Milk Allergy is caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The immune system identifies milk proteins as harmful invaders and releases antibodies called immunoglobulin E ( lgE) into your bloodstream. These antibodies then release histamine which cause milk allergy symptoms. It is a true food allergy caused by an allergic reaction.
Lactose Intolerance is caused by your stomach's inability to properly digest lactose, a sugar present in milk. Your small intestine doesn't produce enough of the enzyme lactose. The enzyme is essential for the digestion of milk and the milk nutrients. Instead of being digested, milk moves into the colon where bacteria ferments it, making fatty acid and gases which cause the unpleasant symptoms.
(Some) Symptoms of a milk allergy -
skin rashes/irritations
hives
itching/itchy eyes
redness
swelling and tingling around the mouth
vomiting
diarrhea
stomach ache
runny or stuffy nose
sneezing and coughing/wheezing
(Some) Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance -
gas
bloating
abdominal pain
nausea
diarrhea
If you are lactose intolerant there are over the counter remedies like "lactaid" that provide the lactase enzymes you need. There are dairy products on the market that have added enzymes as well.
If you have a milk allergy your options are only to not ingest milk and use the non-milk substitutes like, almond, soy, coconut or rice milk and non-dairy cheeses.
Some people can only have an allergy to one milk protein called whey.
Here is a list of other words to look out for, that mean "dairy". Reading your food labels, you will discover "milk" you didn't even know hiding in the foods you eat.
A few sources of non dairy calcium rich foods -
Almonds
figs
Beans
Carrots
Pecans
Raisins
Brown Rice
Apricots
Garlic
Dates
Spinach
Sesame seeds
Brazil nuts
Cashews
Papaya
Avocados
Celery
*Note - my daughter had a milk allergy when she was a very young infant ( about 1-3 months old) and was only nursing at the time. The milk she was ingesting came from the milk that I was drinking. What you eat/drink does comes through breast milk. So when I stopped drinking milk she felt much better.
If you would like help reading labels, shopping and/or making meal planning easy contact me athttp://www.wholefood-living.com/contact.html
