Sometimes, even after doing comprehensive work to introduce allergens into your diet, you may find that there are some foods that you still can't eat without a reaction.
Many people have more complex allergies to foods like dairy, sugar and wheat.
If you are one of these people, you may have to eliminate these allergens from your diet completely.
Fortunately, there is plenty of information and support for living a dairy-free, sugar-free or wheat-free lifestyle.
Today we will discuss dairy-free living.
Dairy-Free Living When you have a dairy allergy, you may be actually reacting to the casein produced in milk.
This means that all dairy products, including yogurt, ice cream, sour cream, cheese and butter, should be eliminated to avoid a reaction.
Some people are able to tolerate casein more easily, and are fine as long as they don't have dairy products in their whole form.
If you are one of them, you may also be reacting to lactose, an enzyme.
Try Lactaid products, which have the lactose eliminated, before limiting dairy in all its forms.
Many "non-dairy" products on the market include casein.
For example, soy cheese, almond cheese and rice cheese all contain casein.
You can identify foods that contain casein by looking at the label of ingredients.
Casein is present in ingredient lists that contain the following words: casein, caseinate, calcium caseinate, ammonia caseinate, magnesium caseinate, potassium caseinate, and sodium caseinate.
If you have extreme reactions to dairy, then you should avoid all processed foods that contain these ingredients.
Another helpful label listing is "Parve" or "Pareve.
" This Kosher label indicates that a food is dairy-free.
There are various milk substitutes that can be used in cooking, on cereal or for drinking.
Soy milk, rice milk, oat milk and almond milk all have different flavors and qualities.
Try a few brands and types out before you settle on your favorite milk substitute.
Most baking recipes can be made by adding a milk substitute in for milk.
There are also many dairy-free cookbooks that will help you make the transition to your new way of eating.
There are also soy and rice cheeses available that can be used in recipes to get the "melty" texture that you crave.
Soy and rice ice cream substitutes are great for hot summer days and have excellent flavors.
As dairy allergies become more recognized, manufacturers are producing more dairy alternatives.
Always make sure to read labels, and balance your dairy substitutes with whole, fresh foods.
Just like with any diet you have to try different foods and see what works best for you.
Soon you will be dairy free and working towards a gluten free diet.
While focusing on food and allergies, try to keep up with your exercise routine to help you manage weight loss.