Got a question about going dairy-free? Dietitian Kate Arthur answers your questions - £200 voucher to be won

[LucyBMumsnet]

Created for Alpro

Ever thought about going dairy-free but wondered how it might affect your health? Post your questions to registered dietitian Kate Arthur, and you could win a £200 shopping voucher.

• Everyone who shares a question on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list)
• Kate will be back at the start of November to answer a selection of your questions

About Kate:
“Kate Arthur is a Registered Dietitian with 25 years experience. She is passionate about promoting easy to understand nutrition and dietary advice for adults and children. Having worked for a number of years as a Dietitian for Alpro she has helped to promote the importance of plant based eating for both health and the planet.”

Here’s what Alpro have to say:
“With an increasing number of people wanting to lead a more plant based lifestyle, Alpro is on hand to ensure that parents are equipped with the tools and information to be able to follow a nutritionally balanced, healthy diet. Alpro Soya Growing Up drink and the new Alpro Oat Growing Up drink are tasty alternatives to cows’ milk and are formulated to provide nutrients tailored to the needs of children aged 1 to 3 years.”

So whether you have a question about the health or eco benefits of adopting a dairy free diet, or the ways you can introduce dairy free alternatives into your family’s diet, post your question on this thread for Kate to answer.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

My son has been dairy free since he was born due to CMPA .
He was breastfed followed by neocate and calcium supplements.

He is only just 10 and has already broken his leg twice, his wrist and his arm. Would you be concerned this is related to a lack of calcium in his diet

I'm dairy intolerant and have been using alternatives for years. They're increasingly causing painful digestive symptoms so I find I have to have nothing at all. Soya products are the worse culprit. Is there a product that's more gentle or has less 'side effects'.

Is plant based milk really healthier for humans? Some tastes sweetened. Is it produced in a more sustainable way, or is it all marketing?

What research if any supports the assertion made by an earlier poster than people who consume dairy have the poorest bone density and that nearly everyone in the world is intolerant to dairy? (These sound like vegan myths of which there are many!)

Can dairy free milk be swapped in recipes and give very similar results - rice pudding and custard etc - if not are there any tips for cooking with these products - I am interested in this food swap but don't want to lose my weekend rice pudding and custard tarts for my children.

Would I need to take calcium supplements if I was to swap to alpro for my main dairy consumption.

Which diary free alternatives are best for the environment? I have heard mixed things about the impact of soya, oat, coconut etc

I am aiming for a higher percentage of plant based products in our diet, and alpro is one 'easy swap' for cereals and drinks, and introducing them earlier will be easier than later down the line, how long does this product last once opened, and have there been any impartial studies on long term use of this on a large cohort of young children, my children love their cold milk drinks and warm milk in the evenings I want to swap but I am not sure about the benefits for them (calcium and vitamins) - I need stats please

@LucyBMumsnet
When is this lady due to answer us please.

My kids both have the alpro growing up soya milk. I did a side by side comparison with dairy milk before switching, which was tricky because obviously alpro has x, y, z added to it which cows milk has naturally meaning that the nutritional info available for dairy was more variable between sources. Nevertheless after a fair bit of research I was really happy with how it stacked up, the nutritional content was almost identical with the one major difference of the alpro being lower in saturated fat. It also has iodine added which can be really hard to find in kids products and even most younger kids multivitamins don't seem to have it. So I've been really happy with the brand over all.

My question: Despite claiming to be low sugar I was surprised that the alpro milk actually has loads of added sugar in it. I guess this is to make it appealing to kids but at a time when reducing children's sugar intake is generally quite important to parents this seems like an odd choice. Are there any plans to make a genuinely low sugar or even sugar free version?

Hi
I'm still breastfeeding my 18 month old, plus I have osteoporosis and suffer from anaemia on and off (plus ME and fibro). Would a dairy free diet be suitable for me?
I do take a multivitamin and Adcal twice daily.

I'm trying to lose a little weight and have started doing reformer classes. My energy levels are in my boots at the moment and I'm catching everything going, but that's normal for me.

I would also like to eat less meat for environmental reasons but think this could be a step too far to go completely meat free.

What are your thoughts about this?

Thank you.

What are the best non dairy swaps as some of the products are so expensive?

Would it be beneficial to switch to dairy free whilst approaching the menopause?

We're a vegan family with a baby on the way. We'd like to raise the baby vegan and healthy. What are the best dairy free products for babies? Thank you :)

What vitamins/minerals would we lose (if any) If we were to swap to non-dairy ? Or would would we get more benefits (vits etc) by swapping - I am keen to do this but worried I would be missing any essentials nutrients to our diet.

I have not consumed dairy for 22 years. My children (11, 6) have never had it. We are all in optimal health, full of energy.

Why is the government still pushing dairy as necessary for human health, when it is, in fact, detrimental to us. Why are schools so behind the times on this?

I'd like to swap - but not 100% yet - 50/50 dairy free is something I want to aim for long term, DS1 is lactose intolerant so we are part of the way there, but I find that it's really costly - where would be cheapest way to buy - can I get a powdered version of Alpo which may be cheaper ?

Can I cook with alpro when making white sauce, custard and rice pudding ? What are the results like ?

''Source of Calcium, vitamin D and protein. Calcium, vitamin D'' how does this compare to full fat milk. DS1 and 2 are milk drinkers and I'd like to try them on this but am worried about the differences in the 2 drinks - what is the comparison please ?

Vitamins and minerals are very important for health. If children or menopausal women don’t have dairy what should they do to ensure their bones grow (children) or remain strong (menopausal women).

Starting to get a sense that my usual(dairy) milk in tea and coffee is contributing to my menopausal skin flare ups. Any evidence to support this theory? It’s happened a few times after eliminating and reintroducing…

My daughter is now dairy free after being advised to remove it from her diet. I didn't realise how many products contain dairy/milk by products! We are new on this journey but oat milk is the best alternative we have found. She loves to cook and bake, can the oat milk be used in the same way as cows Milk? Home made panna cotta is one of her favourite puddings, any suggestions for a dairy free alternative?

Hi I am committed to dairy free but also to being sugar free.

Your plain no added sugar soya yogurt is not as good, smooth and fresh tasting as others (for example Tesco own brand) so I buy plain soya yogurt in other places not with my usual shop at Waitrose which only stocks Alpro's version.

Also why add sugar to your plain Greek style yogurt? It means I can't eat it and again I buy supermarket own brand elsewhere that does not have the added sugar and is lovely. I don't understand why you would add sugar to a plain yogurt as many consumers don't want sugar.

What are some other words for dairy that we should be aware of when looking for dairy hidden in foods and other products?

[quote lisaandalan]@LucyBMumsnet
When is this lady due to answer us please. [/quote]
Hi @lisaandalan,

Kate will be back to answer a selection of questions from this thread during the w/c 1st November