Alternatives to Dairy Products
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: name not given
Posted on: October 16, 2000
I have a 2 year old. He was breastfed until he was 15 months. He will not drink milk products. He doesn’t like dairy at all. Please help me. His teeth are thin and turned brown, I guess from the lack of vitamins you get from milk. Also he has eczema all over. What can I use?
Dairy products are often the cause of allergies and chronic infections in children. Goats or soy milk can be substituted.
Nutrients in milk can be found in other foods:
Vitamin A - eggs, beans, peas, tomatoes, carrots, apricots, green peppers, parley, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - Whole grain cereals and bread
Vitamin D - Sunlight: 15 to 30 minutes a day outside
Calcium - Fish, soy products, black-eyed beans, millet, almonds, brazil nuts, sesame and sunflower seeds, oranges, lemons
Proteins - Soy products, meat, fish, eggs, poultry, beans, lentils, wholegrain cereals, rice, pasta, nuts, seeds
Fats - Extra-virgin olive oil, oily fish (e.g. sardines), meat, nuts, seeds, avocado
If necessary, goat’s milk or soy milk may be made more palatable by blending with banana or making into a pudding, such as rice or pumpkin. Other healthy milk substitutes that you can try are rice milk and almond milk.
The oily fish with bones, such as canned salmon and sardines, are especially high in calcium and also very helpful in providing essential fatty acids to combat allergies and skin problems.
Children may also be sensitive to soy, wheat, citrus fruits, peanuts, chocolate and corn. Introduce your child slowly to new foods so that you can determine which foods are well tolerated. Check the labels of all food products carefully to exclude food additives and colourings, which may cause allergies and should be avoided in eczema.
Herbs that can help are: German chamomile, as a digestive, anti-inflammatory and liver support to help eliminate toxins; Cleavers (Galium aparine) as a diuretic and lymphatic to help move toxins out of the body through the kidneys and lymphatic glands. These herbs can be used as tinctures: combine the two herbal tinctures and give to your child in a dosage of fifteen drops three times a day, disguised in a favourite drink. Externally a wash of plantain tea is soothing and helps to eliminate toxins on the skin.
You may want to look for a good child’s vitamin and mineral supplement to give your child a boost while you are working on incorporating the foods suggested above into his diet. It is important that he has sufficient vitamins A, C and D, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc for healthy teeth. A supplement of Evening Primrose oil or Borage oil will be especially helpful with eczema, by providing essential fatty acids.
You will probably need dental care to ensure that your child’s teeth and gums are healthy now. Infections in the mouth can move around to create problems elsewhere in the body.
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