If your child has food sensitivities, your doctor may suggest that you try feeding her a dairy-free diet. Some families also choose to go dairy free for philosophical reasons. Whatever your reasons for switching to a dairy-free diet, the change can sometimes be difficult for children, but you have plenty of options for getting your child the nutrients she needs while avoiding dairy items.
Reasons
You may choose to put your child on a dairy-free diet if he suffers from food allergies or lactose intolerance. If your child has a milk allergy, he may experience skin rashes, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, wheezing, watery eyes or sneezing in response to consuming dairy products, according to TeensHealth. Lactose intolerance typically causes sufferers to experience a stomachache about two hours after eating foods that contain dairy. Some people simply choose not to eat any animal products.
Considerations
If you switch your child to a dairy-free diet, you want to ensure that she continues to get enough calcium from the foods she eats. It's especially important that children and teens get enough calcium in their diets to promote bone growth, according to KidsHealth. Kids between 9 and 18 years old should get about 1,300 mg of calcium per day. Increase your child's calcium intake even when she's not eating dairy by adding calcium-enriched foods, such as orange juice, bread and cereals, to her diet. You can increase your child's calcium intake by preparing foods high in calcium such as canned fish, soy products, dried beans and leafy green vegetables.
Dairy Alternatives
You can easily replace some dairy items in your child's diet using soy products and other dairy alternatives, according to pediatrician Bob Sears of "Ask Dr. Sears." You'll find soy milk, rice milk, almond milk and coconut milk for sale at most grocery stores. Soy is a healthy food, full of iron and calcium, along with other nutrients. Some children also suffer from soy allergies, so avoid nondairy soy products if your child has sensitivities to soy. Offer your child a nondairy milk such as soy or rice milk in place of regular cow's milk to ease him into a nondairy diet. You can use soy cheese or rice cheese to make dairy-free macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches.
Safe Foods
If your child is on a dairy-free diet, you can still prepare most foods for her, including meats, vegetables, grains and fruits. If you purchase prepared foods, be sure to read the ingredient lists carefully for signs of hidden dairy. Avoid products that contain any form of casein, lactose, butter, yogurt or margarine.
One helpful way to determine if a food item contains dairy is to look for the food's kosher designation. Foods that do not contain dairy are marked with a "P" or the word "Parve" or "Pareve." Kosher foods that do not contain dairy may also be marked with the letter "M" or the word "Meat" or "Glatt." If a kosher food contains dairy, it will often be marked with a "D" or the word "Dairy."
Expert Insight
It's important that your child get plenty of vitamin D along with her calcium, since vitamin D helps your child's body properly use calcium, according to Kids Health. Help your child get vitamin D by making sure she spends a little time in the sun each day. If you live in a cold climate, talk to your child's pediatrician about giving her a vitamin D supplement.
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