I’ve been there. That gradual realisation that dairy (and/or soya) might be contributing to the issues your new, breastfed baby is having – whether that’s eczema, rashes, dry skin, diarrhoea, reflux, constipation, sleep issues (the list goes on) – and knowing that you’re going to have to make some big changes to what you’re eating. All of this at a time when you’re recovering from birth and adjusting to a new way of life. It’s tough. It’s not fair. And it feels massively overwhelming.

Support for you from your GP/midwife/health visitor can be limited and leave you feeling abandoned. It can also lead to you experiencing your own health issues as your diet becomes restricted.

But with the right advice and support, it doesn’t have to be that bad. Here are my tips on getting started with a dairy and soya free breastfeeding diet (and remember you can always get in touch with me for more help.

It is important when excluding dairy from your diet that you also exclude soya at the same time. The reason is that over 10% of children with an allergy to dairy will also experience an allergy to soya due to the similarity in protein structure. This is not to say that your child will have a problem with both but it’s best to exclude both at this early stage and then re-introduce them one at a time after 6 weeks.

Whilst the thought of excluding such popular food from your diet might feel you with dread, it has become so much easier in recent years with the rise in veganism and the increased awareness around allergies!

By law in the UK and EU milk must be highlighted on any food label (along with any of the other 14 allergens). You’ll often see this as the ingredient listed in bold.

Dairy free milk

I’d strongly recommend opting for a fortified option, so organic should be avoided as it won’t be fortified with calcium (and often vitamin B12, B2, D, iodine.) Plant milks are notoriously low in calories and protein. Options include oat milk, almond milk (and other nut milks), coconut milk (mostly mixed with rice), rice milk, hemp milk

Dairy free yoghurt

Again fortified with calcium is ideal but not many are (although I feel this might change). Koko and the Coconut Collaborative Gut Health (green writing) are. You can try Nush who make almond and cashew milk yoghurt, both plain or flavoured but these are not fortified.

Cheese

I’ve never been a fan of cheese replacements to be honest, they really are simply a flavour enhancer rather than providing any real nutritional value, but some are better than others.

As a general rule the hard cheeses are better melted in my opinion so you can get away with them on a pizza for example.  Some are made from soya but a lots these days are made from coconut. I think they work better within dishes rather than stand-alone foods! With regards to soft cheese I think these are more successful. My favourite by far is the Nush range (but again it’s not fortified). As an alternative to cheese you can also try sprinkling nutritional yeast onto food – this can give a really nice flavour.

Wine

be careful because many wines use milk as means of clarifying the wine which can leave milk proteins, although in tiny amounts. Just read the label of all wines.

Chocolate

Very important! Most good quality dark chocolate will be dairy free and also very good for us in small limited quantities. If you’re not used to dark chocolate it can take some adapting but you’ll soon get used to it. Just watch out for soya lecithin which is added to many of them. Soya lecithin is so refined that many allergists won’t even recommend you avoid it but some people do say it causes an issue so perhaps avoid for the initial exclusion and until there has been challenge. When you are happy with soya lecithin Green & Blacks do some lovely flavoured dark chocolate that can take the edge of the slightly bitter chocolate taste that some people find with dark chocolate. Alternatively, for real treat you can try Booja-Booja truffles. Read labels as some of the dairy free options are really ultra processed and it might just make you think twice about eating them!

Butter

There are lots of plant based dairy free spreads which can be used normal butter. You can also simply use a cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, as the Europeans do.

Biscuits

Make sure you check labels but the Nairns Oat Biscuits are really nice and surprisingly party rings are dairy free! Oreos are also dairy free. You’ll find the cheaper products are more likely to be dairy free because vegetable fat is cheaper than butter. Obviously foods like this are best in moderation but when you’ve got a newborn with an allergy we have to focus on one thing at a time!

Pastry

If you are cooking and want a puff pastry then as long as it doesn’t say ‘All Butter’ the pastry is likely to be dairy free. Jusroll standard puff is dairy free.

Energy balls & bars

Sometimes made with whey protein which is from dairy, but many are made with pea protein. Some, like Nakd bars will just contan nuts, seeds and dried fruit. I always found these are ideal for keeping in your nappy bag for when hunger strikes!  Check the labels.

Other products

Oatly sell a great oat based cream, crème fraiche and a custard. The crème fraiche is good for making a creamy pasta sauce or risotto.

There are some breads which add milk – I’ve always found baguettes to be a common one.

Some crisp flavours may contain milk proteins even if there is no cheese in the name!

Baking – banana, oil and dairy free yoghurt and milk can all be used in baking and cooking. There are lots of recipes out there. You can also use a dairy free spread or a margarine. Watch out for Stork – traditionally a dairy free margarine they also have one which contains butter now!

Batch cooking dairy free muffins and cakes is a good idea. You can then take something with you when meeting friends for coffee and cake!

Lots of coffee shops now serve a variety of dairy free milk alternative now. Just be careful as some will also contain soya even if it’s not in the name (Costa Coconut Milk is a prime example)

Restaurants are required by law to provide advice about allergies. Ask for the allergy folder when ordering.

You may see on some labels the ‘may contain’ label or ‘produced in a factory that uses….’. This covers a manufacturer for any instance of cross contamination but generally will be ok for a someone breastfeeding an infant with an allergy.

Often food in a restaurant can be adapted by serving it without a dressing for example. Other places will make food with a dairy free alternative, for example lots of pizza restaurants serve dairy free cheese.

If in doubt ask for the vegan menu as you can be sure that’s dairy free – however you’ll still need to check for soya! If you’re eating ‘vegan’ specific foods please be mindful that most will be ultra processed.

If you want a treat you can get many different dairy free desserts and ice cream in the supermarket – again just check they are not soya based.

Then of course you have all the fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, game, eggs, fish, shellfish, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, dried fruits, seeds, nut butters etc. Mashed avocado and hummus make great alternatives to cream cheese in sandwiches and as dips and are also packed full of nutrients.  Home-made hummus made with tahini will also be an excellent source of calcium. If you can focus on all these naturally dairy free options!

In order to make sure you are getting enough calcium (when breastfeeding you need 1250mg per day compared to 700mg for other adults!),

If after ready this you’re still feeling overwhelmed, please do get in touch and book a food diary review with me. I can help you find alternatives and ensure that you’re getting everything you need to recover from birth and thrive. After all, you are JUST AS IMPORTANT as baby!

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