Lactose intolerance and milk allergy

Lactose intolerance and milk allergy are two possible reasons why someone might not be able to handle eating dairy.

Milk allergy can range from mild to life-threatening. It's more common in children, since some people outgrow it. People may be allergic to the casein and/or whey in milk.

Substitution

Fortunately, milk is one of the easiest ingredients to substitute in baking and cooking. Use an equal amount (1 cup per cup) of one of these:

• Juice
• Nut milk (e.g. almond, oat)
• Water

Nut milks, butters, and cheeses have gained popularity as healthier alternatives to dairy. This can offer more options to people with this food restriction.

Checking ingredient labels

Ingredients with milk

The following ingredients involve milk and are not safe to eat:

• Artificial butter or cheese flavor
• Casein or caseinates
• Diacetyl
• Curd
• Ghee
• Hydrolysates
• Lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate
• Lactose, lactoglobulin, lactoferrin, lactulose
• Protein powders
• Recaldent
• Rennet
• Tagatose
• Whey or whey products

Some hidden sources of milk

Avoiding milk is important if it can trigger a reaction. Milk may be found in:^{[citation needed]}

• Candies like chocolate and caramel
• Deli meat slicers are frequently used for both meat and cheese products.
• Canned tuna (may have casein)
• Protein powder
• Many non-dairy products contain casein (a milk derivative), listed on the ingredient labels.
• Some meats may contain casein as a binder. Check all labels carefully.
• Many restaurants put butter on steaks after they have been grilled to add extra flavor. The butter is not visible after it melts.

Check ingredients lists before eating. When eating at a restaurant, let the server know about the allergy/intolerance.

Commonly asked questions

Are goat and sheep milk/cheese safe alternatives?

Usually, no. Their proteins are similar to cow milk, so they can trigger a reaction in most people.

Can I rely on kosher symbols to determine if a product is milk-free?

The Jewish community uses a system of product markings to indicate whether a food is kosher, or in accordance with Jewish dietary rules. There are two kosher symbols that can be of help for those with a milk allergy: a "D," or the word "dairy," on a label next to "K" or "U" (usually found near the product name) indicates presence of milk protein, and a "DE" on a label indicates the product was produced on equipment shared with dairy.^{[citation needed]}

Pareve (parev, parve) foods are milk- and meat-free under Jewish law. But foods with small amounts of dairy can still count as pareve. You can't rely on the pareve label when avoiding dairy.

Do these ingredients contain milk?

These ingredients do not contain milk protein and need not be restricted by someone avoiding milk:^{[citation needed]}

• Calcium lactate
• Lactic acid (however, lactic acid starter culture may contain milk)
• Calcium stearoyl lactylate
• Oleoresin
• Cocoa butter
• Sodium lactate
• Cream of tartar
• Sodium stearoyl lactylate

See also

• Baking substitutions guide
• Food allergy
• Vegan Recipes (category)

External links

• Dairy-free recipes wiki