Going Dairy-Free (DF) – Part One: The Essentials

Going Dairy-Free (DF) – Part One: The Essentials

If you are at your wits end with a breastfed baby that is uncomfortable and gassy, fussy, has reflux or spills excessively, there is a good chance that cutting dairy from your diet may help reduce your baby’s discomfort.  Does the thought frighten you? I want to let you know that going dairy-free can actually be quite simple, you don’t need to miss out on the food comforts you rely on, and that the improvements may very well be worth the effort.

I have had four babies whose stomach problems have been dramatically reduced by removing dairy.  I do know how hard it can be to give up something you love, even for someone you love, but trust me; the improvements you will see in your baby will make it worthwhile. And if not, it is one more thing to cross off the list of things you’ve now tried. Initially it might seem quite overwhelming to think about removing an entire group of food from your diet, but it really is easier than you think, if you follow a few simple ideas.

Here are some of the basics:

Going dairy-free means cutting out all sources of dairy, including milk, cheese, butter and yogurt, but also including milk solids, milk powders, whey powders and casein/caseinate products (these less recognizable ingredients are also known as hidden dairy).  As you can imagine, you will need to start reading food labels carefully.

Please discuss your concerns with your doctor and your pediatrician. There may be a reason why it is not appropriate for you to go DF for your own health. Your baby may also need a treatment for reflux in conjunction with your dietary changes.

There is a big difference between a milk protein or lactose allergy and dairy intolerance.  Intolerance often has an end-point (i.e. the child will grow out of it at some point) and symptoms are more often stomach related. Allergic reaction is more complicated and should definitely be managed by a doctor. A mother going DF for a breast-fed infant would be important in the case of both conditions, but the degree of strictness may be different.

Give going dairy-free a good two weeks before you decide if it’s working or not. You may very well see an improvement after about 3 to 5 days, but it takes two weeks to completely clear dairy from your breast-milk. 

Be very strict in that first two weeks, including removing all sources of hidden dairy.  After that, you can trial different amounts and types of dairy to see what your baby can tolerate, but if you are not strict enough in those few weeks you won’t know for certain if going DF really helped your baby.

In the first two weeks, don’t eat out. It is too hard to control what you have eaten and no matter how earnestly your waiter assures you something is DF, you have to trust their ability to read labels accurately. You are also relying on someone who is possibly busy and stressed and make mistakes. After you have determined being DF makes a difference, there are ways to make eating out work for you, but you have to be extremely vigilant - I have often sent back coffees that were supposed to be soy, but were made with milk instead. All the apologies won’t make up for the discomfort your baby will endure because of their mistake.

At least initially, avoid using soy milk as a milk replacement until you know dairy is the culprit. Often babies who are milk protein intolerant are also soy intolerant, and if you replace with soy, you may not see an improvement.

Eggs are NOT dairy products. They come from chickens, not cows. Don’t cut them out unless you have reason to suspect an egg allergy or intolerance. They are great sources of protein and healthy fats and are a great breakfast option.

Take a calcium supplement. There are definitely ways of getting enough calcium without dairy products (including canned fish, making bone broth) but it can be hard to do this, breastfeeding mothers need a large amount of calcium and hey, you have a new-born. Do yourself a favor and, after checking with your doctor, take it in pill form.

Keep your diet simple initially until you get the hang of it. If you are eating a similar diet each day, you can be certain it is dairy-free without too much work or spending hours reading labels. Then over time you can slowly add variety to this diet. 

A basic dairy-free diet:

Breakfast:

• Toast (check the label) with DF margarine and your favourite DF spread – jam, peanut butter, honey etc
• Cereal with a few spoons of coconut cream (or another milk alternative).
• Eggs (scrambled with water, poached, fried)

Lunch

• Soup (preferably homemade or check labels)
• Salad (check label of dressing) with a protein (un-breaded chicken, fish)
• Ham, chicken or egg sandwich with salad and DF spreads and dressing.

Dinner

• Protein (steak, fish, chicken) with vegetables or salad (Make any mash with olive oil instead of dairy)

Snacks

• Nuts
• Fruit
• DF home-baking
• DF dark chocolate!

The key to remaining DF longer term is finding good substitutes.

• Find a good milk replacement – oat, rice, almond, coconut or eventually soy if your baby can tolerate it. Most baking recipes work well enough with an appropriate milk alternative. You might have to add a little more fat depending on the milk.
• Find a good DF margarine/spread. Usually they are olive oil based, and can be used in place of butter or margarine unit for unit, especially if the amount needed is small.
• Find a good creamy textured DF mayonnaise. This can be used as a sauce base in pasta or noodles, on salads to give a decadent creaminess, or as a dipping sauce/topping in place of sour cream.
• Find a good DF dark chocolate. When you do, buy in bulk. This needs no further explanation and will save your sanity at all hours of the day or night.

If there is no improvement after being strictly DF (including all hidden dairy) for at least two weeks, then sadly or not, dairy intolerance is not your child’s problem. You can cross it off the list and move on to trying something else. Good luck and we really feel for you, Mama.

If there is an improvement, YAY! You have your answer and can continue to work on the solution. I suggest remaining DF for at least three months, and up to six months before trialling a reintroduction of dairy.  At this point, you could consider adding a small amount of cooked dairy or dairy by-products (whey or casein) and see how baby responds. Trial and error is the key, but do be aware that dairy “builds up” in breast milk over time, and sometimes it may take up to a week of consuming dairy before the effects are seen again.  All of my girls have been able to tolerate some amount of dairy in my breast milk by six to nine months and have been okay to consume dairy themselves by 12 months. My niece, however, could not tolerate dairy until she was two.

Congratulations on your decision to go Dairy-Free. You are doing a great thing for your baby, and it’s not really that difficult when you learn the tricks and pitfalls. Mama, you’ve got this!!

Check out the entire Going Dairy-Free series:
Part One - The Essentials
Part Two - My DF Journey
Part Three - Making a DF Diet Work for You

Coming soon: Hidden dairy and other possible pitfalls, the science of going DF and my favorite DF recipes

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Have you made the decision to go dairy-free?  How did you find it? Did it make a difference to your baby’s well-being? Please share your experiences with us