It's Not Lactose Intolerance?

My son was very irritable for the first 5 months of his life and not growing very well. Everyone told me it was colic. But mother's intuition rarely fails. I took myself off of all cow products and gluten as well. Within two weeks he was a completely different baby and I couldn't believe the changes in myself. He does drink goat milk and eats goat cheese/ sheep cheese. He seems to do fine with any hard cheese that's cow, but that's it. He was never tested, but I have all the proof I need. He is now 15 months and is doing wonderful. I also have learned to make cheeze it's, ice cream and just about any other regular food with it being gluten and cow free. So if you'd like any recipes I would be happy to share.

Check the cheeses for gluten - gluten is in EVERYTHING!! Goat;s milk tends to be strictly organic (BIG bonus points) and is generally easier for humans to digest than cow's milk.

If you can afford to - got to a Natural Food store and ask if they have lactose free- gluten free cheeses.

Try a vegan cheese--a lot of the soy and rice cheeses that are out there contain casein, the protein found in cow's milk. And some people do have a sensitivity to casein, rather than to lactose. The kind that I give my daughter is by Galaxy Foods and says Vegan in big letters on it. Sometimes conventional food stores carry it but otherwise check your local co-op/organic food store.

Could she have casein intolerance, or intolerance to whey? I was told that it was not milk sugar (lactose) but milk protein (casein) that was hard for children under 1 to digest. ( i realize she is 14 mos, but it might be worth checking your labels for casein and whey.

My Dr. thought goats milk could be difficult for my casein intolerant baby to digest, but I will tell you that that is what my husband was given when he could not tolerate cow's milk as a baby.

Could it possibly be something else she is eating? With my daughter, the pedi was suspecting lactose intolerance. When I tried to wean from the breast she had all kinds of issues. We tried everything...cow milk, soy, goat's milk, formula. They all caused problems. Fortunately, I was still able to breastfeed. Come to find out it wasn't a dairy issue at all...it was grapes and grape juice. The apples I was feeding her rather regularly were soaked in grape juice. It just took us a while to connect the dots.

There's a difference between lactose intolerance and a milk protein allergy. Intolerance is different than an allergy.

With lactose intolerance, the small intestine is not making enough (sometimes not any at all) lactase, which is the enzyme that digests lactase aka the sugars found in dairy/milk/cream.

With an allergy, the body is actually allergic to the milk protein aka casein/whey in the dairy.

For a successful test for lactose intolerance and dairy allergy you need to do a true elimination diet. You have to read labels and make sure there's not a single trace of any lactose, lactate, lactylate, casein, caseinate, whey, milkfat, butterfat, cream, powdered milk, cheese powder, condensed milk, anything that related to milk. Nothing. Remove dairy completely from her diet for a full 4 weeks. That means absolutely no dairy, not even the lactose-free versions. It takes the body two full weeks to eliminate dairy products and to be free of them. Then the body needs two additional weeks to see what it feels like dairy free.

After those four weeks, if you reintroduce dairy with a glass of milk and she has diarrhea or constipation with stomach upset, serious gas, pain in her bowels, then it's likely lactose intolerance.

If she vomits it back up, gets eczema or a rash or shows other signs of allergy, then it's an allergic reaction. But there could be signs of damage in her stomach that would need to be seen with one of those little scopes.

It could be combination of both. If she gets a reaction either way, stop giving her dairy. Period. Call a pediatric gastroenterologist at your local Children's Hospital and request a breath test to determine lactose intolerance for sure. Also request a milk allergy test which they would do at a different time. They will also set you up with a pediatric nutritionist.

My middle daughter is lactose intolerant. We've BTDT.

Almond milk cheese is reasonably tasty.

my mom was allergic to cow milk and soy milk but did well with goat milk. Have you tried almond milk yet? Of course, you'll need to pay attention to the nutritional differences between them all, too, to make sure there is enough calcium, vitamin D, etc. in the diet and supplements.

She can't be lactose intolerant if she's nursing - that's the sugar that's in all animal milk, including yours. Depending on how they did the milk allergy test, she may still be allergic to the proteins in cows milk. Goats milk works for some people but most can't tolerate that either. You could try Daiya cheese if you can find it - I've only seen it in shredded form, but it melts almost like real cheese and it doesn't taste too bad! I have a son who wouldn't drink soy milk, but I weaned him anyway at 17 months and gave it to him in other things, like his rice cereal (he's also allergic to gluten). Older children don't HAVE to drink milk, if you can find ways to get them the vitamins they need in other things.

I myself have celiac and have noticed that I become lactose intolerant for a few days/week after I have a reaction to a hidden source of gluten. I would also double check the faux cheese ingredients, a lot of vegan food has gluten in it. Good luck!

I'd put my money on milk *protein*, but I'm probably pre-disposed to the idea, since that's what's up with my youngest. ;-)

I have noticed that people with Celiac Disease often have Lactose Intolerance, and people with Gluten Intolerance often have a casein or a whey allergy. Not sure why that is, but my research has proven that observation to be quite accurate.

Some people with Lactose Intolerance find that they can eat or drink something that's cow if they take a Lactose Intolerance aid beforehand; that will help their body break down the sugars. Others notice that even taking an aid doesn't help their symptoms. Still others (even those with a casein or a whey allergy) have found that they can eat goat or sheep products because they have different proteins and sugars than cow's milk/products. And like one poster stated, there could still be hidden gluten in the product.

Best bet is to try something that's organic/from the farm (in terms of goat milk, maybe?) that hasn't been modified per commercial foodstuffs or had anything like antibiotics/growth hormones injected. Finding a farmer you can purchase goat milk from would be the best.

There are many proteins and sugars in milk that we can be sensitive to - lactose is just the most common one. My youngest and I are both sensitive - we drink soy milk, and as long as we don't eat too much too often, we can do some cheese. My son can do dairy yogurt (although he couldn't until he was 2) but I have to eat soy yogurt. You say she "won't drink" soy - try some different brands, you may find one she likes. My son and I drink Silk DHA-Omega 3 - I think it's a nice balance of sweetness and it's a little richer than some other soy milks I've had. Definitely try goat cheese - you can find slices of it (at Trader Joe's, or perhaps some other specialty groceries.) But the classic soft goat cheese is probably a great place to start. And by all means, try goat's milk, see how it goes.

I know how frustrating it can be to feel like you have such limited options, and to have to buy and try so many different things, when it feels like most kids just get to have a glass of milk with their meals - simple!

Also know that as she grows, she may (or may not) be able to eat things that she can't eat now. I was also off dairy (except for butter) while I was nursing (26 months!) but as time has gone by we've been able to add some things back in, slowly, and judiciously. Good luck!

Look into milk protein's, heard of alot of people being allergic to that. Also, try almond milk, I'm pretty sure it's gluten free and the vanilla flavored is great.

There is probably gluten in the cheese, its in everything. Check the labels well and try a goats milk and goats milk cheese. A whole foods or the like will have the best foods for her, cleary labeled and help from the people who work there that know the product.