COPY - Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 34
As many children outgrow
their cow’s milk allergy,
these foods may be able to
be added back into the diet
if indicated by the medical
specialist. People who do not
outgrow the allergy will need
to con琀椀nue to avoid cow’s milk
and dairy products.
When cow’s milk allergy is
suspected or con昀椀rmed, the
exclusion and reintroduc琀椀on
of cow’s milk and other
dairy foods should only be
under the instruc琀椀on of a
medical specialist, and may
be guided by a die琀椀琀椀an. If
the long-term exclusion of
cow’s milk and dairy foods is
needed, a die琀椀琀椀an can suggest
alterna琀椀ve sources of calcium
and protein to ensure adequate
nutri琀椀on and growth.
Milk alternatives for infants
Breas琀昀eeding is
recommended for at least
6 months, and for as long
desired a昀琀er this. For some
breas琀昀eeding mothers, cow’s
milk proteins can pass into
the breast milk, which may
trigger a reac琀椀on in the
infant. This could mean that
the mother may need to
exclude cow’s milk and dairy
products from her diet too.
This should only be done
under the guidance of a
medical specialist.
When breas琀昀eeding is not
possible, soy-based formulas
may be appropriate for cow’s
milk allergic children over the
age of 6 months. For children
over the age of 12 months,
soy milk is the preferred
alterna琀椀ve as it is the closest
nutri琀椀onally to cow’s milk.
For some infants with a
cow’s milk allergy, the use
of an extensively hydrolysed
formula (EHF) may be
appropriate. These formulas
are based on cow’s milk
but use enzymes to break
down the milk proteins so
they are not recognised
by the immune system. A
rice-protein based formula