57: Diary Free Swaps (Yum!)
With our recent episode series on infant allergens, you may be wondering what on earth you’re going to eat after identifying and cutting out the culprit for your baby’s allergy symptoms. I thought it might be helpful to share my personal story and some favorite dairy free goodies that gave me options to still have treats, without the guilt that it would end in spit up. After the birth of my son, I was really intentional about my postpartum food choices and somewhat systematic on introducing foods while breastfeeding. Although this might not be necessary for most families, I had worked with so many babies dealing with reflux or other allergy symptoms that I wanted a greater sense of control in the matter. After the birth and some time to settle into a routine (well as much of a routine as you can have with a newborn anyway) I introduced some of those common culprits one at a time. Inconveniently, when I had a little diary, my son started having wet burps. So I took it out for a few days, then tried again (just to be sure). And sure enough the next day wet burps and some spit up he never otherwise had. I gave it another few weeks, decided three strikes and dairy was out (at least for a good long while). I pulled it from my diet- because for me it’s not worth it. Now, not all parents choose to do this over mild symptoms, especially if they are unsure what the culprit was. After all, there are numerous reasons a baby might spit up or have reflux. Yes allergens, but also:
feeding too fast at the breast or bottle
too large of meals
swallowing too much air
tightness or tension in certain areas of the body
being moved around or put in a position that creates pressure on a full tummy
and sometimes it just happens in small amounts that don’t really bother your baby at all- which is what we call physiological reflux
If you aren’t sure, it could be helpful to talk to someone. But if you are sure, and removal of dairy from your diet is a choice you are making for a period of time, then I’m here to share some of my favorite non- dairy treat alternatives. Now here’s a disclosure- some babies with allergies may have more than one allergy (dairy and soy for example), so this list doesn’t mean there will be no issues if that’s the case for your baby. Also if you recall, in the past few episodes Dr. Trill explained that technically, your baby can be allergic to basically any food (although there are some that are more statistically likely). So please don’t take this episode as proof enough that dairy is definitely the underlying issue for you. However, dairy is such a common one and many moms benefit from knowing we have options for a fun treat. So for those eliminating dairy specifically, let’s jump in:
If you love ice cream and need a creamy rich and sweet alternative: So Delicious Ice Cream is great. It may be that I haven’t had real ice cream in a while, but this one comes the closest as far as scratching the itch. My personal favorite is the salted caramel cluster flavor.
Now if you are a salty gal, and need some chips with bold flavor and a little kick, then Siete brand Nacho chips are fantastic.
Maybe what you need is not a flavored chip but something to dip a chip into. Well making dairy free queso is actually really easy! And it’s only 7 ingredients:
½ c water
1 cup raw cashews that have soaking in hot water for about 30 minutes (however I’ve made it after less soaking and it’s turned out fine), ⅓ cup of roasted red peppers
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 ¼ tsp sea salt
⅓ cup of onion
and 1 clove of garlic.
Blend or food process it all together and voila! Delicious queso that will impress even those who love cheese. (I cannot for the life of me find where I got this recipe only years ago, if this is your recipe- please email me so I can give you credit!)
When it comes to cream cheese, ricotta, or other spreadable dairy products, I have had a lot of luck with the KyteHill brand. I’ve put the almond ricotta on crackers, pizza, and pretty much anything else and found it to be delicious.
And lastly, but most importantly, chocolate. Most large chocolate brands have dairy and soy in them. However there are some great brands that eliminate multiple allergens from their product. My favorite..Unreal brand almond butter cups.. or chocolate covered peanuts… or quinoa filly chocolate gems…I obviously have a lot of experience with this brand of candy haha. If you prefer to bake your own treats the Enjoy Life brand makes chocolate chips as well as several other premade treats which are void of multiple allergens including dairy, soy, nuts, and others. And it’s pretty easy to substitute butter with coconut oil or a neutral olive oil.
Since navigating sneaky ingredient names that are not straight forward is tricky (for example tagatose or casein are technically dairy based ingredients), I’m going to link to a helpful handout from FoodAllergy.Org in the show description, which lists tips for avoiding common allergens. I’ll also re-link the FreetoFeed.com website so anyone listening who isn’t dealing with something super straightforward, like how to scratch their dairy free ice cream itch, can get the much needed support to gain clarity regarding infant allergens.
If you have other dairy or allergen free brands you’ve found and love, please email me at Barbara@FeedingByJanuary.com. I would love to share them with other mom’s listening so they too can enjoy eating without feeling restrained by allergies. And even if you don’t have a brand to share, shoot me an email to let me know you are enjoying this show. I’d love to hear from you at Barbara@FeedingByJanuary.com.
And with that, I’ll see you next week!