Milk Allergy
A milk allergy is kind of unusual, it is very common in young children but the vast majority of them will eventually out grow them. Unfortunately a milk allergy can be a problem since most children depend on milk to meet their nutritional needs. There are ways to allow a child with a milk allergy to meet their nutritional needs but it is not as effective as it would be if they could drink milk.
Milk allergies are quite common in small children but they usually disappear by about the age of three. There are however a few people who will suffer from lifelong milk allergies. A milk allergy is not the same as being lactose intolerant, an allergy is a reaction to the protein in the milk while the lactose is in the sugar. In most cases children who are allergic to milk will refuse to eat it. The reaction to milk will vary depending on the seriousness of the allergy. The symptoms can range from a rash to itchy eyes right up to anaphylaxis. Although most children with milk allergies will eventually out grow them it is very common for children who have had an allergy to milk to develop asthma as they get older.
In general it isn’t necessary to completely avoid milk if your child has an allergy to it. Most children can handle the small amounts that are used in cooking. Children who are in the process of outgrowing their allergy can even handle a small amount of cheese or yogurt. On the other hand children who have severe allergies will need to be very careful about avoiding milk.
Avoiding milk can be a problem since it is used in so many food products. Even worse products that use milk in them often aren’t labeled. It can be surprising where milk can show up. Often potato chips will use milk in the seasoning for example. Often chickens that are sold in the grocery store are treated with milk proteins in order to improve the texture. If you child has a severe allergy you will need to really pay attention to what they eat.
Since milk makes up such an important part of a small child’s diet it is usually necessary to find a replacement. The most common replacement is soy milk but this is usually not an adequate replacement. Soy milk does not contain enough calories or calcium to act as a replacement for cow milk although you can get soy formula that is enriched with calcium. If you are going to use soy milk instead of cow milk you will need to make sure that you are supplementing it so that your child gets all the nutrition that they need. Do not use lactose free milk since the allergy is not caused by lactose if your child is allergic to milk they will be allergic to lactose free milk.