BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

AUGUST 19, 2024

Most under-fives love milk, but if your little one is finding that glass-and-a-half hard to stomach, then it’s possible they have a dairy intolerance. 

This isn’t the worst news in the world, but you do need to know what’s going on and cater to their needs accordingly. 

To help you do this, we’ve sought the advice of Dr Nick Fuller.  

Dr Fuller is a leading health expert with several degrees to his name and a brand-new book called Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids.  

This family wellness guide contains lots of dairy-free recipes your kiddo will actually want to eat (one of which you’ll find below), but for starters, it’s important to know that dairy intolerance is pretty common in childhood.  

Dr Fuller explains that approximately one in 20 children in Australia develop dairy intolerance, and its cause isn’t a mystery.  

Dairy intolerance is also known as lactose intolerance, and he says, “Lactose intolerance is an inability to digest the sugars in milk products, because the body does not produce enough of the enzyme, lactase, to break down lactose.” 

For this reason, dairy or lactose intolerance is totally different to a milk or dairy allergy.  

Dr Fuller explains that, “With a dairy allergy, there’s an immune reaction to the proteins found in dairy, which leads to symptoms like wheezing, swelling, vomiting, breathing problems and anaphylaxis.” 

The symptoms for dairy intolerance are generally less severe than for an allergy, but they’re still not too pleasant for a little person.   

Dairy intolerance causes gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps and diarrhoea, and these side effects are more likely to emerge in childhood than in babyhood.  

Dr Fuller says, “Most infants can digest lactose, but many then develop a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.” 

If this has happened to your pre-schooler, you’ll probably find that they can consume a little bit of dairy, but not too much.  

Dr Fuller says, “Most children with dairy intolerance can consume some amount of cow’s milk without having symptoms, and different children can tolerate different amounts of lactose before having symptoms.  

“Typically speaking, symptoms are likely to appear when more than a cup of milk is consumed across the course of the day, as opposed to a few sips.” 

The good news is that many dairy products are low in lactose content, like cheddar cheese, so Dr Fuller says, “Children can typically consume such products without side effects.” 

It's also good to know that yoghurt, ice-cream, butter and chocolate are low in lactose.  

If you have noticed that your pre-schooler isn’t feeling too good after consuming dairy, you’ll need to do a bit of detective work.  

This means consulting your family doctor to determine whether your child has a lactose intolerance, or an allergy to dairy. 

Dr Fuller says, “If your child has a lactose intolerance, you will need to reduce the amount of milk and dairy products in their diet.” 

However, he explains that, “Dairy is a rich source of calcium and protein in your child’s diet, so wherever possible, it is important to keep offering small amounts.  

“Typically speaking, those with a lactose intolerance can still consume a cup of regular cow’s milk across the course of the day, with other foods, before symptoms arise.”  

Lactose-free milk is your go-to, though.  

Dr Fuller explains that this kind of milk has the same great nutritional value as regular cow’s milk, ‘Just without the lactose sugar that your child is unable to digest,” and it’s an important part of your little one’s diet if they’re dairy intolerant.  

You can say goodbye to cow’s milk, though, if your child has a dairy allergy. 

Dr Fuller says, "In this case, you will need to alter their diet to avoid milk and dairy products completely, because it can cause anaphylaxis.”  

He explains that, “The next best option to cow’s milk, with respect to nutritional content (and specifically calcium and protein), is calcium-enriched soy milk.” 

And now for the great news! 

Dr Fuller says, “Many children grow out of their dairy or lactose intolerance, and milk allergy” as they grow up, and in the meantime, there are loads of genuinely delicious dairy-free recipes to share with them.  

Dr Fuller’s new book is bursting with good food ideas for families, and many of his 100+ recipes are dairy-free, lactose-free, gluten-free and nut-free to cater for those intolerances and allergies. 

We hear that the Tahini Nut Bars and Raspberry Crumble Slice go down particularly well with dairy-free families, and if you have an under-five, you need Dr Fuller's banana loaf recipe in your life!  

It’s dairy-free, gluten-free and absolutely perfect for your child’s next picnic in the park, daycare lunch or afternoon snack attack, and here’s how you bake it.

Dr Nick Fuller’s Recipe for GF, DF Banana Loaf 

Serves 8 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Cooking time: 45 minutes 

 

Ingredients 

• 3 overripe bananas 

• 2 eggs 

• ½ cup (125ml) soy milk  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 

• 1 tablespoon honey 

• 2 cups (240g) ground almonds 

• ½ cup (70g) ground flaxseed  

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon  

• 1½ teaspoons baking powder 

• ¼ cup (25g) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped 

 

Method 

1.  Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-forced). Lightly grease a loaf tin (24cm × 14cm, approx.) and line with baking paper, extending over the two long sides. 

2.  Place the bananas into a large mixing bowl and mash well with a fork. Add the eggs, soy milk, olive oil and honey. Mix well to combine. 

3.  Add the ground almonds and flaxseed, cinnamon, baking powder and walnuts. Fold all ingredients together until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. 

4.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until risen, golden and springy to a gentle touch in the centre. Cool slightly in the tin. 

5.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve. Store leftover loaf in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. We doubt the leftovers will last that long, though, because this banana loaf is yum! 

And a huge thanks to Penguin Random House for sharing this recipe with us.  

It’s extracted from Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids by Dr Nick Fuller (RRP $37), which is available where all great books are sold.