What a great ad campaign for milk! Who can forget all of those celebrities touting the nutritional benefits of milk, adorned with those cute milk moustaches? Well, now we know that there is definitely a downside. Enter milk allergies, which usually occur in children at varying degrees. Unfortunately, it is not always an easy condition to trace or diagnose.

If you have children or another family member whom you suspect might have a milk allergy, you will want to be very aware of every ingredient in the food product she or he buys to avoid the allergen. This can be difficult, as milk is used in so many food items on the market today.

Frequently, the symptoms one might experience with a food allergy include diarrhea, skin rashes, frequent vomiting, watery eyes and even infections. If you ignore checking the ingredients in the foods you consume, you risk having the condition worsen over time, and this in turn can lead to more serious and chronic health problems.

Milk has a lot of nutrients that can be very helpful in keeping the body healthy. Experiencing a milk allergy can be very unfortunate, since it is known that milk can promote overall health. The allergy symptoms that you might encounter when consuming milk are due to the components of milk being absorbed in the digestive track and the skin.

Here’s the good news!  And although you can’t consume milk until after you outgrow the allergy, there are alternative products you can use as a milk substitute, with best alternative being soy milk, which is also a good source of protein.

Soy products are excellent when it comes to substituting dairy products and generally have the same protein nutrients you will find from milk, but without allergy-causing reactions to your body. If you want to eat cheese, for example, you can investigate tofu products, since they could be the best substitute for that. This way, you can enjoy eating the foods you want without having to compromise your health.

Now that you know this, you should always remember that prevention is your only way to fight this allergy problem. There is no known treatment for milk allergy and the only way to alleviate your problems regarding further reaction to milk products is to avoid them.

Food Facts is an excellent resource for viewing and researching food ingredients, and you can easily create your own avoidance lists to be milk-free.