Diary free diet - please help

[AugustRose]

Mr DS (17) has been put on a dairy free diet as part of investigations for persistent diarrhoea and while he is waiting for a colonoscopy poor him :(

Can anyone give me any pointers on what normal things he can still eat like biscuits and cheese. I have read that some types of hard cheese are OK but I don't know which ones. I know if the ingredients say lactose or whey then he can't have them but a lot of items just say contains milk.

Any help would be appreciated, he is doing this for 3/4 weeks until next appointment but obviously this could be a long term issue.

Thanks

Is he dairy free or lactose free?

if he has been told no dairy then that means no milk products at all. so no cheese.

all cheese will contain lactose, but some are more readily tolerated than others by some people with an intolerance. if you've been told to go dairy-free I would do so though, and not risk it

Sainsburys and waitrose have the biggest free from range, so trying picking some things up from there. Find out if he can have lactofree stuff. If he can most major supermarkets do lactofree stuff.

If he's dairy free I'm afraid that's no cheese or yogurt or milk products. Also whey and casein are in a surprising amount of stuff (like gravy granulles or salt and vinegar criisps!). My ds is allergic so I've become an expert label checker.

There are, however, lots of brilliant dairy alternatives so don't despair. Soya (id recommend sweetened), oat and coconut milk (brand name is koko) are all good and often have calcium and vit d added so help. And all are available in lots of supermarkets. Check out the 'free from' aisle.
But honestly it's not too hard, let me know what else has been worrying you and I'll try and help.

Has a dieititan given you any advice? DS was given loads of useful info from his. Also we asked at the big supermarkets and they had lists of food that was dairy free - I guess the info might be on line these days. DS is no longer dairy free so I can't be of much help with actual products.
But if he is dairy free then it is more than just milk free or lactose free. He needs to avoid whey (which is lots of stuff) and possibly peptides too.

Id recommend UN sweetened soya. Flipping smart phone...sweetened soya is disgusting!

Mcvities ginger nuts are dairy free but not many biscuits are

Thank you that's very helpful - I think I will ring the hospital back tomorrow and check whether they want dairy free or lactose free as they didn't give me any information and he didn't see a dietician.

I have bought him some oat/soya milk today and some soya spread but I also bought the lactofree cheese so will tell him not to have until I check.

It's just going to be difficult getting a stubborn 17 year to understand how careful he needs to be - he binned his lunch today because it had butter on because he wouldn't ask for one without! Do tortillas/wraps have milk in them does anyone know?

Depends which ones...I'm sorry I know that doesn't help but I know from experience you just have to check all labels.

Maybe try and get him to see that it's only for a few weeks. It's much easier if you cook things from scratch/make your own sandwiches. At least for now. Exclusion
diets are only worth doing if you do it properly.

It is hard though! Does he like icecream? Swedish glaceIs lush and is made from soya. If eating out, roast dinners are normally alright minus yorkshire puds, and most chain restaurants will have a list of what he can or can't eat.

Hob knobs also dairy free....