Preservative free, lactose free/ soy cheese and yogurt?

[CrazyLady]

DD is super sensitive to preservatives and will have a nasty hype up/come down if she eats any. I also recently figured out she was lactose intolerant. She is so sensitive to lactose that I gave her a teaspoon of normal yogurt today to try suss out how bad it is and she had really nasty runny poo 20 mins later. yesterday she had a matchstick size piece of cheese and was same result. I am really worried about her calcium needs not being met! I really can't give her the preservatives because she gets so upset that she literally starts sobbing when they are coming out of her system!

I am trying to locate lactose free or soy cheese and yogurt that are also preservative free. I read so many numbers in the brands available in the small selection of supermarkets here and was a horrid list of numbers included! If anyone knows of any brands it'd be much appreciated to let me know what they are. Haven't had any luck in the shops so far but maybe if I can get a brand's name they might order it in for me!

Thanks in advance, tearing my hair out here.

[MantaRay]

CL, that must be very stressful for you Have you considered seeing a dietician at all? There are some that specialise in food allergies and intolerances and would be able to help you identify the exact intolerances and plan a diet which meets the nutritional needs. There is very little chance that your DD is lactose intolerant - it is so very rare in babies as to be basically non-existant, and if she were lactose intolerant she would not have been able to tolerate any breastmilk or formula since birth. It is however possible that she has other food allergies which have caused temporary damage to her tummy and therefore temporary lactose intolerance. It is also possible to have temporary lactose intolerance after a tummy bug. There is an article here that you might like to read which explains it better - Australian Breastfeeding Association - Lactose intolerance and the breastfed baby. Don't let the title put you off, not all the article will be relevant but it does explain lactose intolerance which you might find helpful.

It is possible that your DD has an allergy or intolerance to something in the dairy (not lactose) which is causing her symptoms, maybe cows' milk protein - this is where a dietician can be really helpful so that you can identify that. Another thing to consider is that soy has been linked with a range of other issues too, and that more than half of the people who have a reaction to cows' milk protein, do to soy also. It is possible to meet the calcium needs without either dairy or soy, it can just be a bit more tricky. There is a list of high calcium foods here - Vegetarian Network Victoria - Complete Nutrient Summary .

All the best CL.

[Kmn]

I am lactose intolerant. I hate to confuse matters, but unless it's swiss, cream or processed cheese there is no lactose in cheese. You may be looking at a milk protein allergy, or there may be another issue entirely.

Soy yoghurt has a lot of thickeners in it (most of the numbers) so that it resembles yoghurt more.

[black_rose]

Dd1 was lactose intolerant she was throwing up from birth on both breastmilk and formula, it was only once she went onto lactose free formula at eight months that it stopped. She could eat cheese although she didn't like it and very small amounts of yoghurt to get some calcium and her formula had it too. It's a tricky thing to confirm, we were told she was just had reflux but looking back at photos she looked very sick and pale until we changed her diet.

[luna moth]

I'm vegan. Unfortunately Cheese substitutes are mostly for taste only and don't have a fabulous amount of calcium in there. I get mine from fortified soy milk, sesame seeds and/or tahini (tablespoon of one of them, daily) leafy greens, almonds, broccoli, white beans. I also take a supplement just to be on the safe side. It all seems to work because I had a bad bike accident last year, and nobody could believe I didn't break any bones.

BUT for those times when you just can't live without cheese... Cheezly (health food shops, crueltyfreeshop online only) is great, comes in several styles - mozzarella, edam, a few others (I only ever buy the mozzarella style though!) Kingland do a Soy Cheese (in the sausage style packet) available at Coles, good for putting "in" things, like I do a Broccoli and Cheddar tart with it, but it has a very powdery texture and strong flavour. Whatever that other brand of Soy Cheese is that you get at Coles actually has milk protein in it, so probably no good for you.

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (some Coles, most Woolies) is the real hero. It's lower in fat and so good! I use it as a base for dips, and also for my un-cheese white sauce, to have with vegies, in lasagne etc.

I'd definitely be going to see a nutritionist for mroe suggestions, or, like you're doing, keep reading up on it.

[CrazyLady]

Thanks for the input everyone. MantaRay, I think I might see a dietician with her. When I put her on the lactose free milk she eats tonnes compared to when i put a little milk on her brekky. This whole thing is confusing and yes stressful. all the foods in my house are now made from scratch and shopping is a nightmare. Hope I can find a dietician here, I really don't want to travel to perth.

Black rose- we were also told DD had reflux but she's never been a GREAT sleeper even with the reflux medication so I stopped it after a month. although she did have nasty battery acid vomit that burnt.

Audax- thanks for the suggestions. I might look around more or see a nutritionist. a trip to the doctor may be in order to find out about


lol, post was sitting a while because DD needed me. Rang local hospital to enquire about a dietician and need a referral so heading to dr's mon.

Really appreciate the nudge people. I think sometimes you want to feel you know what's best for your child but need and extra push to seek outside help!

[luna moth]

Dairy free living is a hard road. Making stuff from scratch is just how you have to roll, unfortunately. Puff pastry is dairy free (although there's palm oil in most) and I think it's Nanna's brand of apple pies? One of them, anyway. Black and Gold cake mixes are dairy free, as well as some of the Green's varieties, but not all, so check. Chocolate and strawberry ice cream toppings are good. Oreos and McVities Digestives biscuits, as well as *I think* the pink ones with sprinkles.
Good luck at the Drs!

[MantaRay]

CL, if you go to the dietician association website - Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) : Find an APD - and select allergy/food sensitivity in the area of practice, you might find a dietician near you who specialises in this. I know of one really good one in WA but she is probably in Perth.

black_rose, did you read the article I linked to? It might be helpful for you to know that your DD's problems were not caused by lactose intolerance. If she had been lactose intolerant she would not have survived for 8 months - I mean literally would not have grown at all and would have needed severe medical intervention to stay alive. This is very, very rare. Most likely your DD had either reflux or food allergy/intolerance (not lactose though!). Do you know of any food sensitivities that she has now?