How to Shop for Milk Allergy and Lactose Intolerance

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By mymukki
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confused?

The deadly effects of a bee sting or peanut allergy are well known but many people confuse a milk allergy with lactose intolerance ! One will make you fart, the other can kill you!

While Lactose Intolerance is pretty common and there are many products to help, the problem is there are no safe allergy-free milk products.

Simply put:

Lactose Intolerance means you lack an enzyme (lactase) to digest milk sugars. You can get bloaty, tummy hurts and you fart, if you eat dairy.

Milk Allergy means your immune system has a reaction to one or more of several milk proteins. You can respond by getting a rash, anaphylactic reactions and possible death.

Here is how to avoid tragic consequences:

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

medic alert bracelet
epinephrine pen
antihistamine like Benadryl

Step 1

Educate And Do Not Trust Anyone!

You can explain until you are blue in the face and people will still misunderstand the difference. If you have a milk allergy, you can literally end up BLUE in the face after eating milk when your throat closes!

Your mother, friend and favorite aunt can simply forget or confuse you with another who has a lactose intolerance. You really have to own this allergy or die ignoring it.
Step 2

Know All The Usual Suspects (Ingredients)

Look at ingredients on everything! You can find milk in baked beans, orange juice with calcium (Calcium Caseinate) or even hotdogs! Non-dairy toppings can legally contain milk if it is less than 5% by weight!

Look for and avoid these:
whey
casein
caseinate
butter substitutes
lactic acid
milk or butter flavors
sodium caseinate.
Step 3

Wear A Medic Alert Bracelet

If you stop breathing at a picnic because someone used hotdogs that were made with milk powder, the bracelet will alert paramedics and they will treat you for an allergic reaction.

The medic alert bracelet can also remind you and other people in your life that this is a serious condition!
Step 4

Be Prepared To Save Your Life!

You may be the most careful person in the world and still get exposed to milk. You should carry an epinephrine pen or antihistamine like Benadryl on you at all times.
Step 5

Embrace Kosher Parve Foods!

Legally, "non-dairy" label means less than 0.5% milk by weight. Trust a higher authority!

Orthodox jews do not mix dairy with meat, so they have strict dietary oversight, which you can use safely! Any product with milk in it will be clearly labeled "Dairy" and products containing no milk or meat are labeled "Parve"

So, Parve Chocolate is not milk chocolate! A kosher hotdog will definitely not contain milk solids. Kosher orange juice will not add milk for added calcium!
Step 6

Check Out Vegan Foods

Familiarize yourself with vegan products at health food stores, many also are labeled with kosher symbols. Do not assume a vegetarian product doesn't have milk, many vegetarians us milk, VEGANS DO NOT!

Comments

deepthinkin said

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on 11/5/2009 Well defined and straight to the point. I especially like your tip to trust no one. I once knew a woman who thought her bf was faking his mushroom allergy and served them in a meal she fixed for him. Needless to say they aren't dating anymore.

hnatalieann said

on 9/9/2009 Great informative article! Thanks for sharing! 5* and recommended!

mommyhen42 said

on 9/8/2009 Great tips! I am lactose intolerant and you are right so many people confuse the two. I can eat a small amount of dairy on occasion and pay for it in a couple of hours as opposed to potential anaphylactic shock for someone truly allergic!