Diet-related Conditions
Dietary Treatment Tools
Diet-related Conditions
Dietary Treatment Tools
Cow’s Milk Allergy is a spectrum condition, affecting 1 in 20 infants in their first year of life. It presents with a wide range of symptoms, sometimes difficult to distinguish from other common issues in infancy such as colic, regurgitation or loose stools. Both immediate and delayed reactions to cow’s milk are more common in atopic families; those with asthma, eczema or hayfever, eczema being particularly associated with CMA in infancy. Delayed reactions typically show up in the gastrointestinal tract and skin.
Cow’s Milk Difficulties presenting with lower abdominal symptoms eg. loose, smelly, bloody or mucus pooh, constipation or painful wind and upper abdominal symptoms such as vomiting, reflux, pain after feeding and feeding aversion will impact an infants’ enjoyment and willingness to feed well. For delayed reactions to cow’s milk, at least two persistent symptoms are needed to consider a diagnosis alongside an allergy focussed history.
Dietary management advice will vary depending on the presentation of lactose intolerance. Lactase enzyme activity reduces with age, and affects people with different ethnic backgrounds. Peoples of Asian, African and Indian origin, and children as young as 3-4 years can lose lactase enzyme activity permanently, but this is not normally seen in the UK. Teens as they go through puberty, can also loose their lactase enzyme activity, which can be responsible for tummy symptoms and loose stools during adolescence.
Temporary (or secondary) lactose intolerance is not uncommon, and is often related to changes in the small bowel lining due to inflammation eg. during and after infection or intestinal surgery. A lactose free diet for 2-6 weeks allows the intestinal lining time to repair, in readiness for a gradual reintroduction of dietary lactose, which itself with stimulate production of the lactase enzyme. Further guidance may be helpful, if symptoms continue and tolerance does not resume.
For any general enquiries, please fill in the form with the necessary information. Any information about booking treatments or assessments can be found below.
Carine offers accessible online workshops on a variety of topics, designed to provide a space alongside others to listen, learn, share, practice and develop tools and strategies for nutritional health.
08/03/2023
Making Mealtimes Better : Structure, Nurture & Boundaries Accessible and full of sensible evidence-based information to support feeding young children well. Making Mealtimes Better is an on-line workshop series of...
05/07/2021
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09/01/2020
I really do get it - it's hard to make time on a school morning to prepare a nutritious breakfast. My teenage daughter Izzy and I teamed up to produce...
26/11/2019
Many people are confused about the difference between lactose intolerance and cow's milk allergy. Misunderstood as same condition; the terms lactose intolerance and cow's milk allergy are used interchangeably and...
30/10/2019
Following a 2 - 6 week low lactose diet to treat lactose intolerance, your child should now be well on their way to recovery from symptoms. Reintroducing lactose back into...
02/10/2019
Infants and children need good sources of calcium in their diets on a daily basis. Calcium absorption in the gut is variable and ranges from 25-50%, increasing when intake is...
