Milk - is it REALLY bad?? | Autism PDD
My son is also a milk and cheese and yougurt hog! The only issue I've found with dairy is his weight. He's 6 and over 90 lbs. Mind you he's also tall! Over 4'5" at 6. A size 3 youth shoe. and size 12 in clothes. I try skim anything dairy products. Anything soy he rejects.
My son gave up milk on his own, I guess he never really liked it, he also has never eaten white bread, he does not eat sandwiches, or cheese. He did this on his own at age 2. weird huh. Maybe he knows more about his body than me? Now at age 12, he can tell me when he needs a medication change, we go to Doctor and he tells her what is going on about how he feels and she agrees with him most of the time. As he gets older he amazes me with how in tune he is with his body. Loki that is SO neat, it is what I pray for someday, that my son can communicate with me!we are the only species on the
planet that continues to drink milk after we are weaned, and futhermore we
drink the milk of an entirely different species
Good one MamaKat, and true! I think giving up milk was one of the best decisions I ever made!
I once read in a vegetarian cookbook that we are the only species on theplanet that continues to drink milk after we are weaned, and futhermore we
drink the milk of an entirely different species.
Hmm
Is potato milk/rice milk available in regular supermarkets or do I need to to go to a special/health food store? Also is there no calcium tablet/liquid?? Like th eother multivitamin??
How much calcium is reqd for a 2 yr old daily?? Doe sanyone know the mg of calcium intake?
IMHO, if child has autism, you could not go wrong totally giving up milk - reading the labels of everything and eliminating it - including yogurt and cheese - try it and switch to veggie and soy milks and cheeses and yogurts and ice creams for 3 weeks - watch what happens! Matter of fact do it yourself those 3 weeks as well and you will see a difference in you, too! I felt so much better that I would never go back to cows milk products! The times I have 'indulged' and had chocolate or something else with milk, ugh!
My ds if he even has a DROP gets ill! It has been written that 75-90 % of the population is allergice to milk and does not even know it.
SPeak to your pediatrician about how much calcium your daughter needs and how to get it into her (without causing a War). Rickets can be caused when not enough calcium is taken in. And fragile bones. This is a HUGE drawback to alternative diets of any kind. ALso, young children NEED to take in lots of high quality fat in order to get proper amino acids. If you are worried, ask the pediatrician to recommend a pediatric nutritionist.Obviously, people can be healthy without dairy products or huge areas of the world, where lactose intolerance is the norm, would be populated with unhealthy people. If you are genuinely concerned about your child getting a nutritious diet unless you FORCE her to eat, I'd get the input of a GOOD nutritionist, one recommended by a doctor. ASD kids oftentimes have difficulty tolerating eating many foods. Lots of this is sensory. Some of it could be caused by allergies. But I think guessing about the causes of your particular child's issues is not the way to go. Get facts. Find out if your child is lactose intolerant. Find out if she has allergies to any foods. Find out ways to get her what she needs, in terms of nutrition, in ways she is willing to accept. Autistic kids need to be well-nourished, but causing further issues with food by forcing them to eat certain things, is not going to get them better nourished. After all, no one gets nutrition from foods they won't eat and/or can't keep down. I don't think any of us can tell what is going to be right for your particular child by just discussing it on a forum. Get an in-person expert to help you.Check with a dietitician on the calcium, etc.
I actually gave my kids adult Calcium -- those generic chewy things for women -- but I think they were VERY deficient as they were in overseas orphanages.
I would make sure you get a dietician weighing in on your choices!!!
There are far better sources of calcium than milk products, but the dairy industry wouldn't have you believe it. The gluey protein in milk--casein--causes excessive mucus production in the body whether or not a person's allergic to it. Cow's milk has even been linked to ulcers in some studies, as well as arthritis, asthma, and weight gain. The growth hormones in milk are supposedly contributing to girls going through puberty so early. Only 40 years ago, the average age of a woman getting her first period was 14...now the average age is 11. It's estimated that 94% of African-Americans are lactose intolerant, as well. Antibiotics given to cows to increase milk production also get into OUR bodies, which can lead to problems like treatment-resistant strains of bacteria and yeast overgrowth. Humans are the ONLY SPECIES that drinks the milk from another species...it's my belief that cow's milk is for calves, not people.
Soured milk products like yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk are much easier on the body and also provide the "good bacteria" needed for good gut health. I'm sensitive to yogurt, however, and it makes me EXHAUSTED, so I'd have a food sensitivity test done first. If it's calcium you're after, go with sesame seeds, greens like spinach and kale, broccoli, soymilk, and calcium-fortified orange juice. Google "calcium-rich foods" and see what else pops up, as I know spinach isn't every kid's fave. If you decide to stick with cow's milk, I'd say at least do it with more moderation, as too much of ANYTHING can be bad. Hope that helped.
My son is on a restricted diet so I don't have much of a comparison. He drinks a spechial formula for life and there is currently 2 ounces of milk I add in the receipe a day. That is it. He is on a low protien diet. The formula it's self has the nutrients he needs. He has PKU and has had this diet his whole life.Obviously people can be WAY HEALTHY with NO COWS MILK of any type as I am really healthy and I have not had any cows milk or cheese in 10 years! Also my son is VERY healthy, and has never had any cows milk or dairy his entire LIFE! We also have several 'dairy free' friends.
Sow/rice/potato milk is available at almost any gorcery store as is soy/rice/veggie/ cheeses, yogurts, etc.
SILK is our FAVORITE, it tastes great, super for recipes and cereal too!
If you are truly worried about calcium intake then I would suggest getting the kids vitamin supplement with calcium I think flinstones chewables have one out that you can buy at any store. Also OJ has just as much calcium as milk and alot the breads have calcium added to them.My pediatrician believes that cows milk is way, way overated. Aidan just won't drink milk and I was frantic. My pediatrician said he was probably better off and that cow's milk was really best for .....well cows.
Multi vitamins contain vitamin D and some orange juices are fortified with both calcium and vit D. Some high amounts of calcium can be obtained from dark, leafy greens, cheese, yogurt, beans, (my son loved crackers and hummus) and canned salmon. My ped said that tums can also be taken as a calcium supplement, if you are concerned on any given day how much calcium your child has gotten. As far as the fat content, most doctors recommend switching to 2 % after your child turns 2, so that shouldn't be an issue. Aidan gets a lot of his good fats from things like, olive oil, avocado & guacamole and nuts (though we didn't start giving Aidan nuts till this year-he's 3). We also give him eggs fortified with omega 3's and eggs also have vitamin D, I believe. Salmon is also a good source of fat. We also give Aidan an omega 369 supplement.
A side note. Something strange I found was that Aidan does not have obvious digestive problems with low fat yogurts and cheeses. However, if I give him Yo-baby Yogurt (whole milk), whole milk cheese or whole milk ice cream he always has a problem. My husband is the same way. Strange.
my son is 4 years old and goe sthrough a 1% gallon in 3 days. The only way i had to reduce it was because his iron was low and was suffering from constipation. [QUOTE=foxl]Jeannie, lactose intolerance is lack of an enzyme needed to digest a sugar in milk. Payne could still have milk allergy or sensitivity, without being lactose intolerant.[/QUOTE]
I do think he has sensitivities to a few known culprits...milk being one of them and caffeine being another...he can't have chocolate or a regular soda !
I guess I should state that since my husband and I went dairy free we have never been constipated again - 10 years!
Tzoya -- actually rickets is caused by vitamin D deficiency, but that is related to calcium metabolism and usage. My son had rickets from getting unfortified dried milk in Guatemala.
I agree though talk to a nutritionist or dietician about giving up dairy completely, or any whole food group. It can be done, but if so, do it right. It is always worht a try.
Please, guys, do not perpetuate the confusion of lactose intolerance and milk protein allergy though. They are two very different things! Lactose, or milk sugar is a problem for many people but causes abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea (not that that is any picnic -- I have it!). Nothing like the woes of actual casein or other pretein allergies.
My son went off milk and dairy products for about 2 1/2 weeks one time. We started actually when he had a bad bout of flu and didn't want to eat. He wasn't drinking milk anyway and with the diarrhea, the doc recommended no dairy products either. For a week he lived on grapes and bananas - seriously! We didn't re-introduce any dairy products for over a week and a half. We saw absolutely NO change in him whatsoever. He was fully recovered from his illness about 9 days into this and had re-gained the weight he lost by about 11 days into it. It was about a week after that we started giving him milk/dairy products again.
I don't think that milk is an issue for everyone. I do think it might be for my daughter - but we are going to test that soon. She seems to get very bloated after drinking milk and has issues with mild constipation.
Anyway, I would guess it wouldn't hurt to try it for a while - but make sure you get LOTS of calcium in other ways (broccoli, spinach, etc.). It is SO important for those growing bones! My adopted mom has osteoporosis very bad and trust me - you do NOT want your child to get that!
I have noticed that even though Payne isn't lactose intolerant it DOES seem to affect his behaviors...I have started limiting the amount of actual milk he drinks...he consumes cheeses, etc as well as a multi-vit.Is she heavy? Are you giving her 1 or 2%?
I do not think it is bad, per se, unless she has an allergy or sensitivity to it, but it may interfere with her getting a broader variety of nutrients from other foods.
My youngest is a cheese hog and that is my main concern -- she could be eating other things!
Jeannie, lactose intolerance is lack of an enzyme needed to digest a sugar in milk. Payne could still have milk allergy or sensitivity, without being lactose intolerant.
She HATES cheese!
She is 24 lbs at 23 months - 50th percentile in weight (so, NO, she is not heavy at all.. infact could stand to gain some but she has been in the 50th percentile all along)
I have heard a LOT of GOOD stuff after stopping milk even tho I don't know if she is lactose intolerant... Is yogurt in the same category? Ik now its dairy but do the good bacteria in yogurt surmount the bad stuff in regular milk/cheese??
What can I give her for calcium intake tho? Which multi vitamin ?? Bec if I stop all milk... she needs her calcium!
Thanks a lot!
I think it depends on the child. Diet has absolutely no effect on my son, though I have read before that this holds true for most Aspies. He loves milk, and as a rapidly growing almost teen, he goes through about a gallon every three days. He drank very little milk as an infant/toddler and preschooler. Now I'm considering buying a cow! It would be cheaper
Remember except for North Amercia the rest of the world takes in WAY LESS than HALF the 'recommended' calcium - and they are strong boned helathy folks! People in Taiwan average 10 mg calcium a day and are healthy!
Fortunately there are LOTS of foods to get the small amount of calcium really needed in your day - flour, rhubarb, kidney beans, brocoli, SOY of any kind, almonds, fish, the list goes on!
IMHO and the limited research I have done.....It is not that important to drink milk as we have all been led to believe. Neither of my kids like it, and I would try to force it. My ped finally said that if they get the nutrients in other ways then milk is not important. So, I buy calciom fortified OJ, and other juices, the take multi vit's. I "spike" everything I cook with green veggies (ie. add to hamburgers, meatloaf, meatballs, bread, cookies, soups, noodle dishes, sauces, just to name a few). I use earths best babyfood a lot to "spike" dishes, and then for breads and cookies I use pureed carrots, zuchini, and squash. I feel that they are getting all that they need and I have stopped the milk battles.I know my youngest couldn't tolerate milk so I switched to soy milk and just feed him yogurts and things with dairy in them to substitute. He seemed to handle those better than he did the milk. Whereas my oldest drank milk link there was no tomorrow and never had a problem with it. Could you suggest a CALCIUM supplement - a tablet/liquid??We did the potato milk fortified with as much calcium, vitamin A&D and all the nutrients that milk has with no dairy..same as rice milk..she was more zoned out on milk under age 3 so we did the potato milk for a year and even though she gets dairy now..too much causes zoney behaviors in her..not sure if its related but noted often. Good luck!Ok so should I stop forcing my daughter to drink atleast 14 oz a day?? She takes abt 6 in the morning in a straw cup and 8 at night (in a bottle!).. plus I give her 4 oz of yogurt in the day.. Is this too much milk?
Also, she used to drink a LOT of milk as an infant - until almost 14-15 mos!!
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