elimation diet for lactose intolerance

[navelgazer]

DD age 6 is showing signs of lactose intolerance - bloating, very bad flatulence constipation, occasional diarrhea and unexplained tummy aches. So far nothing debilitating but the flatulence is shocking OMG. However,she's a happy and thriving girl on the whole. I was considering eliminating lactose for a couple of weeks to check if it is lactose intolerance - lactofree milk and yoghurt so she will get calcium, no cheese etc., I am completely new to all this, is this the normal way to do these things with a 6 year old?

She also has eczema which she is not showing signs of growing out of.

We have just started a lactose free diet under the supervision of a dietitian for DS2 who has had a battery of tests and they all seem to point to a lactose intolerance. We have been given a leaflet that says DS can have edam cheese and a couple of others and also the lactofree soft cheese (like philly).
Check ingredients for things like whey as well and that contains lactose - often in ready made cakes etc.

I have always been advised to do this under the guidance of Dr's and dieticians but this has been an ongoing problem for DS2 and we have already had a gluten free trial to no effect. He is 2!

I assume you have spoken to your GP to rule out any other possible causes.

There are a lot of non-dairy sources of calcium, so you might find it easier to remove most dairy from her diet instead of looking for lactose free dairy items. Also intolerance to cows milk protein (not lactose) can be cause of eczema.

Here is a list of some calcium containing foods.
Tofu - 60g = 300mg calcium
2 tinned pilchards = 275mg
2 tinned sardines with bones = 260mg
Fortified cereal bars (per bar) = 180mg
Calcium Fortified Breakfast cereal - Rice
Crispies, Cheerios etc = 140mg
Spinach boiled - 90g = 130mg
1 tablespoon Tahini = 130mg
Baked Beans - 150g = 80mg
1 large Orange (210g) = 70mg
1 large slice bread - white or brown = 65mg
1 large slice bread - wholemeal = 37mg
Shelled prawns (30g) = 50mg
7 dried apricots - 56g = 40mg
2 spears broccoli - 90g = 30mg
1 egg = 30mg
3 tablespoons boiled lentils = 25mg
1 tablespoon kidney beans = 25mg
1 tablespoon hummus = 12mg

Whole Milk - 100ml = 121mg calcium.

Hope this helps.

tbh I haven't gone to the doctor because it hasn't been that bad yet, though it only started in the last year. I had just thought I would try it for a week or two to see what happens. Am I being naive? I asked the gp about excema and milk a few years ago and got a really half hearted reply about 'trying her without milk'

Thanks for the list Running, DD eats a lot of these foods already

At that age it's still more likely to be cows milk protein intolerance than lactose intolerance, so I wouldn't use lactose free milk, as that still contains CMP. Get oat or rice milk instead, and soya yoghurt.

Really? at age 6 years old? I have never heard of this (but i'm not that knowledgable so that doesn't mean it doesn't exist!)

My dd 4 has similar symptoms, constipation (with overflow diaorrhea if things get too bad) we removed all dairy as when she was a baby, tried to reintroduce thought things were going ok till the stomach ache and constipation, which is definitely trigger by dairy (not sure whether lactose or cmp).

If vour daughter is constipated, it may be worth treating that first to clear the backlog (so to speak ) you should be able to get a gentle laxative from your GP, then consider the diet changes?

DD tolerates a small amount of sheep / goat cheese and has soya yogurt and milk.

Interesting Doris, will consider that.

She has been on the lactofree milk all this week and no cheese, she has been less 'explosive'. If I can get her to see that milk in some form is her problem, which she may accept after this week, then I may get her onto rice milk etc at a later date. (She can be quite stubborn)

I've only just joined and so don't know if my response comes too late, but my son suffered in exactly the same way and a dietitian told us to try lactose free products. She said it may take up to 4 weeks to notice a difference, but shine a light within 2 weeks he was wind free, pain free and we couldn't believe how easy it was.
I'd definatly reccommend you trying it. We were advised to try lactose free milk before resorting to soya as soya milk tends to have lots of added sugar. Hope this helps.

Meant to also say that our son is also very stubborn, and also a fussy eater. There have been times that it hasn't been easy, but he has noticed such a difference that he doesn't question not being allowed certain things. Hardest time was at Christmas with all the chocolate, but as his problem isn't debilitating we allowed him to have some treats and he accepted that the wind and pain may return. After Christmas he's been fine eating the dairy free chocolate and biscuits again, bless him.

The problem is that it could be a intolerence to anything e.g. wheat. You should really get support from your GP so you can have proper tests. You really don't want to eliminate anything that is not neccessary.

One approach is to eliminate a number of possible problem foods and then re introduce one at a time to see which brings on the problems. I have a 10 year old with a long list of allergies and avoiding them is a time consuming PITA occupation. Not something you want to do unless you really have to.

Oh thanks for further replies. We have tried to eliminate lactose (lactofree milk and yoghurt) for the last week or so. We have had limited results - DD keeps forgetting to not have milk/cheese/yoghurt at school and other's houses and of course there is lactose in so many other things in her school dinner, may try packed lunch. She says her tummy is better however, and hasn't had diarhea but she still farts like a full grown man!

Am presuming those with school age kids with intolerance do packed lunches?

Can I suggest an alternative as she isn't doing well at school? You can buy lactase capsules at larger branches of Holland & Barrett or order them from various websites. Lactase is the enzyme that digests lactose and if she takes one with each meal she may be able to have normal meals and miss the problems. Of course you may have problems getting her to take the tablets!

If it doesn't considerably reduce the problem then you have a cows milk protein or gluten issue. Gluten damages the lining of the gut and causes secondary lactose intolerance. Ideally you would have a blood test for gluten intolerance before trying to exclude that.

"Temporary" lactose intolerance after illness is common and as you say this is recent it could well be that. Temporary can last a long time.