Dairy free diet and recipes
Photography by Photography by Andrew Young
In this month's issue
Discover the facts behind a dairy free diet, including the pros and cons. By Dr Rosemary Stanton.
Dairy free diets are promoted for those with an allergy to dairy proteins (often children) or an intolerance to lactose, the sugar found in milk and also present in yoghurt and ice cream.
Diets without dairy products are also used by vegans and some detox diets forbid all dairy products.
Avoiding animal products is a personal philosophy and is not related to science.
Allergies occur to proteins and it’s correct that some children are allergic to dairy proteins. This occurs because the child’s immature digestive system fails to properly digest some proteins and the body reacts adversely to the partially digested products. Almost all children ‘grow out of’ an allergy to dairy protein as their digestive system matures and it is rare to retain such an allergic reaction beyond three or four years of age. An allergic reaction can be confirmed by a blood test available through consultation with a general practitioner. Do not rely on other tests for diagnosis.
Lactose intolerance may be temporary after a bout of gastrointestinal disease or develop during adolescence or adulthood. Indeed, the majority of the world’s population develops lactose intolerance, although it is not common among those of Anglo-Saxon background or people from some African countries.
There is no evidence that eliminating dairy products will result in removing toxins from the body, as claimed in some detox diets.
How to cut out dairy foods
For those with a proven allergy to dairy foods, all dairy products – milk, yoghurt, cheese, ice cream, custard and cream need to be avoided. Food Standards Australia New Zealand requires all foods that contain dairy protein to be identified in the ingredient list on all food labels. If eating at a restaurant, check with the waiter or chef.
Suitable dairy-free breakfasts would be rolled oats cooked with soy, rice or oat milk or egg with wholegrain toast or baked beans on toast.
For dessert, fruit with soy yoghurt or dairy-free ice dessert.
If choosing or making pizza, omit cheese.
Those with lactose intolerance do not need to totally avoid dairy products. Small amounts of lactose do not usually cause symptoms and studies show that up to one cup of milk is usually fine. Unlike an allergy, lactose will not cause any reactions in the blood and while it may cause some discomfort, it does not cause damage. Cheese has virtually no lactose and the bacteria that thicken yoghurt will partially digest lactose so it is usually well tolerated.
Watch out for
Dairy products are a significant source of calcium for Australians. However, alternatives are available and include calcium-fortified soy, rice and oat milks. Other sources of calcium include seafood (especially canned fish with edible bones and also prawns), tofu that is set with a calcium salt (check the label), almonds, tahina, soy beans and Asian vegetables.
Protein and other nutrients
Although dairy products are good sources of protein and other nutrients, these will generally be supplied by a varied diet. For example protein is found in meat, fish, chicken, eggs, legumes, nuts, wholegrains and seeds. For children between the age of 1 and 2 years who are not breastfed, fortified soy milk provides similar nutritional value to regular milk.
See dairy free recipes.
Taste.com.au - January 2013
Dr Rosemary Stanton