About MeHi, my name is Alexander!
I'm 10 years old and I love drawing and making arts and crafts. I've had an allergy to milk and dairy products for as long as I can remember. My reaction to milk is caused by an allergy which involves the immune system, not lactose intolerance which mean that you can't digest lactose sugars which are found in milk. My allergy can make me cough and wheeze or even throw up or have diarrhea depending on how much I eat. I have to be careful of what I eat so that I don’t eat anything that contains milk and dairy products. I can eat things that have been close or touched milk or dairy products but I have to be careful because I don't want to get sick. |
About My Allergy
My allergy is a moderately severe allergy to milk and dairy products.
Milk is one of the most common allergies and it tends to be mild or moderate but it can sometimes cause an anaphylactic reaction.
Milk allergies can cause wheezing, vomiting, hives and digestive problems while lactose intolerance can cause bloating, cramps, damage to the small intestine, nausea and diarrhea.
A lot of kids grow out of milk allergies and don’t have it when they are older, unlike allergies to nuts and peanuts which tend to stay throughout adulthood.
Milk is one of the most common allergies and it tends to be mild or moderate but it can sometimes cause an anaphylactic reaction.
Milk allergies can cause wheezing, vomiting, hives and digestive problems while lactose intolerance can cause bloating, cramps, damage to the small intestine, nausea and diarrhea.
A lot of kids grow out of milk allergies and don’t have it when they are older, unlike allergies to nuts and peanuts which tend to stay throughout adulthood.
Dealing With My Allergy
Every day I have to be careful of my allergy and stay alert.
Because dairy products are so common, I need to be very careful especially when I go out to friend's houses and get offered candy and treats.
Because it's so common, if I don’t want to get sick I need to be really careful of what I eat so that I know there is no hidden dairy products, meaning I have to check even if there doesn’t seem to be any dairy in something.
Whenever my parents buy food I need to check the label, normally it will have a message such as 'contains dairy' so I will know, but it doesn’t hurt to also check the ingredients.
Because dairy-free food is really rare, a lot of packaging has something like 'dairy-free' on the front or side, meaning it's safe for me to eat.
One way of avoiding dairy is to use dairy substitutes instead. Such as drinking soy, rice and almond milk with vitamin D and calcium and looking for non-dairy ice-creams, chocolates, cheeses and yogurt.
Some foods that may have milk or dairy products that you wouldn’t really think would have them are things like these:
White sauces
Baked food like cake, cookies, candy, pastries and more
Cake mix
Cereal
Gum
Chocolate and cream candy
Coffee creamers
Donuts
Margarine
Mashed potatoes
Salad dressings
Sherbet
These foods don’t always have milk or dairy products in them but it's important to check.
Some foods that should definitely be avoided are things like:
Butter and butter fat
Cheese, including cottage cheese and cheese sauces
Cream, including sour cream
Custard
Milk, including buttermilk, powdered milk, and evaporated milk
Yogurt
Ice cream
Pudding
On food labels, sometimes the fact that milk proteins are in the food is hidden beneath some sneaky ingredients. If you see any of these on food labels, don't eat it:
Artificial butter or cheese flavor
Casein or caseinates
Curd
Ghee
Hydrolysates
Lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate
Lactose, lactoglobulin, lactoferrin, lactulose
Rennet
Whey or whey products
Sometimes these proteins don’t cause a reaction or affect people with lactose intolerance. Check with your doctor to see how to know the extent of your allergies.
Because dairy products are so common, I need to be very careful especially when I go out to friend's houses and get offered candy and treats.
Because it's so common, if I don’t want to get sick I need to be really careful of what I eat so that I know there is no hidden dairy products, meaning I have to check even if there doesn’t seem to be any dairy in something.
Whenever my parents buy food I need to check the label, normally it will have a message such as 'contains dairy' so I will know, but it doesn’t hurt to also check the ingredients.
Because dairy-free food is really rare, a lot of packaging has something like 'dairy-free' on the front or side, meaning it's safe for me to eat.
One way of avoiding dairy is to use dairy substitutes instead. Such as drinking soy, rice and almond milk with vitamin D and calcium and looking for non-dairy ice-creams, chocolates, cheeses and yogurt.
Some foods that may have milk or dairy products that you wouldn’t really think would have them are things like these:
White sauces
Baked food like cake, cookies, candy, pastries and more
Cake mix
Cereal
Gum
Chocolate and cream candy
Coffee creamers
Donuts
Margarine
Mashed potatoes
Salad dressings
Sherbet
These foods don’t always have milk or dairy products in them but it's important to check.
Some foods that should definitely be avoided are things like:
Butter and butter fat
Cheese, including cottage cheese and cheese sauces
Cream, including sour cream
Custard
Milk, including buttermilk, powdered milk, and evaporated milk
Yogurt
Ice cream
Pudding
On food labels, sometimes the fact that milk proteins are in the food is hidden beneath some sneaky ingredients. If you see any of these on food labels, don't eat it:
Artificial butter or cheese flavor
Casein or caseinates
Curd
Ghee
Hydrolysates
Lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate
Lactose, lactoglobulin, lactoferrin, lactulose
Rennet
Whey or whey products
Sometimes these proteins don’t cause a reaction or affect people with lactose intolerance. Check with your doctor to see how to know the extent of your allergies.