Eczema Care - Dairy Free Diets

Dairy is one of the most common food intolerance in people with eczema. However, embarking on a dairy free diet requires, above all, medical advice and guidance, together with a huge amount of patience and discipline.

Experts are divided as to whether or not eliminating dairy from the diet is beneficial. In my own experience, a year of abstinence for my daughter Alice, made a difference to the severity of her eczema, and she is now able to tolerate small amounts of dairy, although I tend to give her organic produce.

If there is a history of atopy in the family, it is important to breast feed babies for at least the first 16 weeks. However, babies who are exclusively breast fed can still develop eczema.

Dairy intolerance can be an allergic reaction to the lactose sugar (hence the phrase 'lactose intolerance') or the milk's proteins.

The majority of formula milk is based on cows milk, but Soya based formulas are now more widely available. There is also a small selection of formula milk available for babies on prescription. These are based on cows milk, but the proteins that can cause the allergic reaction are pre-digested and broken down.

Milk and milk products seem to find their way into so many foods. Eliminating dairy products means that you need to become a label watcher. At first, this seems quite daunting, but it is surprising how quickly you become aware of which products to avoid.

The word 'milk' can come in many guises - look out for words on packaging such as whey, casein, caseinates, lactalbumin and lactose, as these are all derived from milk.

Wherever possible it is better to prepare all meals from fresh produce as many processed foods can contain milk, for example batters may contain milk and some vegetable fats have milk products in them.

Health food stores and supermarkets now stock a good range of dairy alternatives. It is now possible to buy Soya, goat's or ewe's milk, goat's cheese, dairy free icecream, chocolates and biscuits.

Specialists believe that any food elimination diet should show postive results within about 6 weeks. If the eczema is improving, it is usual to continue to eliminate the particular food for about a year.

Some doctors believe that dairy products should be avoided for the first year of life if a baby is 'at risk' of developing eczema. However, there is little practical evidence to substantiate this claim.

But remember to speak to your GP before eliminating dairy to be sure you have all the information you need to maintain a healthy diet.

Page Updated: 10 March 2006