I diabetes, a disease that has been linked in some
studies to an immune reaction to milk protein. I think different people
express intolerance/allergy in different ways.

At this point my kids drink juice, water and a combination of 50% rice
milk and 50% Dari-Free (both calcium-fortified), which they use on
cereal and as cocoa (they won't drink it straight). I also give them
supplemental calcium and don't worry about them not having a direct milk
substitute.

Leslie Beachwood
Beaverton, OR