If you saw someone
being bullied, what
are some ways you
could help them?*
*Conversation starters to
incorporate at meal time.
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DAIRY-FREE
TIPS
If you’re considering going dairy-free—for yourself or your family—
Manz offers these helpful tips:
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Stick with dairy substitutes or unprocessed foods in their
organic, whole form. Fruits and veggies, all meats, poultry and
seafood, rice and regular pasta, nuts, seeds, beans, and unrefined
whole grains in their natural state are generally always safe.
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While older kids and teens will understand why the rest of the
family can enjoy dairy and they can’t, a younger child who can’t
eat what everyone else is eating (or must look past favorite foods in
the fridge) might feel left out or deprived. In this case, it might be
best to keep all meals dairy-free when dining at home.
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Just like with a nut or other food allergy, it’s important to edu-
cate others who might be feeding your child about the poten-
tial dangers of serving them dairy. For instance, if a child with a milk
allergy is attending a party, it’s important parents educate the hosts
before the event, and have an emergency plan in place. You might of-
fer to provide acceptable dairy-free treats for your child to consume
and share, or accompany children who are too young to determine
for themselves which foods are safe and dairy-free.
People always ask how non-meat eaters get
their iron and protein, or how gluten-free
dieters get enough fiber.
Where dairy is concerned, people
immediately worry about where they will
get their calcium. Manz says while that can
be a concern, there are plenty of non-dairy
sources for calcium, as well as the other
nutrients that dairy products provide.
“Everyone needs calcium in their diet,
but dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese
and cream are also generally high in protein
and fortified with vitamins A and D,” she
explains. “If you’re not consuming dairy,
you do need to have another source of these
nutrients, with food sources preferred over
supplements.”
She suggests looking for calcium-
fortified orange juice; soy, hemp, rice, or pea
milk; soy yogurt; calcium-fortified cereals,
bars or oatmeal; and calcium-fortified tofu,
many of which are also high in protein.
Canned fish like sardines or salmon with
bones, almonds and other nuts and seeds,
as well as many beans and greens are
naturally high in calcium and protein,
with no fortification needed, she adds.
While lean proteins like poultry, fish
and eggs (which are not dairy even though
they’re found on the dairy aisle of the
market,) may be excluded from a vegetarian
diet, they can certainly be included in one
that is strictly dairy-free.
MAKING THE CHANGE
Whatever the reason, your decision to rid
the family refrigerator of dairy may seem
less difficult for the one who shops and
cooks than for the cheese-loving, ice cream-
craving, milk-drinking people in your
household, especially if they don’t share the
allergy or philosophy that led to the change.
When it’s a lifestyle preference versus
a safety consideration, Manz suggests
starting slowly.
“For most people making a lifestyle
change, it’s easier to replace one small thing
at a time when possible,” she says. “Making
major changes in small steps makes it easier
to stick with in the long run for many
people. But if the person who can’t consume
diary is allergic and has risks for severe or
life-threatening reactions, the home should
be completely dairy free for safety.”
When this is the case, Manz also
stresses the importance of learning to
identify milk derivatives on food labels to
prevent accidental ingestion.These include
casein, caseinates, curds, hydrolysates and
whey in all forms.That’s because “dairy-
free” foods don’t contain milk or lactose,
but they might contain ingredients that
were derived from milk such as sodium
caseinate, says Manz. An example of this
would be a “non-dairy” creamer.
All manufactured food products that
are regulated by the FDA and contain
milk as an ingredient must list it on
the product label, and because of cross-
contamination concerns, food processed in
plants with other milk products must have
the disclaimer, “may contain milk” even if
it’s not directly on the ingredient list.
“If a food has a food label, read the
entire thing,” she says.
There’s no denying the fact that
many dairy foods are yummy, but it’s
still possible to live a satisfying life full
of delicious foods on a diet sans dairy.
Now, more than ever, there are plenty
of indulgent alternatives to traditionally
dairy-rich foods that will ensure no one
goes hungry at snack time, and that no
pizza, toast or hamburger patty goes
untopped.
