Like most mums, I’d do anything for my baby — even radically change my diet while breastfeeding to accommodate her weirdo food intolerance. OK, so an intolerance to dairy is not that weird, but it was sort of crushing since I was already a vegetarian, and dairy had been my primary source of protein until the day I found out about my daughter’s cow’s milk protein allergy.
It all started when I found bloody poop in my 1-month-old’s nappy, which totally freaked me out. I was so relieved when my doctor said it wasn’t serious — just a cow’s milk protein allergy. Although my daughter was exclusively breastfed, she was sensitive to the proteins in any cow’s milk products I consumed. In addition to the blood in her nappy, the milk proteins may have been causing discomfort, such as gassiness. I was instructed to eliminate all dairy from my diet.
Then I freaked out again. Because for the forseeable future, I wouldn’t be eating any dairy products that could pass into my breast milk, including butter, cheese, ice cream, and milk. Holy cow! Or in my case, no cow. It was a tall order because I was a dairy-lovin’ mama. But, I’m happy to report that after 10 months of eating dairy-free, I’ve become quite adept at finding cow’s milk alternatives that are absolutely delicious. If you’re interested in trying a dairy free diet, or if you’re being forced into it by your selfish baby (kidding), here are the products that have saved me from udder dairy deprivation.
Related: How I’m Dealing with My Breastfeeding Baby’s Cow’s Milk Allergy
Dairy-free mamas, let’s share favourites. What are your go-to cow’s milk alternatives?