NEWS

• Allergies are on the rise

• Term "Non-Dairy" Is Misleading
  

Allergies are on the rise

Estimates from a skin test survey are that 40-50 million people in the US are affected.¹   10% of preteens and 20% of adolescents are affected by allergies.  They affect 5 million children and account for 2 million missed school days. ²   While 10 - 15 % of North American children are affected by allergies, of most significance is that allergies have been on the rise for the last 20 years.  Infants are especially susceptible to food allergies because their immature immune systems tend to react strongly to new food proteins.  The worst offenders are milk and eggs.³   According to Sue Gilbert, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that 70-80% of infants with a milk allergy will outgrow it by age 4.  However, if there is a family history of dairy allergies the chances of outgrowing it aren't so good.⁴

¹Pediatrics for Parents, "Allergy Tidbits."  August 1999 v18 i8 p4.
²Pediatrics for Parents, "Allergy Pointers."  October 1999 v18 i10 p3.
³ Redbook, "Is it Allergies?  How to Tell."  May 1998 v191 n1 p153(2).
⁴ www.parentsplace.com (Nutritionist, Managing Dairy Allergies).

Term "Non-Dairy" Is Misleading

The term "non-dairy" is a misleading one.  Products such as powdered creamers & whipped toppings say non-dairy on them, but most do have dairy ingredients.  Label reading is imperative to avoid milk and eggs.  Common examples of other foods containing milk and eggs includes margarine, soups and gravies, which  usually contains dairy ingredients, and  pasta and mayonnaise, and salad dressing which may contain eggs. Examples which often contain both include: bread (yeast and others), cornbread, cakes, cookies, gravies, pancakes, pies, and waffles.  Amazingly, some soy milks and most soy cheeses contain some dairy ingredients!

Complete avoidance of dairy and eggs requires more than simply not purchasing milk & eggs.  Whether by a doctor's recommendation, or by choice, you've decided to avoid egg or dairy products - the path ahead will require reading many labels.  The following list shows some different names to be aware of that indicate milk or egg ingredients:

Egg - Albumin, Egg White & Yolk, Vitellin.  The following may be from egg:  Lecithin, Globulin

Milk - Acidophilus Milk, Butter, Casein, Caseinate, Cheese, Cream, Curds, Ghee, Lactalbumin, Lactose, Malted Milk, Potassium Caseinate, Skim Milk, Sodium Caseinate, Whey.  The following may be from milk: Carmel Color, Lactate, Natural Flavors.

Please ask your doctor for any additional names to watch for!

     Tips:  Beware of cross-contamination of serving spoons, and always read the label (manufacturers sometimes change ingredients without changing the label other than the ingredient list).