Breastfeeding Dairy Free
When my daughter was diagnosed with suspected Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy (you can read more about that here), and as I was breastfeeding the first thing the doctor suggested was that I go dairy free.
With a 5 week old baby and being immensely sleep deprived at the time, it seemed like a huge and really daunting prospect. My Mum is lactose intolerant so she was my first port of call for advice. However, Aria is allergic to milk protein and not lactose, so even lactose free choices were not an option for me. I started researching and came up with a plan of how I was going to change my diet and do some straight swaps for the diary in my life. Once I got into the swing of things it was easier than I thought and it really helped with I saw what a difference my changes were making to my daughter.
Swaps
- Milk – I swapped for coconut milk or oat milk. I prefer coconut milk on my cereal, but you can make some mean Yorkshire puddings with oat milk.
- Butter – swap for Vitalite
- Cheese – this is a tough one, because if I’m honest more of the substitutes do not really taste like cheese and some of them are down right awful. The best option I have been able to come up with is Violife. I wouldn’t make a cheese sandwich with it, but it works in sauces – for example if you wanted to make a lasagne.
- Chocolate – again this is a tough one if you’re a milk chocolate fan. If you’re a dark chocolate fan, then the good news is that a lot of dark chocolate is dairy free – although you have to check the ingredients – Hotel Chocolat have a good range, quite a few of Green and Blacks is fine, sadly none of Lindt’s are. If you’re a milk chocolate fan then the best option that I came across was Moo Free Chocolate – they’re not cheap at £2.60 for a 100g bar, but it did help me feel like I was getting my milk chocolate fix.
- Yogurt – I really struggled with fruit soya yogurts because I thought they just tasted wrong. In the end I found soya deserts (vanilla or chocolate) were the best alternative. There other options – coconut for example, but they are very expensive.
Surprising Things That Are Dairy Free
Some of these things I didn’t find out about until quite late into my dairy free journey. But they’re really handy to know. I will also caveat this with my daughter has been ok with products that say ‘may contain milk’ as this is usually a factory issue, but if you’re not you will need to double check some of the labels on these products.
- Hobnobs
- Just-Roll Puff Pastry
- Own Brand (Tesco/Sainsburys) Jaffa Cakes (not Jaffa Cake branded)
- Peanut Butter
Cooking
If you’re a cook, the best and cheapest way around eating things you normally would, but dairy free is to make it yourself. The Free Form selections in supermarkets are pretty pricey. If you take Cherry Bakewells as an example – normally 6 for £1, Free From 4 for £2. Gives you a feel for the step up in prices you’re looking at.
But if you cook you can make easy substitutions – cakes are easy you just swap butter for Vitalite. Yorkshires and pancakes can be made with oat milk, currys with coconut milk or coconut cream. If you get a bit creative, you can make it happen. Vegan recipes are a really useful tool, even if I was a bad person and often added meat!
If you are a chocoholic I must admit that this recipe become one of my favourite items during my dairy free journey and got me through many a tricky day.
Vegan Cherry and Almond Brownies
Eating Out
Eating out is tricky, but new legislation that came in in September 14 has meant that things are a lot more transparent. I have found chatting to the waiters is the best option. Chefs have often been really kind and made things for me either without sauces or swapping certain elements of a dish. The hardest thing is desert, it is very rare you can find a dairy free desert on the menu. So if you have a sweet tooth like me, you unfortunately do have to grit your teeth.
I hope this was helpful, if I can help with anything, or you have any better suggestions for me to add to these lists – please comment or message me.
Also, If your child is allergic to dairy, you might find my post Ten Dairy Free Sandwich Fillings for Weaning handy.
I did not know Hobnobs were dairy free. I guess they are made with oil. It’s good news anyway. I wish I had had some of this information when I was diagnosed as lacto intolerant. I had no help or information at all, I was just sent on my way from hospital with nothing. I am sure this will be very useful to someone, well I found out about Hobnobs!
I have found out more on the Internet that the doctors told me – enjoy the hobnobs 🙂
It’s true that free from food is more expensive, but that’s because a lot of controls are in place. There is a lot of food out there that is made without milk that is cheaper and may be suitable for some. However, if you/your little one is particularly sensitive, you can be at risk of a reaction to these too – even through breastmilk. This is because these products are manufactured on the same equipment that has been used for products which contain dairy and traces may remain. Everyone’s tolerance level differs, and can change over time, or according to state of general health. My LO was OK with Hobnobs and Fox’s Party Rings at one time and then over time began to react to them.- it was a kind of build-up. That’s not to say that you should avoid them altogether – just be aware and exercise caution!
Oh I do understand. I did add a disclaimer that my daughter was ok with ‘may contain’ and some may not be. I will be especially cautious with ‘may contain’ as I continue weaning here – she’s a bit too young for biscuits at the moment. Good to know about party rings too.
I understand why freefrom are expensive, I really do. But it can come at a hard time (while on maternity leave) for those of us with cmpa babies, but I know this is because of the controls in place, but in general I found to get around this baking at home was cheapest.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting x
Who knew about the Hobnobs! Informative post. Thanks so much for linking up to #TheList x
Thanks Aby, it looks like quite a few people are pleased about Hobnobs 🙂
Great post with some fab info in here! It must definitely have been very daunting to even know where to begin with this huge lifestyle change it’s amazing that it’s made such a difference for your little lady though must make it all totally worth it!!!
Popping over from #maternitymatters
Thanks for popping over. It was really daunting at first. But it’s one of those things that once you’re doing it, it’s ok. And it was totally worth the difference was amazing. She went from crying or fussing most of the day, to being a much more happy and settled baby.
Thats a brilliant list and will be really useful for those that need it, its hard to find treats that are dairy free, I had no idea some jaffa cakes were. My hubby will be pleased 🙂
Someone told me on Twitter about Jaffa cakes and it made my day! Hope it makes your hubby happy x
Thank you thank you thank you!!! Last week Oreos, this week hobnobs!! Woohoo!! Thanks so much for linking go #MaternityMatters x
I cannot believe I was dairy free for 9 months and didn’t know about oreos!!
My son was diagnosed with multiple allergies at 3 months. I continued to feed him and found it hard to get my head around the diet to start with as well as the length of time it takes to do the food shop!!
It’s a way of life for all of us now and the weight loss was a great bonus for me!! X
It is really hard to get your head around it at first, I agree and then it just clicks and as you say becomes a way of life.