Dairy Allergies And Dairy Allergy Symptoms

Dairy allergies are often confused with lactose intolerance, which is the inability to digest the sugar lactose. A dairy allergy is the response of the immune system to the protein found in milk and dairy products. A dairy allergy can be mild or serious and varies among individuals.

Virtually all infants who develop cow’s milk allergy do so in the first year of life, with about 80% ‘outgrowing’ their dairy allergy by their fifth birthday. Nearly 25% of these milk-allergic infants retain their their dairy allergy into the second decade of life, and 35% go on to develop other food allergies.¹

The common symptoms of egg and dairy allergies include:

• • Hives
  • Rashes
  • Diarrhea
  • Wheezing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Difficulty in swallowing

Major Sources of Dairy:

• • Milk in any form (whole, low fat, skim, evaporated, condensed, dry, acidophilus milk, milk solids, malted milk)
  • Cheese in any form
  • Cottage Cheese, Cream Cheese, and Sour Cream
  • Yogurt, Frozen Yogurt, Sherbet
  • Ice Cream and Ice Milk
  • Half and Half, Whipping Cream, and Coffee Cream
  • Pudding, Custard
  • Butter, including artificial butter flavor
  • Ghee
  • Margarine (unless labeled “dairy free” or Kosher)

• • Casein and Caseinates
  • Whey
  • Rennet
  • Lactose and Lactulose
  • Lactalbumin and Lactoglobulin
  • Curd

Milk and other dairy products are a major source of nutrients in the American diet. One of the most important of these nutrients is calcium. A concern for both children and adults with dairy allergies is getting enough calcium in a diet that includes little or no dairy products.