Dairy-free diet

Although many people cannot imagine their everyday life without yogurt, cheese or even a milk chocolate bar to improve their mood, there are a number of situations in which we are forced to give up these and other products and introduce a dairy-free diet. While a dairy-free diet may seem extremely restrictive and difficult to implement at first, you can learn to eat it in a healthy, varied, and hassle-free manner.

Who Is A Dairy Free Diet For?

There are at least a few situations where it is necessary to avoid dairy products. A disease much more common than you might think is lactose intolerance – it occurs in about 1/4 of adults! It is when the digestive system secretes too little lactase, the enzyme responsible for digesting lactose, the sugar present in milk. As a result, undigested lactose causes unpleasant ailments in the digestive system, such as abdominal pain, flatulence or gas. Digestive lactase levels often decline with age, and there is no way to stop it. If you are lactose intolerant, the only option is to give up dairy products.

Lactose intolerance must be distinguished from allergies to milk proteins. In the latter case, milk causes a typical allergic reaction that is associated with symptoms also outside the digestive system. We recognize an allergy to milk proteins after the following ailments occur after eating foods containing milk:

1. digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, colic, vomiting, acid reflux, appetite disturbances, constipation;
2. skin ailments: redness, dry skin, rashes, hot skin, pimples, blisters, in infants a characteristic symptom is also the so-called cracking ear lobe;
3. respiratory symptoms such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, cough and runny nose.

It happens that milk allergy occurs in adults, although the most common one is a transient form of it in infants, called protein flaw. In such a situation, a breastfeeding mother must temporarily switch to a dairy-free diet, because allergens from the milk she consumes pass into the food and reach the body of a small allergy sufferer. Withdrawal of milk is then very important as allergy symptoms not only prevent the infant from functioning and developing properly, but it is also believed that an untreated protein defect may lead to the development of asthma in the child in the future.

Products prohibited in a non-dairy diet

As the name suggests, we exclude all products containing milk and dairy products from the menu. Although it is commonly referred to as an allergy to cow’s milk, the milk of other animals can also cause allergic reactions (so-called cross-allergy) and also contains lactose. This means that milk or goat cheese in a dairy-free diet are also prohibited products.

Unfortunately, just avoiding dairy stands in stores is not enough to be sure that we are not delivering milk to our body. This is because milk and its products are added to many foods, even those that would not be dairy. Particular attention should be paid to products such as:

1. bread, especially toasted bread or buns for hamburgers and hot dogs,
2. salty snacks such as crisps, peanuts, etc.,
3. ready meals and instant soups,
4. meat and cold cuts,
5. sweets and pastries,
6. drugs, because very often the tablet mass contains lactose.

This means that an important element of implementing a dairy-free diet is developing the habit of reading the ingredients of the products you buy. Fortunately, according to current regulations, allergens such as milk and milk products must be listed in bold on the packaging, making their presence easy to spot.

What to eat on a dairy-free diet?

Excluding milk from the diet does not mean that it will be poor. There are many recipes for attractive, dairy-free dishes, and the growing popularity of vegan cuisine (that is, one in which we forgo all animal-based foods) shows that you can eat colorful and varied dishes made of plants only! Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that milk contains important nutrients such as calcium, zinc, potassium as well as vitamins A, B1, B2 and B12. You can easily find comprehensive lists of dairy-free products containing these substances on the Internet. Supplementation of these ingredients is also a convenient and reliable solution.

Giving up the dishes we are used to may be a bigger problem. Fortunately, the modern market offers a wide range of plant-based alternatives for dairy products. Milk in coffee or cereals, as well as cakes and pancakes, can be successfully replaced with plant-based milk, e.g. soy or rice milk. In addition, many not only organic delicatessen, but also hypermarkets offer, among others soy yoghurts, creams and even vegetable cheeses in various variants.

The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website.