Share your tips for living with food intolerance with a2 milk - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Whether you have experience of living with your own food intolerance or your child’s, it can be a difficult and confusing experience that you’ve probably now learned a lot from, and a2 milk would like to hear the tips you now have for living with a food intolerance. Maybe you’ve found foods which are surprisingly okay for you? Or sneaky foods which you thought would be fine but weren’t? Perhaps you know about places to eat out which are especially accommodating? Whatever your tips for living with food intolerance, share them with a2 milk below.

Here’s what a2 milk have to say: “If cows’ milk doesn’t agree with you, you might be astonished to learn that not all cows’ milk is the same. a2 Milk™ is healthy cows’ milk with a difference. Gentle on tiny tummies, easy to digest and less likely to trigger symptoms of milk intolerance. Our milk looks the same and tastes the same but there is one important difference - it is naturally free-from the A1 protein found in regular cows’ milk that can cause problems from bloating to indigestion to wind and even eczema. It’s 100% natural, delicious and nutritious that’s why we say ordinary on the outside – extraordinary on the inside!”

All those who share a tip for living with food intolerance with a2 milk below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher from the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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The only way I cope with food intolerances of my children's friends is to have a spreadsheet in my tablet so I don't have to ask the poor mites on the way in what they can and cannot eat....food intolerances seem rife (thankfully not in my own children 👶) but you have to keep track as the consequences are nasty :(

Also on the spreadsheet I can put what foods people don't like too so it's all WIN WIN 😀

When I was younger I had terrible allergies, to so SO many things and it was a process of elimination. I can remember spending weeks on end eating next to nothing rather than suffer the consequences. These days, however, we are so incredibly fortunate that there are so many wonderful and tasty alternatives to regular foods - including a2 milk. I frequently buy a2 as it not only eliminates the problem, but it tastes great. The problem is that some products are unhealthy in their elimination of an irritant, ie some gluten free products replace gluten with sugar. Where possible I try to ensure that my family, especially my children, have a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on 'eating clean.' This doesn't mean that they don't eat processed or naughty/sugary foods at all - but the majority of their diet is the good, basic, natural stuff that can't cause any harm and where possible we make our own pizza's, cakes, biscuits, etc, so we know what's in them!

My biggest tip would be to always check ingredients and double check.= again.
Ask if unsure when in cafes / restaurants - and don't be afraid to.

Make a lot of foods yourself in bulk and freeze, you can't really guarantee whats in it otherwise

I have been allergic to milk for over 30 years now and it is so much easier now than it used to be. Food labelling is much clearer on packets and in most restaurants and people are much more aware of it.

The internet is your friend for recipes and for information. My top tip would be to join vegan Facebook groups e.g. vegan womble as they are often updating shop lists/links and have a whole album devoted to vegan christmas treats in supermarkets at the moment.

My toddler is intolerant to dairy (and a few other things). We do a lot of substituting. My other tip is to always phone ahead when eating out.

DM changed to A2 milk to stop her having to clear her throat all the time and it worked! Just a shame we can't get it as easily as other milk.

We also have coeliac disease and gluten intolerance in our family. We started cooking 2 sets of things - one gluten free and one not, mainly due to the cost difference, but it became a PITA and now we all have the same gluten free stuff most of the time - if you can afford it, be kind to yourself and just do it. Use it as a catalyst for change, such as prompting you to eat more veg/beans/pulses to accompany stuff instead of chips.

play around with food there is so many alternatives in the market today

eating out can usually be frought but i find that people are a lot more aware these days.

Learn to enjoy the things you can eat and try to forget about things you now can't.

Browse the internet for some amazing recipes and also don't be tricked by the supermarkets' 'Free From' sections that charge more even though they sell exactly same products in 'normal' aisles for less!

I'm lactose and soya intolerant as is my DS and had to cut out dairy completely when breastfeeding too plus being vegetarian means I'm used to cooking from scratch a lot.

I found almond milk best for tea, after doing a survey of many different plant based milks/soya milks/lacto free. I find out when its on offer at supermarkets for either £1 or two for £2 then bulk buy it so there's always a supply in the cupboard.

Its also the best to cook with, I can use it as a dairy replacement and there is no difference.

I use PETA's food's you'll be surprised are vegan list, the cheaper biscuits are supermarkets are generally dairy free also Aldi have a massive range of dairy free products including a chocolate reindeer. Their ready made pastry is dairy free which means I can do pies/quiches/tarts for DS that he can eat with us.

As DS is both dairy and soya most people use soya instead of dairy which defeats the object almost.

I use dairy free spreads such as pure/flora freedom and vitatlit which I have even used to make buttercream icing. I pick them up again on offer, by using price comparison online, and have several in the fridge so I can bake for DS. Muffins/mini cakes I tend to freeze if I bulk make them for him.

I have a dairy intolerance which I have managed for a few years now. At first, I thought my life was over - no chocolate - arghhh!! However, over the years - I have adapted & many of the changes I made are just made of my life & I don't think about them. I now prefer soya milk to cow's milk, although must admit haven't found dairy-free chocolate to rival milk chocolate!!
It's surprising how many things contain dairy - food you wouldn't expect to contain dairy - for example many flavoured crisps contain lactose. It's made me much more aware, I check labels religiously & find it useful that common allergens are highlighted on ingredients lists now for easy reference.
I still have many treats - just have a better awareness of the dairy-free ones! Some supermarket own brand Jaffa Cakes are dairy-free (whoop!!), Fry's plain, orange & mint chocolate creams are also dairy-free & party rings :D

My biggest tip is to experiment with yummy and exciting recipes. It's a good way of cutting down costs as only free-from snacks cost an arm and a leg, and it's perfect for some creative family time :) x

Both husband and daughter react to eating bananas which makes me wonder whethrr this is where the phrase going bananas orginates. Husband gets restless and cant sleep if he eats a banana past about 4 pm. Daughter gets very hyper so only ever gets half or less of a banana early in the day if it is an active day.

Having just watched A2's big advert, I'd like to know whether they'd promote the message "Drink A2 so you don't have a bloated tummy and need big pants" on a male-oriented website. If not, why not?

Sorry, I've just realised the screenshots above don't illustrate my point very well so here's a better one. I get that being bloated is a bad thing but my question still stands.

Make meals from scratch so you know exactly what is in them. I do every other Sunday afternoon doing 2-3 batches and keep them in the freezer so we always have something ready to go and we know it doesn't have any hidden sugars, salts or allergens in. Plus the batches make about 8 portions each so we are never going to starve!

find out as much as you can from reading up and use lots of tips

As other have said- value range of many products great- biscuits, coleslaw, cakes etc. Chocolate is stumbling block for many but we get dark choc bars and Bourbon biscuits and coco pops are also a hit with my DD.

I have a dairy intolerance which was only diagnosed 5 years ago.
I was shocked to find how many foods contain milk products-particularly flavouring of crisps and snacks.
Even within the last 5 years, there are so many more products that are readily available-I find co-op surprisingly good for sweet foods that are dairy free and sainsburys and tesco are continuously widening their range. It is always more expensive than regular foods though.
More restaurants are making itemiser to dine out with keys And symbols within their menus-particularly independent restaurants I have found. Places like Bella italia are good for this. I even spotted a wetherspoons which has began, celiac, weight watchers all on seperate specialised menus.
Tescos own dairy free cheese is the best I have found by a long way...it actually melts!! And alpro are great for their range of milks and yoghurts.
It's great to see more brands educating though-i am still learning which foods I should avoid eg where it says 'whey' that too needs to be avoided even though it's not an obviously stated milk product. It's definitely interesting to read what a2 milk has to say about cows milk having variety.

Flora freedom and pure butters are brilliant too. And moo free chocolate is good!

Can that milk be given to adults and babies with cow's milk protein allergy? Please say yes!

Breastfed baby with cmpa here and we've recently started weaning.

My tips are

1. the value ranges are often better from the free from ranges (for milk allergy) or own brand. Sainsbury's bourbons have made me fat - it's not my fault at all.
2. take your own milk and soya free bread to a cafe and they will usually make you a sandwich with it!
3. bagels and pitta bread are usually safe breads to opt for
4. learn this sentence "no it's not lactose intolerance, it's an allergy to the protein in the milk, so lacto free is not ok"
5. learn this sentence "no, not even a bit", "answer is still no!"
6. cook your own treats - I love choc chip cookies (Lindt 70% chocolate and stork marg) and banana loaf.
7. pure is the best fake spread I think

I have a dairy and gluten intolerance.
With dairy, it's a mixture of casein and lactose intolerance, and I find that if I mix and match dairy ingredients, I can get away with a bit more!

So, I have A2 milk to use, then butter or sunflower spread. Ususally I have goats milk yoghurt and sheeps milk youghurt, too. I can eat a little soft cheese (occasionally) but mix in the hard cheese - sometimes cows, sometimes goats/ sheeps.

With the GF side of things, I try not to buy the GF cakes etc, as they're far too sweet, and I shaouldnt have them in the kitchen!
However, Doves Farm GF flour is the best, and I can churn out Mary Berrys Choc brownies with no problem.

Often, I just adopt a rather traditional meat/ fish and 2 veg approach to food. Makes life simpler if I don't want to 'think' about a menu.

My whole family eats what I do.

My final comment is to ask if you can make A2 milk more readily available. Lactose free milk seems to have more and more shelf space. I live in the SE, but can only get it in one large local supermarket - Sainsburys. Not found in local Waitrose or Coop. I now buy several bottles and freeze them.

If friends are cooking for you, be helpful not annoying! If they ask, help out with different alternatives for what they would have cooked with, or have a handy sneaky alternative along with you in case what they serve is inedible.
There are so many food intolerances, no one can be expected to be prepared for all of them.