Introduction
A cow’s milk and wheat free diet will be necessary if your child has, or is suspected to have a cow’s milk and wheat intolerance or allergy. Although there are obvious sources of milk and wheat, derivatives of milk and wheat are also found in manufactured foods.
Avoid any foods with the following ingredients.
Milk
- Cow’s milk/evaporated milk/condensed milk/milk drinks
- Cream, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream
- Butter/margarine
- Lactose
- Casein/caseinates/milk protein/ hydrolysed casein
- Non-fat milk solids/milk sugar solids/milk solids
- Milk powder
- Whey/whey syrup sweetener
- Flavourings – these can sometimes contain milk. Where ‘flavourings’ are used, it will state on the label if this is derived from milk.
Wheat
- Breadcrumbs or batter
- Hydrolysed wheat protein
- Wheat bran
- Wheat flour
- Wheat germ
- Wheat germ oil
- Wheat gluten
- Wheat starch (please note that many gluten-free products still contain gluten-free wheat starch and are therefore not wheat-free)
- Raising agents (unless specified as being made from another cereal eg corn)
Note: Milk and wheat are required by law to be clearly emphasised on the ingredients list. The ingredients containing milk and/or wheat may be highlighted in bold, underlined or in a different colour text. Please refer to the ingredients list to check any product for the presence of allergens.
Please note: All branded products are cow’s milk and wheat free at the time of printing. Detailed information on manufactured products can be obtained from the customer services department of most supermarkets.
Milk substitutes
Infants and children under two years of age should be given a suitable cow’s milk-free formula as a main drink to ensure adequate supplies of vitamins and calcium. Some children are able to have plant-based milk drinks at an earlier age. Your dietitian will advise you as to the most suitable milk alternative for your child. You can use the other suitable milks in cooking from 6 months of age.
In instances where a specialist formula is not indicated, or where a child is more than two years of age, other milk substitutes can be used, such as soya milk, oat milk, or a nut milk. Rice milk is a suitable substitute for children over the age of 4½ years. It is recommended that you choose one which is calcium and vitamin enriched.
Calcium/vitamin supplementation
If a calcium and/or vitamin supplement is required your dietitian will advise you on an appropriate product and dose for your child. All children under five years of age are advised to take a supplement containing 10micrograms of vitamin D, unless they drink more than 500ml formula milk per day. Breastfed infants under one year of age should have a vitamin D supplement containing 8.5-10micrograms of vitamin D, from birth.
Dietitian: 01223 216655
We are smoke-free
Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital campus. For advice and support in quitting, contact your GP or the free NHS stop smoking helpline on 0800 169 0 169.
Other formats
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