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

[OutIsay]

@MumDad1958

I would like to be dairy free to see if I have an Intolerance but I'm not sure. I was looking at using Oat drink as a milk substitute but I'm not sure about substitutes for other dairy products. I have ibs - had this for a number of years. I have been diagnosed with diverticulitis. I also have a gluten Intolerance. I would be so grateful for any advice. Thank you.

I would be very careful about using an oat milk if you are gluten intolerant (they often contain gluten traces)

[SpindelWhorl]

I'd be very interested in Kate's view as a dietician about low FODMAPing*. I have nothing left to try.

*FODMAP includes lactose free

Gastro has discharged me because my inflammatory markers, coeliac test and scans are not positive, despite my having autoimmune inflammatory diseases (I'm on a biologic and levothyroxine, I'm not making this up...), and my guts are in painful tatters.

I'm on Day 70 of FODMAP and there's definitely been improvement in my symptoms but I'm still completely physically exhausted.

[CatNamedEaster]

In cases of dairy allergy, what would you recommend as butter alternatives? I know there used to be lots of advice about avoiding cheap plasticky margarines but are today's versions such as Pure any better?

[BackAwayFatty]

What steps should I take if I suspect my DD12 has a dairy intolerance?

[Kikibabes]

Is it true the human gut 'wasn't meant' to be able to digest cows milk? And that's why so many people are intolerant to it today? I've IBS and had been on FODMAP for a long time- the only things I've kept out of my diet from that are lactose & gluten (I've been well for as long as I can remember so I'm not even going to try to reintroduce these food items). And is it 'milk' or the sugars 'lactose' humans aren't supposed to be able to digest? (I hope that makes sense?) lol thanks very much 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you

[helcrai]

I have two teenage daughters and am conscious of trying to get them to consume a healthier diet. One thing they love to drink are flavoured dairy milkshakes. Would alpro''s standard milk drinks, eg oat and soya, provide the same health benefits and calcium as dairy milk?

[bfp2]

What is the 'natural flavour' in the growing up oat milk?

[ChubbyK]

Do you think there is a dairy free cheese in existence that is as good as proper cheese?

I love cheese so much and would happily go dairy free if there was a good DF mozzarella, cheddar, and pecorino.

[SandysMam]

Are plant based products suitable for those who need a low phosphate diet? I have kidney disease and have to reduce dairy products.

[anxiouswaiting]

My son is dairy free due to I tolerance. We tend to opt for oat milk as prefer its taste, he dislikes all alternative cheeses, but likes soya yogurt. Do we need to give calcium supplements to ensure he gets all he needs?

[Gazelda]

I'd be interested to know how teenage girls going through puberty might be affected by a switch from dairy milk.
My instinct says that it's probably be a positive step, but I'm nervous about changing a key element of her diet at a tone when her body is already coping with huge changes.

[BrightBean]

I'm vegetarian and breastfeeding my son who is dairy and soy intolerant. I have given up dairy and soy but seem to be replacing it with sugar.
What are some healthy alternatives that I can eat that will keep me full and not reaching for the sweets?

[SkyTrees]

Is it possible to get tests (eg blood tests) to check for calcium deficiency? And other vit and mineral deficiencies? When would these be indicated and offered via NHS? I know a family in Germany who follow a vegan diet and their three yr old has had regular blood tests at the insistence of her gp!

[MackenCheese]

We have the Braca-1 gene in our family. My daughter is 12 and I wondered if switching away from dairy products would partially protect her from getting breast cancer too young? My son has asd, and I have also heard about a low casein diet being good for autism. What are your thoughts?

[SerenTarot]

I'm a lacto-vegetarian, I don't eat meat, fish or eggs but I do love my dairy and cheese, yoghurt, butter etc. feature strongly in my diet. I have vegan friends who ask me why I don't take that final step and give up dairy, but as it plays such a key role in my diet I'm nervous of what I could replace it with?

[GooodMythicalMorning]

How long would it take for you to notice a difference in gut health if you are going dairy free if unsure if you have a dairy intolerance?

[smaragda]

@goodmythicalmorning milk proteins can remain in the body for up to 21 days, so 3 weeks is the least amount of time you should be off dairy to see if there is any difference

[lurkingattheback]

Can you recommend a dairy-free milk that tastes the closest to milk? We've recently changed our son to lactose-free milk but ideally would like to remove the milk completely.

[Cotswoldmama]

Are dairy free alternatives as nutritious as milk. I'd like to try to increase the amount of vegan alternatives we consume but I'm worried my boys will loose out on the nutrients they get from milk and cheese.

[custardcream1000]

I am already dairy free and switch between soya and oat milk substitutes as I prefer the taste of these to alternatives such as coconut and almond. Is there a difference in the benefits between the alternative milk options? As they are all fortified, I always assume they are on par with each other nutritionally, but is that actually the case?

[custardcream1000]

@lurkingattheback Oatly have a semi skimmed (light blue) and full fat (dark blue) option. The dark blue version is quite creamy and tastes similar to cows milk.

[MargosKaftan]

Ooh good dairy free cheese recommendations would be good !




What's the best milk / cream substitute for primary aged dcs?

[Syeknom]

We are vegan parents with vegetarian kids for whom we have switched cow's milk for soya at home mainly for ethical reasons. As a compromise we still buy some organic cheese and out of the house they are just vegetarian. It's a bit of a pragmatic bodge which keeps our dairy consumption to the minimum and they can make their own choices as they get older.

How do you feel the balance falls in terms of ultra processed milk versus cow's milk being a relatively non processed food (obviously pasteurised and homogenised so not entirely unprocessed) and the advice to reduce ultra processed foods for health reasons?

We use alpro growing up milk (or giraffe milk as the kids call it) but I worry that it is a more processed option.

[flowersfromheaven]

Going Dairy free will we still get enough Calcium.

[Ukholidaysaregreat]

I try to avoid too much sugar in my diet and I recently bought unsweetened oat milk to try as a low carbon and hopefully less cruel alternative to dairy. However it tastes really sweet even though no sugar is added and it has quite a lot of carbohydrate. What are the effects of drinking oat milk on teeth as opposed to dairy? Many thanks