Soy cheese?

[snugglebug]

My daughter is on a non-dairy diet for the time being. Is there such a thing as soy cheese? We've got the soy milk and the soy ice cream, but she's really missing cheese and yogurt.

I just hope milk is the cause of these tummy aches she's been having. She has been crying becuase it hurts so bad. The doctor doesn't know what else to do because she seems healthy in every other way.

[kdjsc]

Was just curious if the doctor had you try using Lactaid products first? My son's gastronoligist had us do that at first with much success. Not sure about soy cheese but I know there is a Lactaid cheese. Hope everything works out with your daughter - it took months to get my son back in shape after the milk ordeal (but there were other problems besides tummy aches).

[Sue]

I think you can buy just about anything made from soy these days. Though personally, I don't care for the taste of alot of it. But I do know they make ALOT of products out of soy. Check around the grocery store. I think you'll be surprised at all the products. I know some ladies I talk to on my one message board were going throug menopause and soy is supposed to be very good for helping with some of the symptoms, they were buying soy chips like snack chips, drinks, and all sorts of other products.

[snugglebug]

I went into the commissary today to try and find the cheese and there wasn't any. I think I'll try a civilian grocery store tomorrow if I find the time. Soy chips? Never heard of them. That is interesting.

As for lactaid, she never mentioned it. I'm the one that suggested going of milk and she suggest using soy. We've only been at this for a week and a half so hopefully more time will give better results.

[Sue]

I was in the middle of a large post on what I found and my computer locked up and I lost it all. Hate when that happens. Anyway, I checked Netgrocer, just to see what most grocery stores would have. They have soy apple crisp chips that sound pretty good, soy peanut free peanut butter, I know we had some chocoloate soy milk that was really good but for the life of me I can't remember the brand. It was a funny shapped plastic bottle if that helps any. LOL. I think they make soy ice cream too. I'm sure you can find most of these products at a regular grocery store, but you could also check the health food stores like GNC though I would imagine they would be alot more expensive.

[marinnat]

I'm Lactose Intolerant and have used Lactaid milk and "Lactaid" pills for years. I buy the Costco generic brand of the Lactase Enzyme and take two pills anytime I eat any dairy products. They are fantastic! I can eat regular cheese, ice cream, chocolate, milk, etc. and have no stomach aches or diarrhea if I use these pills. If you go on the Lactaid website, they may offer a free sample.

Keep a diary of your daughter's food intake. It may be something altogether different that is causing the problems. After analyzing my food intake because of severe cramping, I found that in addition to diary products my stomach cannot tolerate leftover chicken, chicken that has been pre-roasted like they sell at supermarkets, and the combination of tomato and basil (I can eat tomatoes and I can eat pesto, but I can't eat the two together!). A friend of mine found she couldn't eat the skin from apples. So, you never know!

It's really hard work to track every single thing you eat. But, when you're desperate enough, you'll go to any lengths to stop the pain! Good-luck!

Nat

[snugglebug]

We are doing a food diary. The only problem is that she's only 6 and she has trouble remembering to write down her tummy aches at school.

It's amazing how many food items contain milk- spaghettios! She's so picky, it almost seems she's eating the same thing everyday.

[marinnat]

Also, beware of lactose in medications, potato chips, and vitamins - just to name a few strange places! Lactose is used as a 'filler' in vitamins and meds. I don't know why it's in some chips too.

I was taking an allergy medicine and had an upset stomach at the same time. I finally figured out to read the med. label and sure enough, it had lactose in it!

Check everything! Have her teachers try to help keep track of her aches and food too. I hope you figure it out soon!

[Maggie]

I completely do NOT know what I'm talking about here, but I have seen several mentions of some dangers of soy-based diets. I have to admit that I've not even read any of this information but you might want to seek it out.

My daughter was my only child on soy formula as an infant and she has type 1 diabetes. Did the soy cause it? Probably not. But if there are risks, it might be worth an internet search or two.

It could be just a bunch of hooey and fanatics, who knows.

Here's a link with a list of articles on the subject:
http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm

[Jodi Ellen]

Be very careful to check the label on soy cheese. Many of them have casen (a milk product) in it. Did your doctor give you a list of all the names of ingredients that are actually milk based products? There are a lot of them. My son has stomach problems, and we had him on a dairy free diet for quite a while. He is now on a limited dairy diet.

[Jodi Ellen]

Sue, is the soy milk you are referring to "8th. Continent"? It is Adam's favorite.

[snugglebug]

This is turning into a bigger project than I thought.

When I took her in 2 weeks ago, the doctor was going to dismiss us with nothing more than a urinalysis. I mentioned possibly the milk cuasing the tummy aches. She said that might be it, so let's take her off milk. I asked her what I should I do with her cereal in the morning (she must have her cereal LOL) and she suggested soy milk. That's it, no more info on it. Three days after that, I was chatting with a friend who has a son that suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. She said Leslie seems to suffer the same way her son did so I began to look into that. She mentioned how milk is in several items so I started reading labels. It never occured to me to research the soy!

I guess now I need to decide whether to switch to lactaid or stay on soy. Yesterday she did another urinalysis (the lab screwed up the first one) and a complete blood work up. We're waiting results.

Now, the effects of soy- Tyler was on soy formula. He has very bad vision, apparently now his hearing could be bad as well. He tends to show signs of ADHD, but I'm not even considering that yet. Following Maggie's link, soy can cause behavioural problems. He's very aggressive for his age in my opinion, but I just figure he's a boy. I've never put much thought into it.

Having kids is sooooo hard! LOL I'm on info overload right now.

[kspainhour]

snugglebug, almost every commissary has soy cheese (even the commissary here in ft "lost in the woods" --leonard wood--has it) i find that the soy/vegetarian products are tucked away with the refrigerated asian products (don't ask me why--it was like that at ft lewis too) i've only seen the single slices at the commissary though--it comes in a bright green package.. which base are you stationed at?

my youngest son and i love drinking soy milk (silk vanilla). if your daughter doesn't like the aftertaste in the soy milk, another alternative is "rice milk" it's called rice dream and it comes in a little square container in the powdered milk section (it's ready made)

i used to work at a vegetarian/vegan cafe in seattle and we used a lot of soy cheese, soy & rice milks. my son loves it when i make italian sodas with soy milk (it was really popular at the cafe too) i use raspberry syrup (like the kind they use in lattes)--pour like 2-3 tbs into a cup, followed by 6 oz of club soda and then 2 oz of rice or soy milk! it's such a great treat.

[snugglebug]

I shop at Andrews right now. Not really stationed anywhere in particular (I guess Anacostia Annex technically)

I was tired and frustrated and trying to get the child back to school. I may not have looked hard enough. I'll have to talk to the manager next time I see him.

I'll be going back on the 16th, I hear there'll be a big cheese promo. Getting my coupons and I'm ready to stock up! LOL

[Jacque1224]

Hi! Just wanted to add my two cents here! My daughter ws allergic to mil kfor the first 18 months of her life, and for two years I was diagnosed as being Lactose Intolerant. There is definitely a difference between the two. With a milk allergy, there are reactions...hives, rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, etc...with an Intolerance there are other reactions...stomach pains, queasiness, and diahrrea that comes REALLY fast. Sorry if TMI! Anyhow, I just wanted to let snugglebunny know that we have tried it all when it comes to soy products.

Milk - Silk Vanilla was our favorite (blue 1/2 gallon box)

Yogurt - Silk makes vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, peach and blueberry (that I can remember). The vanilla was NASTY, but my daughter preferred raspberry and blueberry.

Cheese - There is a soycheese made by TOFUTTI that is strictly NON-DAIRY. I never came across any other kinds that were. This cheese was NOT that great tasting! It came in cheddar, american, and mozarella slices.

Ice Cream - Tofutti makes pints, as well as ice cream sandwiches. These were pretty good.


I hope this has helped! I remember how hard it was tryign to continue a dairy-free diet. Remember to look out for Casein and Whey in ingredients (They can be found in bread, gravy, soups, crackers, and even chicken nugget breading!)


Jackie

[carmel camel]

sorry, I just had to add my two cents about soy formula. Millions of children use soy formula, and have no problems. If one looks hard enough you can find people or "studies" that find problems with anything that we eat, drink, and in our enviroment. It is very easy to be selective in the studies that one promotes for their cause, and anyone who has worked in science/research can tell you, it is very easy to "sway"/interperate the results to be what you want them to be. Usually if someone really looks critically at the results/statistics of a study they will see that that study is not very valid. O.K. since there are millions perhaps billions of children who drink soy formula it is not very difficult to find that of the children who develop problems later in life (whether physical, behavioral or mental) probably drank soy milk. Keep in mind that there are millions more children who developed no problems. I'll get off my soap box now. I just think parents are led to be completely paranoid in this day and age about anything they give their child.

Bottom line...I think your daughter will be fine, just like millions of other people, if she has soy products. Keep in mind that it takes awhile to "work out" these stomach symptoms even after she has been off milk (and other problem foods) awhile. It takes a long time for your system to get back to normal.