Kids eat more than 3 meals a day to keep their bodies fueled for growing and all that activity, so snacking's a must for kids! When you're dairy-free, the standard ice cream, milk chocolate, yogurt, cheese sticks and pizza items are all off-limits so what's a dairy-free mom to do?
Here are some smart snacking tips for moms to keep kids well-fueled and help them feel like they're not missing out on all the fun.
Fruits, veggies, hummus, pretzels and most unflavored chips are easy, guilt-free snacks for anyone. And depending on whether or not you approve of them, juice boxes, lemonades, iced tea drinks, sports drinks, sodas and seltzers are all safe to reach for at parties or fast food restaurants.
When it comes to baked goods, homemade is always the best option. When you find a recipe you like, bake a batch, stick them in the freezer and pop a frozen muffin, bread, snack cake or cookie in your child's lunchbox to double as an ice pack and defrost by the time they get to snack time. Check out our recipe website roundup for great links to the dairy-free cream of the crop.
If you're buying prepared snacks, it bears mentioning again that Vegan and Kosher Meat (non-dairy) or Parve certification will ensure that they're free of allergens and since the certifications are stamped clearly on the front of the packaging, they're the easiest thing to spot at a glance. Of course, there are many specifically allergen-free brands out there to choose from like Divvies, Late July, Nana's Cookies, Annie's and Amy's who can not only be trusted to make dairy-free products, their products are also consistently tasty and truly kid-friendly.
It's also good to note that Trader Joe's, a chain of small grocery stores found in many locations throughout the US, is committed to smart labeling and healthful ingredients. Visit one of their stores and head straight to the Customer Service counter, where you'll likely be handed a list of all of their allergen-free products in the store. It's like having your own personal shopper. Their cookies, dried fruit bars, frozen treats and chocolate candies are all clearly labeled, delicious, kid-friendly and budget-priced. A first-stop for any mom of a dairy-free kid within 25 miles of a store.
Got a great dairy-free snack you want to share? Comment below!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Diary-Free Fast Food Dining
Even the healthiest eaters have to grab food in a hurry sometimes, and kids are the rule more than the exception in this case. Dairy-free kids don't have to miss out on the fun of fast food dining, and parents of dairy-free kids don't have to miss out on a no-cook meal once in a while.
Most fast food restaurants now have full ingredient lists of all of their menu items behind the counter or list allergen-safe offerings online. This is a blessing and a curse, as corporate food safety initiatives don't always trickle down to the fast food franchisee employee level... in other words, just because a company is concerned about allergens, it doesn't mean that in a fast-paced fast food environment your food won't get accidentally contaminated. A recent visit to Taco Bell resulted in two cheese-topped tacos and one sad, hungry dairy-free child despite mentioning the allergy to the server. So don't leave the counter or drive-through window until you've carefully checked the order. Lesson learned.
GoDairyFree has compiled a list of links to fast food establishments with allergen information for menu items.
Most fast food restaurants now have full ingredient lists of all of their menu items behind the counter or list allergen-safe offerings online. This is a blessing and a curse, as corporate food safety initiatives don't always trickle down to the fast food franchisee employee level... in other words, just because a company is concerned about allergens, it doesn't mean that in a fast-paced fast food environment your food won't get accidentally contaminated. A recent visit to Taco Bell resulted in two cheese-topped tacos and one sad, hungry dairy-free child despite mentioning the allergy to the server. So don't leave the counter or drive-through window until you've carefully checked the order. Lesson learned.
GoDairyFree has compiled a list of links to fast food establishments with allergen information for menu items.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Eating out when you're dairy-free
Eating out when you're dairy free can be frustrating and it can be a pretty big hassle, but it shouldn't stop you from going to restaurants. Here are some tips and tricks to get you going in the right direction...
Vegan restaurants and Kosher restaurants that serve meat are all completely dairy-free and it's safe to order any of the food on the menu if they're certified Vegan or Kosher.
If the rest of your party can consume dairy with reckless abandon, you don't have to limit your choices to non-dairy restaurants. Many ethnicities use little or no dairy products in their cooking, such as Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants.
If you're not in charge of picking the restaurant, a little advance legwork can help you select safe entrees. Most restaurants list their menus online so you can check out your options ahead of time. Things to look for are olive-oil-based dishes, fresh grilled or broiled meats or fish, vegetable soups and salads with dressing on the side. When ordering, be sure to mention your dairy allergy ahead of time and ask your server to hold the parmesan, butter, melted cheese or other garnishes that often come standard with most orders whether or not they're listed on the menu. Don't trust that margarine will be a safe substitute, as most butter-alternatives do contain milk-based ingredients. And always ask if soy or almond milk is an available option to lighten your coffee -- a growing number of restaurants have some on hand to substitute if requested.
For more great tips on dining out dairy-free, visit GoDairyFree.com.
Vegan restaurants and Kosher restaurants that serve meat are all completely dairy-free and it's safe to order any of the food on the menu if they're certified Vegan or Kosher.
If the rest of your party can consume dairy with reckless abandon, you don't have to limit your choices to non-dairy restaurants. Many ethnicities use little or no dairy products in their cooking, such as Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants.
If you're not in charge of picking the restaurant, a little advance legwork can help you select safe entrees. Most restaurants list their menus online so you can check out your options ahead of time. Things to look for are olive-oil-based dishes, fresh grilled or broiled meats or fish, vegetable soups and salads with dressing on the side. When ordering, be sure to mention your dairy allergy ahead of time and ask your server to hold the parmesan, butter, melted cheese or other garnishes that often come standard with most orders whether or not they're listed on the menu. Don't trust that margarine will be a safe substitute, as most butter-alternatives do contain milk-based ingredients. And always ask if soy or almond milk is an available option to lighten your coffee -- a growing number of restaurants have some on hand to substitute if requested.
For more great tips on dining out dairy-free, visit GoDairyFree.com.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Dairy Free Recipe resources
Cooking at home? Here's a roundup of sites with great dairy-free recipe collections. Try them, then come back and post your favorites!
AllRecipes.com: AllRecipes is the largest aggregated recipe site on the planet with collections from users worldwide. Their super-smart editorial department found a way to sort these recipes by Special Diets. Here's a deep-link to their aggregated Dairy-free main course recipes page.
About.com: About.com has a human-powered search engine for every subject you can imagine... and some you can't. Their Dairy-Free Cooking micro-site, led by Ashley Adams, comes in at the top of most searches for specific dairy-free recipes. She has a lot of dessert recipes that I've personally tested and they are just as good as other homemade dessert recipes that contain milk, and are definitely better than the packaged desserts you can find in stores.
GoDairyFree.org: Alisa Fleming has created an excellent, well-rounded resource for dairy-free living. She has an extensive recipe collection, as well as a companion book to her website.
This is just the tip of the iceberg -- or the dairy-free cream of the crop. Submit your favorite dairy-free recipe sites in the comments below and we'll add your link and a thank you nod!
AllRecipes.com: AllRecipes is the largest aggregated recipe site on the planet with collections from users worldwide. Their super-smart editorial department found a way to sort these recipes by Special Diets. Here's a deep-link to their aggregated Dairy-free main course recipes page.
About.com: About.com has a human-powered search engine for every subject you can imagine... and some you can't. Their Dairy-Free Cooking micro-site, led by Ashley Adams, comes in at the top of most searches for specific dairy-free recipes. She has a lot of dessert recipes that I've personally tested and they are just as good as other homemade dessert recipes that contain milk, and are definitely better than the packaged desserts you can find in stores.
GoDairyFree.org: Alisa Fleming has created an excellent, well-rounded resource for dairy-free living. She has an extensive recipe collection, as well as a companion book to her website.
This is just the tip of the iceberg -- or the dairy-free cream of the crop. Submit your favorite dairy-free recipe sites in the comments below and we'll add your link and a thank you nod!
Hidden dairy in packaged products
Learning how to read food labels is an important skill when it comes to avoiding dairy in packaged products. Here are some ingredient terms you should know that are all "secret code" for milk proteins and milk-based products:
Casein & Caseinates
Lactose & Lactase
Nougat
Quark
Recaldent
Rennet/rennet casein
Simplesse (fat replacer)
See a more complete list at: KidsWithFoodAllergies
Casein & Caseinates
- ammonium caseinate
- calcium caseinate
- magnesium caseinate
- potassium caseinate
- sodium caseinate
- hydrolyzed casein
- iron caseinate
- zinc caseinate
Hydrolysates
- casein hydrolysate
- milk protein hydrolysate
- protein hydrolysate
- whey hydrolysate
- whey protein hydrolysate
- Lactalbumin
- Lactalbumin phosphate
- Lactate solids
- Lactyc yeast
- Lactitol monohydrate
- Lactoglobulin
- Lactose Lactulose
- Milk fat
- Anhydrous milk fat
Nougat
Quark
Recaldent
Rennet/rennet casein
Simplesse (fat replacer)
Whey
- acid whey
- cured whey
- delactosed whey
- demineralized whey
- hydrolyzed whey
- powdered whey
- reduced mineral whey
- sweet dairy whey
- whey
- whey protein
- whey protein concentrate
- whey powder
- whey solids
My kid is allergic to dairy... Now what?
So you just found out your child can't have dairy due to an allergy or EOE. Join the club! You're not alone. The bad news is that the number of children diagnosed with suspected dairy allergies goes up every year. The good news is that the more people are diagnosed with milk allergies, the more resources, products and information will be available.
Getting started
When shopping for milk-free products, start with whole foods -- not the store, the foods themselves -- like plain, raw, unprocessed vegetables, fruits, meats, grains, nuts, etc.
For packaged foods, the best place to check first is the presence of a Kosher or Vegan certification. If a product is certified Kosher Meat or Kosher Parve, then it has no dairy. If a product has a D next to the Kosher symbol, it contains milk.
Next stop is the ingredient list. Due to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, ingredient lists either list allergens after the ingredient list or bold the name of the allergen within the ingredients.
Once you have spent a few weeks deciphering these "codes" and have in your regular arsenal a list of safe foods, this should come much more easily to you.
Good luck and safe eating!
Getting started
When shopping for milk-free products, start with whole foods -- not the store, the foods themselves -- like plain, raw, unprocessed vegetables, fruits, meats, grains, nuts, etc.
 |
| The Parve symbol ensures the product has not been in contact with milk |
 |
| The V certification ensures the product contains no milk, meat or egg products |
Once you have spent a few weeks deciphering these "codes" and have in your regular arsenal a list of safe foods, this should come much more easily to you.
Good luck and safe eating!
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