With new foods entering the markets on a daily basis, we’re gaining easier access to some foods that weren’t available before. It used to be just cow’s milk that we could get, than soy entered the stores. Now it’s not uncommon to see goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, almond milk. These provide some great alternatives to cow’s milk if you suffer from allergies. Here’s a quick rundown of some commonly asked dairy allergy questions, and some information on the other types of milk.

Q: What are some common symptoms of milk allergy?
Type 1 - Symptoms begin quickly after ingesting cow’s milk. Reactions mainly affect the skin, causing eczema or hives.
Type 2 - Symptoms begin several hours after ingesting cow’s milk. Symptoms of this type are mainly diarrhea and vomiting.
Type 3 - Symptoms develop more than twenty hours after ingestion. The main symptom for this type is diarrhea.

Symptoms of milk allergy can affect the skin, causing rashes or hives; the digestive tract, causing bloating and diarrhea, and the respiratory system, causing runny nose and asthma. Also these symptoms are common:
● vomiting
● hyperactive behavior
● diarrhea
● asthma
● hives
● runny nose
● rashes
● stuffy nose
● ear infections
● bloating
● watery eyes
● eczema
● allergic shiners (black around the eyes
● recurrent bronchitis
● failure to thrive

Q: What are some other ways to get calcium in your diet?
● leafy green vegetables
● dried fruit
● seafood
● enriched soy milk, rice milk, or tofu
● baked beans
● almonds
● molasses

Q: Do alternative types of milk have enough calcium?
Goats milk has plenty of calcium, but not the folic acid that cow’s milk does (and it does contain lactose). Soy milk does not have natural calcium, but many brands have added calcium. Some brands of almond milk have around 20%, some have none (it takes a lot of almonds to get the needed calcium in the milk).

Q: What about added sweeteners?
Almond milk and soy milk both can have a lot of sweeteners. In fact, with almond milk, the amount of almonds usually is less than the amount of water and sweetener. Rice milks as well usually have added sweeteners. Be sue to read the ingredient and nutritional labels on any milk alternative you are buying.

Q: What’s the best alternative to cow’s milk?
That’s a tough one to answer as it applies individually. Other animal milk’s contain lactose, so those may not be good options, and soy and almonds are high on the list of allergens as well. Soy has some controversy connected to it, and though rice is a safe alternative usually, the added sugar content is usually high.

Sources:
http://www.allergyescape.com/milk-allergy.html
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-milk19-2009oct19,0,671477.story?page=1

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