It is dairy allergy when a person reacts to one or several of the proteins that are present in cow's milk and in milk processed foods, as yoghurt, butter or cheese. But, if Cow Milk Allergy implies an allergic reaction, triggered by the immune system and arosed by milk proteins, a dairy allergy may identify also a wider range of other reactions or symptoms (Crohn's disease, eczema, asthma or migraine attack, other digestive disorders).

Consequently, dairy allergy can be related to various substances that are present in milk, including lactose, casein and whey.
Lactose, often referred as Milk Sugar, is the primary carbohydrate found in mammal's milk and appears as a white to creamy white crystalline product, normally obtained from whey; casein is the major milk protein of the solid part of cheeses, resulted from the curdled milk; and Whey products refer to the serum or watery part of milk that remains after coagulation, which occurs primarily in the production of cheese and cottage cheese. These substances are part of a variety of foods other than milk and cheese.

So, an allergy to dairy products forces people to review their eating habits, excluding any food that may aggravate the allergy, and avoiding dairy is more difficult than avoiding just milk.

In particular, dairy products are present also in:

• butter and most margarines (contain whey, casein, or lactose)
• most baked items
• some breads
• most flavors of potato chips (except plain and salt and vinegar sometimes)
• cream sauces
• cheese in all forms
• ice cream, some gelato and sherbet
• most, but not all, chocolate (carefully read the ingredients list, while some dark chocolates are dairy free)
• whey protein powder
• non-dairy coffee creamer (that contain casein)
• some mayonnaises, mustards, and other condiments
• canned chicken broth, that often contains whey, and ready-to-eat chicken and turkey, that sometimes cooked with butter

But there are alternatives, there are appetizing foods that can substitute foods we like!
In particular, there are:

• others milk based on soy, rice, almond, hemp seed, and oat, fortified or not, are available in such flavors as plain, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla;
• other cheeses, based on soy, rice, and hemp, and available in different flavors. Moreover, goat's and sheep's milk cheeses may be good for those with relatively mild intolerances.
• Other ice Creams, based on soy and on rice
• Other soy and rice yogurt
• Some types of margarines

Remember that the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse recommends dairy allergist to carefully plan a high-calcium diet, an important substance especially for the bone growth, and provides a lists with some common foods that are good sources of dietary calcium and have little or not lactose.

Source:

• American Diary Product Institute
• the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse