In a message dated 4/10/99 4:00:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> BUT. . .is he casein allergic?  casein intolerant?  And what about lactose
> intolerance?  We decided on the casein connection because of info I
received
> through LaLeche League: namely, that lactose intolerance in breastfed
infants
> causes diarrhea, whereas casein causes cramping and gas.  Any thoughts?
>
>  From information I read in "The Baby Book" by William and Martha Sears, I
> figure we should avoid whey also.  True?    How have others maintained a
milk-
> free diet for part of the family?  Is is easier to have everyone go
milk-free?
>   (My husband has been a real sport about it, but I must admit that if
> Michael weaned tomorrow, my first order of business would be to order a
large
> cheese pizza.)
>
>  Since he lived with this condition for over a year before we realized it,
is
> he over-sensitized in any way?  Could his allergy have been made worse
> because we kept feeding him dairy products?  Is he likely  to outgrow this
> allergy?
>

Dear Marsha,

Welcome to the list and I am glad you hung in there during all the
iron-in-milk fuss last week!

I am glad that you had the assertiveness and astuteness to question your
doctor's insights on your baby's distress.  Pediatricians often are not very
helpful with food allergy issues, IMO.

Anyway, to answer your queston about casein vs. whey, I think the best thing
to do is just avoid all milk products in your diet if you are still nursing
and in the baby's diet.  Keep nursing him if you can, and since he is 18 mos
old, I presume he is eating a lot of solid foods now.  Since he will
increasingly get most of his nutrition from solids, the issue of formula is
not as critical now.  If you want a beverage for him, try a fortified rice
milk or fortified soy milk at the health food stores. You can find varieties
that are fortified with calcium, vitamins and acidophilus.  Some have fat,
some don't.  None of these milks have the fat content of cow's milk, so you
will have to add fat to his diet of solid foods to compensate.  You may want
to consult a clinical dietician to assist you in dietary management.

75% of milk allergic children outgrow their allergy by the time they are
three years old.  And the greatest chance you can give your son of outgrowing
his allergy, assuming he has a true allergy, is through total avoidance of
all milk and milk derivatives.

If you want more information about milk allergy, the Food Allergy Network is
a wonderful resource. You can reach fan at www.foodallergy.org
FAN has very low cost resource information for parents managing restricted
diets and very helpful food allergy cards that list all of the common names
for milk derivatives that milk allergic individuals need to avoid (like
sodium caseinate, rennet, whey, etc.)

Managing a milk-free diet is not hard once you get started.  You will find,
for instance, substitutes for milk products and just avoid it all together
and not even notice after a while.  My son just made himself a pizza tonight
that was totally milk free.  He just skipped the cheese and made his with
sauce, pepperoni and lots of chopped veggies.  It tastes good too--just
different than what you are currently used to.

The biggest things you will need to find to get started are a milk substitute
(such as rice milk) and a milk free margarine  (such as Hain brand,
Fleischmann's unsalted or Nucoa)

Lynda