Going Milk-Free

[Cupkatemom]

My DD is newly diagnosed. This summer we thought she had a lactose intolerance, little did we know this was the beginning of Crohn's. We have noticed that even the lactose-free products seem to bother her of late. I would like to eliminate all milk products. Have any of you done this? Any great tips? She does not like Soy milk, but I plan to try it again soon (maybe in disguise with cereal). I also want to try soy cheese. Seems like she only wants Mac n Cheese these days - so I may try to make a soy-based recipe for her this weekend. I would love any tips...

 

[ronroush7]

Have you tried Almond Milk or Coconut milk?

2

 

[SarahD]

Or rice milk? Many people with Crohn's have problems with cows milk. Some people have success with dairy products from other animals, e.g. goats milk or cheese. If you do decide to go dairy free it's important to maintain a good calcium intake, either with fortified foods or a supplement.

 

[Cupkatemom]

We've tried Almond and Coconut milk - she did not like. She is such a milk drinker - won't even touch juice or soda. We are going to try lactose-free again this weekend.

 

[ronroush7]

Have you tried the Lactaid tablets?

2

 

[Lady Organic]

I firmly believe that animal milk products are unhealthy and pro-inflammatory. Its not only the lactose part, its the protein that is also bad, especially when it has been heated at high temperature for pasteurization. It is in country where people consume the most milk product that we find the highest rates of osteoporosis. The more milk we are told to consume, the sicker we are. In countries such as Corea, milk is not consumed and people do not suffer from this bone disease.

Soya shoud also be eaten with great moderation with no more than 1 portion a day, because some studies claim that it can have a bad impact on the thyroid gland. I personnaly chose not to consume it. Most soy in north america is GMO anyways and thats a big no no for me. Fermented soy found in miso or real soy sauce for instance is different and would be fine to consume. Tofu is not fermeted.

to help the taste of almond or rice milk, I suggest you put natural vanilla flavor in it. Some better quality rice or almond milks contains no sugars added with natural vanilla inside. They are not bad.
If you are highly motivated you can make your own nut milk (DELICIOUS!!!) Soaking the nuts for 4 to 12 hours depending on nut (8 hours for almonds), rince nuts well, then mix in high speed blender with water then extract pulp with special tissue or nylon sock, drink and enjoy. Best milk you can ever get!!!

I was a heavy cow milk drinker before but I stopped drinking it since 2 years now, along with gluten, corn and all transformed food. I am 100% sure the western diet rich in those pro-inflammatory foods and high animal meat intake ruined my gut flora and contributed a great deal to trigger my crohns. I never want to return to these food.

 

[ronroush7]

We have ruined food from it's original state.

2

 

[wild_one353]

its just the lactose sugars you want to reduce not dairy products themselves, otherwise milk is the only significant source of calcium and the protein quality is pretty much the most absorbable and the highest in tryptophan which we use to make serotonin and melatonin, two very important molecules for digestive tract function. Also these are important for mental functioning and i become grumpier and more irritable when i do not eat my cheese.

ths Specific Carbohydrate diet is based on this concept that the pathogenic bacteria that contributes to diarhea and inflammation in IBD prefer disacharides like lactose and sucrose, and by eliminating them we can reduce some of our symptoms.

most cheese is very low in lactose, mozzerella especially. but all fermented dairy products are lower in lactose then milk. i eat only enough cheese i can tolerate and take calcium phosphate supplements by posture d from swanson vitamins. so about 400 mg of calcium from cheese and 700 mg from supplements.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

In addition to what everyone else has suggested, has your daughter tried goat cheese? I'm lactose intolerant and I'm not satisfied with any of the dairy-substitute "cheese" products. Soy cheese, rice cheese, etc - none of them melt right. They're okay sprinkled onto pasta, but they don't work on a pizza. Goat cheese does melt well, and it doesn't affect me the way cow's dairy does. The creamer goat cheeses seem to be a little too rich for me, but things like goat muenster, goat mozzarella, and goat gouda sit just fine in my tummy. Goat cheese does have a slightly stronger taste than its cow dairy counterparts, so it may take a bit of getting used to, and I wouldn't recommend things like goat yogurt as the taste of that is overpoweringly strong and pretty disgusting. If you can find sheep cheese, the taste of that should be milder than goat cheese. Good luck, I hope your daughter can find some products that she likes!

 

[Jennyhawaii]

I feel for DD I huge milk drinker. My family would joke saying I needed my own cow that how much I would drink. In till Crohn moved in now I can't have milk. I really Like almond milk it close to real milk as I can get. Tell her keep trying it. It really good with mix one banana spoonful peanut butter whatever Flavor almond milk and ice Blended easy on the tummy.


Diagnosed with Crohn 12/13

 

[Olive.]

I know everyone has varying levels of lactose intolerance and varied ideas about dairy, but I can offer you what works for me. I definitely have lactose issues and here is what I have found:

Goat products are typically fine for me. That being said, I have never tried to eat a ton of goat cheese at a time or anything. (Partially because its expensive!) A little bit of goat cheese with beats or swiss chard stems can satisfy my cravings for something cheesy (like pizza) that would make me very sick

I make my own yogurt from UN-HOMOGENIZED milk. There is a school of thought out there that a lot of people who can't eat dairy products dont have lactose issues as much as they do homogenization issues. Homogenization changes the structure of the milk particles and makes it harder to digest. Making this milk into yogurt also adds the bacteria into it that us Crohn's girls lack making it even easier to digest.

Very dry cheese in small amounts can be ok for me. Very dry cheeses have very little lactose, and sometimes I have very small amounts of aged cheddar or feta so I dont feel deprived. (Only on good days though!)

If you are trying to find alternative products for her, there are great cultured coconut yogurts out there full of good bacteria. I also like almond and coconut ice creams. You could also try blending almond, coconut, rice, soy, or hemp milk into a fruit smoothie so she doesn't necessarily taste it. I make a wonderful soy hot chocolate with cocoa powder, cinnamon, honey, vanilla extract, and (if I am up to it) a little bit of cayenne pepper. Something that flavorful might hide the flavor of milk substitutes for her.

I am sure you already know this, but calcium is VERY important! My mom was food-insecure as a child and now she has a very hard time absorbing nutrients and maintaining her weight, no matter what she does! They think it is because she was malnourished. If you dont feel like DD is getting enough calcium, gummy or liquid vitamins might be a good option as they are easy to absorb into your system. (Pills will be tough for people with Crohn's to absord nutrients from) https://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/prob/Pages/calcium_need.aspx

Good luck! I know how hard it was for me as an adult to figure out eating with Crohns, I can't imagine figuring it out as a child! Good luck to both of you!

 

[wild_one353]

id do almond milk before soy milk.

but you should just shoot for low lactose fermented dairy products for calcium and high quality protein.