Margaret Wills asked
>Since eliminating dairy is difficult enough in the average diet, can a
>mother still make a reasonable test for the baby's sensitivity without
>being rigorous about small amounts in baking and such?

I usually tell moms there are three levels of eliminating dairy.
1. Eliminate fresh milk or cream.
2. Eliminate all dairy products---fresh, canned and dry milk, cream, cheese,
ice cream, yogurt.
3. Eliminate all of the above, plus read labels and avoid prepared foods that
contain any milk or milk components, such as whey or casein.

Since the processing does denature the proteins, some people do tolerate milk
that has been heat-treated or cultured but can't take fresh milk.  But there
are always those few who can't handle any level of milk and milk products.
The mother won't know where she falls on the spectrum until she tries.

Which end to start at?  That depends on how miserable the baby is---and how
miserable the mother is.  She can begin at level 1 and work on to 3 if 1 and
2 don't help.  Or she can start at level 3, then add dairy back into her
diet, ending with fresh milk, or stopping wherever she judges she has gone
past the tolerable level.

I probably heard these ideas in La Leche League, so I haven't got a
reference, but there probably is one somewhere.

Chris Mulford
Swarthmore  PA (eastern USA)

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