Alternatives to MILK!

October 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment

With all the talk now about food allergies and intolerances, many parents are wondering how important milk is in their children’s diet, and if the child cannot drink milk, what is a good healthy subsitute.
Avoiding dairy products can be for a variety of reasons, including lactose intolerance, casein intolerance, a milk allergy or a vegan lifestyle. Surprisingly, 80% of the population has a mild but chronic allergy to dairy despite the general consensus that children need milk to grow. In fact, it may not be so surproisng at all- cows milk is milk made by another mammal! Why would humans consume another mammals milk instead of their own?

Dairy products also increase the production of immune-related mucous in your body. I always tell my families that if their child has a cold or an ear infection to reduce if not eliminate dairy form the diet, at least temporarily. In a Georgetown University study, 86% of children’s ear infections studied improved after dairy was removed from their diet.

So what is a dairy allergy versus a lactose intolerance:
Dairy allergy, or milk allergy, refers to an immune-mediated allergic reaction caused by a protein component of milk, namely casein protein or whey protein. Dairy is one of the eight most common allergens in the United States, and as such, current food labeling laws require that the presence of milk be clearly marked on ingredient labels.

Lactose is the sugar in milk that causes an intolerance- this means that the body is not making antibodies to the lactose sugar but the body just cannot digest the lactose because the body lacks an enzyme known as lactase. The symptoms are bloating, indigestion, and diarrhea.

Subsitutes for MILK:

1. Lactose-Free Milk
Lactose-free milk is only suitable for people with lactose intolerance; it contains the same proteins as milk and is just as allergenic for people with dairy allergies.
2. Goat Milk and Other Ruminant Milk
Goat, sheep, and other ruminant milks contain similar proteins to cow’s milk and are considered to have a high degree of cross-reactivity so children with cow’s milk allergy are just as likely to react.
3. Soy Milk
The most widely available dairy-free milk alternative is soy milk, which is high in protein and nutritionally a good subsitutute. However, there is an ongoing debate about the effect of the phyto-estrogens found in soy milk so it is important to monitor the volume of intake.
4. Rice Milk
Unlike soy and nut milks, rice milk is not allergenic, but because it is low in protein, it does not make a good nutritional replacement for milk unless heavily fortified
5. Nut Milks
Almond milk is among the most common nut milks. Like soy milk, nut milks are high in protein. Nuts are also high in “good fats” and Vitamin E. However, nuts are a common allergen herself.
6. Oat Milk
Oat milk has a moderate amount of protein, however Oat milk may not be suitable for those with celiac disease, who may be sensitive to avenin protein found in oats.
7. Hemp Milk
Like Oat Milk, Hemp Milk is less widely available and has a protein level between that of rice and soy milk.
What does milk have that is so important?
Be especially aware of calcium, protein, and vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are found in abundance in dairy products. Here are some suggestions for dairy-substitutes that provide good sources of nutrition:
• Tofutti Sour Supreme, Better than Cream Cheese, and Nondairy Frozen Desserts
• Imagine Creamy Soups, all of which are nondairy
• Amy’s Kitchen frozen and ready-to-eat foods

Posted by Dr. Natalie Geary MD | Filed Under Nutrition

Fluoride

August 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Fluoride, in small amounts, can prevent tooth decay and promote bone growth. The tap water in many areas is fluoridated, which can reduce the likelihood of cavities in children by 50-60%. Foods prepared in tap water, such as pasta, also contains fluoride, as does tea, dark green vegetables and gelatin. If your water source is a well, you should have the water tested and definitely discuss getting fluoride supplements for your kids to reduce their risk of cavities.
The recommended amounts for children are:

1 - 3 years: 0.7 mg/day
4 - 8 years: 1 mg/day
9 - 13 years: 2 mg/day
14 - 18 years: 3 mg/day

Fluoride alone does not prevent cavities but it decreases the risk of them. be sure to buy fluoride-containing toothpaste and encourage your child to brush well, floss daily, and eat healthy foods.

Posted by Dr. Natalie Geary MD | Filed Under Nutrition

Fish Oils

July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

By Ms. Annabelle Moore with Dr. Geary
There has been a lot of attention lately on the health benefits of fish oils, but as a parent, you know that getting your child to take fish oil is a potential challenge. So is the struggle worth it?
As it turns out, the answer is yes: fish oils are really worth adding to the diet. Why? They contain Omega-3 fatty acids that improve your child’s eyesight, potentially their cognitive and learning skills and help prevent asthma and later heart disease.
We recommend that you and your child eat 2 servings of foods high in omega-3 fatty acids a week to get the full benefits. Pregnant women who eat the proper amounts of these fatty acids have been shown to have babies with longer attention spans, and to suffer less from postpartum depression.

The new formulations of baby formula all contain Fish oils in varying amounts, and there are supplements readily available for you and your young child.

The fish that contain higher quality and quantities of the omega-3 fatty acids are:
- Salmon
- Herring
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Anchovies

It is often hard to include that much fish in your young child’s diet. Given that these fish oils are particularly important in the first three years of life, it is important to consider other sources.

If your child doesn’t like fish there are other foods, such as flaxseed and tofu, which contain omega-3 fatty acids. We have had great success with Barlean’s Omega Swirl, a fruit flavored drink not unlike a smoothie candy with flavors they will enjoy.

Posted by Ms. Annabelle Moore with Dr. Natalie Geary | Filed Under Nutrition

Why Opt for Brown Rice?

July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

There’s a bigger difference between brown and white rice than color and taste. All rice begins in nature as brown rice. In order to get white rice, the brown rice is processed and stripped of its husk-like coating, losing almost all of its nutritional value! Brown rice is unprocessed and therefore contains most if its natural nutritional value. It is a great source of manganese, fiber, selenium, and magnesium, (check my recent post on the value of magnesium.) Brown rice is also an antioxidant, may help women lose weight, and lowers cholesterol.

Basically, brown rice is a much healthier and more nutritious alternative to white rice, and can easily be replaced in most recipes. I am always encouraging my patients and their families to makes simple practical changes to their diets that won’t demand extra work, extra money or extra planning. Substituting brown rice for white rice in your diet will add fiber, decrease preservatives, increase nutrients and is a simple way to increase your family’s health.

Posted by Ms. Annabelle Moore with Dr. Natalie Geary | Filed Under Nutrition

Magnesium

July 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment

While the best way for your child to meet their nutritional requirements is through a healthy diet, some children have been found to be deficient in magnesium.

Some foods rich in magnesium are:

Magnesium helps the body absorb calcium and forms strong teeth and bones. Although many Americans do not eat the recommended amounts of magnesium, actual magnesium deficiencies are rare. As long as your child is healthy and is fed a balanced and nutritional diet, chances are that you have nothing to worry about.

Posted by Dr. Natalie Geary MD | Filed Under Nutrition

Does Your Child Need Milk?

February 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Growing up in America, we are lead to believe that milk, notably cows milk, is a critical part of a healthy child’s diet. We have all seen the advertisements with celebrities with a milk mustache, and milk and cookies is an American as …you know… but do kids really need milk?

Cow’s milk provides your child with three critical ingredients: fat, calcium and vitamin D. It also provides them with a potential milk-protein allergy, microscopic gastritis or lactose intolerance. So are other sources of fat, calcium and Vitamin D worth trying too?

FAT: Fat is critical to a child’s early brain growth up until age 3. Fat from whole milk (4%) is a wonderful source of high quality fat, but so is avocado, nut oils, and non-mammalian milk products such as rice milk, oat milk or almond milk. Even substituting yogurt, cheese and butter,although made with milk, are easier to digest for most babies than bottles of whole milk.

CALCIUM: Calcium-fortified juices, notably orange juice, provide a readily absorbable source of calcium. Most experts believe that a child needs 1000 milligrams of calcium per day. So orange juice, which usually provides approximately 350 milligrams of calcium per 8 ounces, is close to the same amount of calcium in 8 ounces of whole milk. Other options include Calcium-fortified soy cheese, and yogurt.

Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, National Academy of Sciences, 1997

VITAMIN D: Vitamin D is an important vitamin: it supports bone growth,enhances calcium absorption and helps to prevent certain immune-mediated diseases such as autoimmune problems and some cancers.

The Current recommendation is 200 International units ( IU) for children although most experts would agree that this number is too low, and a goal for children should be closer to 800 IU per day.

Again, although milk is fortified with Vitamin D, there are many alternatives to fortified milk as a source for Vitamin D- including cheese and yogurt. And Sunlight is also helpful.

What is the difference between lactose intolerance and a milk allergy?

Lactose intolerance is a deficiency in the enzyme ( lactase) that is made in your intestinal tract and is required to break down lactose that you ingest. If you are deficient in this enzyme your intestinal tract struggles to break down and process the milk sugars. This condition is not dangerous, just unpleasant, and most people, even children, will learn to avoid the foods that cause the discomfort- the bloating, the cramping, the reactive diarrhea. For these children, their body is intolerant to milk, but not allergic.

Food Allergy is not equivalent to a food Intolerance. An intolerance is not immune mediated- in other words, it does not cause your body to generate an immune reaction to the food- or antibodies against a food. And, importantly, it does not lead to anaphylaxis ( allergic shock reaction)or require that you completely avoid the food altogether. An intolerance means that you will feel better if you avoid the food, your belly will be less bloated, your stool less erratic, you energy level better- but you are not going to end up in the ER if you eat the food by accident.

In fact, this topic is the topic of a whole book I am writing on children’s integrative health and nutrition- so email me any questions you might have!

Dr. Natalie Geary

Posted by Dr. Natalie Geary MD | Filed Under Nutrition