Whole Foods?

[sabella]

my "allergy"

Well, allergy for lack of a better term, at least. It's not lactose intolerance (aka digestive problems) like many people get. I basically get so stuffed up that I can't breathe properly. I gather I've had this all my life, but I didn't figure it out until about 2 years ago. I ALWAYS had the cold that wouldn't go away as a child, and my breathing was so awful a couple of winter's ago that I was willing to try anything. So I quit dairy (my SIL did much reading on this and suggested it to me as my nephews have the same problem).

After about a month, I was feeling tons better and could actually sleep through the night (couldn't before, even with oral and nasal decongestants, a humidifier and those breathe-rite strips), but it was time for the trial dairy meal since it was supposed to be out of my system by then. So I ate this cheese-potato soup that my friend Sean made. Nothing immediately, but I looked in a mirror about 2 hours later and it honestly looked like someone had beaten me up. I had dark, dark circles under my eyes and they were puffed up about a half inch. It was very yucky. Then, the next day, I couldn't breathe again. Too stuffed up. This was enough to prove to me that I didn't need cheese on my pizza anymore. It's now to the point where the trace milk protein (the problem ingredient) found in so-called non-dairy whipped topping is enough to affect me. So I'm an obsessive label reader now and I am heck to take to a restaurant (salsa on baked potatoes is suprisingly good, btw, and bread that I can't find a label for is the bane of my existance).

So, now that I've rambled on forever, this isn't a classic food allergy like most people think of (anaphylactic shock from peanuts, etc.), but it's not really an intolerance either. An unlike people with lactose intolerance, I can't just take a Lactaid if I'm desperate for ice cream. Thankfully the soy variety of those are edible. Can't say the same for soy cheese. Ick! But thankfully I don't miss it anymore. The only thing I really crave and don't have a credible sub for is M&M's

Karen

 

[Heather Y]

milk "allergy"

Karen,

I just had to add that my son - 4 1/2 - has a dairy allergy (along with eggs and nuts). Your posting just really struck me because I am an obsessive label reader myself. It doesn't look like he is going to outgrow his allergy any time soon either.

Have you found any specific cookbook you like the best? I get so frustrated looking through cookbooks and only being able to use about 1/4 of the recipes.

Susan P - I am also the little red hen. Your posting made me laugh because that is exactly how I feel. First I have to grind the wheat. At least I didn't have to find the wheat shaft and take it to the miller! My kids just love the bread.

Heather

 

[kellyeli]

Dairy problems

Karen,
I worded my question carefully,because I felt like I was going to be told for the umpteenth time that milk doesn't cause mucus. I have almost the exact same problem. I don't get nasal congestion though. Unfortunately, even when I get a cold, it all goes straight to my sinuses and drains directly down my throat. (I know, not a real pretty picture, ick!) I, too cut out milk product in a vain attempt to cure my sinus headaches. (Can you say extreme pressure?) Well, it worked! Somewhat, I don't think I'm as scrupulous as you have been and I've been getting reccurrences of the headaches lately. Perhaps due to all that Halloween chocolate? I'll have to re-evaluate my diet and see if that helps. You said even the non-dairy component of Cool Whip gets to you? Hmm, I wonder if the same would hold true for non-dairy creamer,of which I put a smidge into Cream of Wheat. Water just doesn't cut it, you know? Well thanks for indulging my nosy nature, I may use some of your tips.

Elizabeth Kelly

 

[sabella]

cookbooks

Heather,

I'll scrounge around when I get home and see what cookbooks look like they have the best non-dairy / eggs kids stuff. I have many to browse through

I'm more obsessive about cookbooks than I am about exercise videos, which says something (and says it pretty loudly).

I think if I got the eggs out of my diet I'd do even better (still a bit sniffly most of the time), so I've been working on that. Have you discovered Ener-G egg replacer? Its found in health food stores and maybe the natural foods section in the regular grocery. Works wonders in most things I've baked with it. Awesome chocolate chip cookies -- if your son's allergy isn't life threatening, Ghiradelli and Tropical Source have great dairy free chips which are unfortunately processed on the same equipment as dairy -- I use the recipe on the Fleishman's unsalted margarine box, a blessed "safe" butter substitute, if any margarine can be considered safe. Ground up flax seed and water works, too. There are some muffin recipes that do that in this Lorna Sass cookbook I own who's name I cannot remember (it's not Veg. Cooking Under Pressure).

Feel free to email me if you would like more substitution ideas. Child friendly hint: most Jello cooked puddings are dairy free as long as you use soy milk instead of regular. And cheeseless pizza isn't as bad as it sounds.

Oops, just realized that I have the wrong email address in my account, though it would get to me anyway. New one: [email protected]

Now, off to change the old.

Karen N

 

[sabella]

yes, I am obsessive

I got the headaches, too.

Some of the dairy free creamers are safe: Farm Rich, Coffee Rich (the frozen one) and Mocha Mix. Also, Silk (a soy milk) has recently come out with one, though I haven't seen it yet. And one of the vitamite fake milks is okay. The other one has casein, which annoys the heck out of me. Who but a dairy allergic person is going to drink fake milk? Esp. fake milk without soy involvement. A vegan, that's who. And they won't drink anything with casein in it, either.

Everyone I know (except the sister-in-law) thinks I'm imagining all this, with the exception of the few people who've seen me after I accidentally ate some dairy (bad experience with some unlabeled Indian bread that ended up having yogurt in it once).

 

[susan p]

Hi Heather!

Do you have an electric grinder? A friend of mine does, she's the one who got me started, sometimes I take wheat to her house to grind. That thing sounds just like a jet engine! I just have an inexpensive little hand grinder. It is quite a good workout! To grind 5 c. of wheat into 6 c. of flour is quite a project around here. I tell my 7 year old that if she finishes it for me before a certain time (I usually give her a few hours, so she can work on it then rest, work then rest, etc) I'll give her 50 cents or something. -susan p

 

[susan p]

allergy vs intolerance

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-99 AT 10:28PM (EST)</font></center>

I have a brother who is severely milk ALLERGIC (as well as allergic to wheat, my mom always had to make him bread with soya carob flour, maybe that's where my breadmaking tendencies come from). Anyway, there IS such a thing. Milk intolerance causes diarrhea because your digestive system lacks the enzyme required to break down milk sugar. Milk allergy can cause all kinds of systemic reactions (incl. congestion) because it is an IMMUNE RESPONSE, your body actually makes antibodies against milk protein and your entire immune system (incl. those mucous membranes!) go on alert when you are exposed to it. Milk allergy is not common, milk intolerance is. -susan p

 

[sabella]

allergy

I think the fact that milk allergy is not common is why people usually don't believe me. Thankfully what I do have is not the majorly severe, potentially life-threatening variety that your brother has (ack! and wheat, too. probably the most annoying food allergies to have, along with egg). But it is enough of a quality of life thing that I pay attention to it. I have doubts that it would actually show up on an allergy test, though.

The worst thing for me is having to listen to everyone I know tell me "your a pharmaceutical scientist, can't you invent some drug to take....". Picture me rolling my eyes.

 

[sassylgm49]

Susan P - You Made Me Laugh

Susan,
In my dull office, sitting alone here, I read your post and laughed my firm glutes off.
Very funny.
Thank You - I really needed that.

Louisa

 

[kathryn]

dairy allergy makes other allergies worse?

Karen---or anyone else with dairy allergy: Did you notice when you gave up dairy products, that any other allergies you had got better? As a child, I was allergic to a lot of things (nature, cats, etc.) and was sniffling and sneezing most of the time (having 2 or three cats at home at all times didn't help much!). After I gave up dairy (for philosophical, not health reasons at first), I didn't have half the problem I did before. I can now even sleep with two of my cats on my pillow! I would have thought this was maybe a fluke, but a roommate of mine, who was so allergic to her brother's cat that when she visited she could hardly breath, gave up dairy when I was living with her, and a few months later, when she visited her brother, she didn't have the terrible reaction to the cat. I also asked Dr. ????, the head of Physicians'Committee for Responsible Medecine, about this when I attended a conference he was speaking at, and he said that there have been no studies done, but he has had patients who have experiencds a similar decrease in "other" allergies once they gave up dairy. Perhaps many adults are somewhat intolerant to milk to some degree, and when they give it up, it takes them below the threshhold where their allergies are activated.

 

[sabella]

yep, sounds like me

Kathryn,

I was amazed at how much better my allergies got after I gave up dairy. They aren't gone, but they are manageable. I'm working on eliminating eggs, too, as they can cause similar problems according to some books I've read.

My biggest test of willpower yet comes this week: I am going to New Orleans for a conference. Can I resist cafe au lait (yes - I'm taking mini-packs of soy milk to add to my coffee) and beignets (the real problem) at Cafe du Monde? Those things can't be dairy-free. And I loved them the last time I was there, which was about 6 months before I figured out the problem.

 

[Heather Y]

electric grinder

Wow! I can't believe you use a hand grinder. I used one for a month and made my husband help me grind - that is a workout!

I am borrowing an electric grinder from my mother in law (sort of on a semi-permanent basis until I decide to buy one). It is so much quicker and of course easier. My recipes use 12-14 cups of flour so it really was a workout without the electric grinder.

However, that is a great job for your 7 year old!

 

[Heather Y]

Thanks for the info!

I have been using Ener-G egg replacer. I've tried a few other substitutions (like baking powder, oil, and water) which don't seem to work that well for baking (even though they are suppossed to). I might have to try the Ener-G again, maybe it will work better. I haven't tried the Ghiradelli or Tropical Source chocolate chips but I have tried the Sam's brand (Walmart) which don't have milk on the label but they also must be processed on the same line because he reacted to those.

I've never tried the Fleishman's margarine but I have been using Nucoa Margarine which is also lactose free.

I've never thought about Jello puddings with soy milk - I may just have to try that one.