Dairy Protein Intolerance in Babies

Seven years ago I found out my infant had a dairy protein intolerance.  It caused her to be very fussy and uncomfortable after feedings and caused gastrointestinal issues as her body could not process the protein in dairy. Well, I love ALL things dairy, so this was a BIG change for our family’s food shopping and meals.
At first, I would eat different foods and then my baby would get sick. People…dairy is in SO many food products. More than you can imagine! So I started to read every ingredient when shopping.

When you have a child or family member that has a dairy protein intolerance (not the same as lactose intolerant) these are the ingredients to look for that you want to steer clear of: whey, caseinate, casein milk fat, milk or cream. So yogurt, cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, ice cream, and milk are out.

Along the way we have found some products that are pretty good and close to the “real thing”.

Butter Substitute: Earth Balance has butter spread and butter sticks for baking. You can substitute canola oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil for most baking.
Sour Cream: Tofutti
Cream Cheese: Tofutti or Daiya
Cheese: Daiya or Veggie Shreds (Be careful with Veggie Shreds because the bag says dairy free, but they have dairy free and lactos free. Lactose free still has the protein.)
Ice Cream: So Delicious has some great creamy ice cream options. Almost all fruit pops or sorbet (not sherbert) are good cold treats!
Yogurt: So Delicious and Silk have great tasting options.
Milk: Soy, cashew, almond, coconut, or rice milk that are enriched and not sweetened are the best options.
Creamer: So Delicious and Silk soy creamer are good options.
Whip Cream/ Cool Whip: There are soy, rice whip creams and So Delicious Coconut Cool whip options that are tasty.

You can find all of these at any health food store like Whole Foods or Sprouts. Even many HEB’s here in town carry a lot of these brands!

Here is a easy and delicious recipe that you can use as a side for many meals.

Corn Souffle

• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 C. sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 bag frozen corn, defrosted
• 1 box cornbread mix (We like Krusteaz brand.)

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9 X 13 pan with non stick spray. Mix all ingredients well and pour into your pan. Bake for 1 hour or until tooth pick comes out clean.

Written by Naomi