Very similar to the most common and easily recognized allergies, cow's milk protein (APLV) allergy is an immunological reaction in the body that identifies these milk substances as? Invasive? and attack her. This allergic process can trigger a series of reactions, which are not always just gastrointestinal and may appear even days after food is consumed.
The identification of this food allergy is more recurrent even in the first years of life - and the patient usually loses the allergy even in childhood ?, explains the allergist doctor and member of the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI) Dr. Renata Cocco. Although this is the most common occurrence, however, there are still more "serious" cases that can extend into adolescence and very rarely into the second decade of life.
Due to the higher rate of APLV records in early childhood, some studies indicate that one of the possible causes of this immune deficiency may be related to premature cow's milk intake? even caused by the nutrients transmitted by the mother during breastfeeding.
Symptoms and diagnosis of milk allergy
Milk allergic reactions, which may appear up to one week after consumption, are not easily associated with immune deficiency. In addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, which include blood in the stool, vomiting and regurgitation, hives, dermatitis, edema and respiratory system problems such as rhinitis and chronic cough may also be noted.
From the perception of a pattern in the occurrence of these symptoms, associated with the lack of explanations that can attribute them to other diseases, the diagnosis proceeds with an analysis of the clinical history and, in some cases, specific laboratory tests.
Among the most frequent exams are the prick test, which punctures the patient's skin so that the antigens come into contact with the bloodstream, and the oral provocation tests, which consist of offering food, always under the supervision of the doctor. who will evaluate possible related symptoms?
Despite these possibilities, tests are not yet fully effective for diagnosis, as they may yield results falsified by external factors such as medication use. Therefore, oral provocation testing tends to be more faithful, especially if it is applied more than once and by professionals who are competent to evaluate the patient's reactions, discarding chances of placebo effects.
Coexistence and treatment of APLV
Unfortunately, there is still no treatment that cures APLV quickly, so it is necessary to restrict the total consumption of milk in the diet, "as well as products that may contain milk proteins, including cosmetics and medicines," warns Renata. Ideally, the suspension of these products should also be accompanied by a specialist doctor, who can assess the best time to initiate a food reintroduction and how to minimize reactions.
Because of this suspension, Fernanda Amorim, nutritionist and professor at the Celso Lisboa University Center in Rio de Janeiro, explains that it is important to be careful to adopt a diet with a good vitamin balance, both in the case of breastfeeding mothers who feed allergy. exclusively from breast milk as it is for patients at other stages of life. "Cow's milk (as well as its derivatives) is a source of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and thiamine, for example," says the professional.
To avoid deficiency of these nutrients, Fernanda advises that all other food groups be consumed, with particular attention to “fruits, dark green vegetables and legumes, which are sources of calcium, B vitamins and vitamin C”. In addition, it is also important to increase the body's stimulus to produce vitamin D, because absorption of calcium and magnesium is thus favored. This purpose can be achieved by eating eggs, sardines, tuna and some mushrooms, "and controlled early morning sun exposure for about 10 to 15 minutes, about three times a week," says the teacher. .
Combined with balanced eating, another habit is needed: reading labels. This is the only way to prevent unwanted consumption of foods that contain traces of milk or any of dozens of protein variations.
What about lactose intolerance?
Because it is an organism response to cow's milk consumption, APLV can be easily mistaken for lactose intolerance, especially if there is no clarification on this immune deficiency. As their names already suggest, the diseases are totally different, although some of their symptoms may coincide.
"Intolerance occurs due to the deficiency of specific enzymes that digest lactose, the main sugar in milk," says allergist Renata Cocco. This condition is more common in adults and is manifested exclusively by gastrointestinal reactions such as bloating, excess gas and diarrhea.
Cow's milk protein allergy, in turn, has a variety of symptoms, which may or may not be summed up and manifest in different ways in each patient. It is also important to remember that it appears as a result of an imbalanced immune process and not because of the difficulty in digestion.
Attention to the labels!
When the restrictive milk diet is the solution to your problems, you should also stop consuming your derived foods and take extra care with other processed products that may have any trace of proteins such as breads, creams, chips and crackers, for example. example.
Therefore, the allergist recommends that all food, cosmetic and drug labels be read thoroughly before ingestion by the milk allergic. The doctor has listed some of the various components that must be eliminated from food when living with APLV:
- Milk (derivatives, proteins, solids, condensate, evaporated, dehydrated, malted, skimmed, semi-skimmed, lactose-free);
- Artificial butter / margarine flavorings;
- Butter / margarine;
- Caseinates (of ammonium, calcium, magnesium, potassium or sodium);
- Hydrolysates (from casein, milk proteins, whey, whey proteins);
- Serum (lactose free, demineralized, protein concentrate);
- Lactoalbumin, Lactoalbumin Phosphate;
- Cheese, cottage, cream;
- Cream, cream cheese;
- Bavarian cream.
Another care with labels is remembered by Fernanda Amorim and concerns the so-called milks of plant origin. “This nomenclature came from the food industry, but the correct name is plant extract. Milk is a product of the mammary gland, so vegetables are not able to produce milk ?, explains the nutritionist.
These plant extracts, to make them equivalent to cow's milk, are added with vitamins and minerals. Other products that are sold as cow's milk substitutes are those of other mammals such as goat and buffalo, but, according to the expert, it is possible that "some individuals with APLV also develop an allergy to their proteins," as they are similar to those of the cow.
Thus, it is essential that cow's milk substitutions on a restrictive diet be done only with medical advice.
Delicious and Allergic Recipes Allowed
After the diagnosis and the start of a treatment, with the adoption of the restrictive diet, the best way to guarantee the allergic person's health and good diet is to avoid industrialized products and to dedicate himself to cooking with the most recommended ingredients.
The novelty of eating habits can be desperate. Suddenly, it seems that all the recipes in the world carry milk, but a good tip is to resort to the vegan diet, which is always milk free, to discover new dishes and of course to invent!
In the list below, check out a selection of 12 recipes made by people with food restrictions and / or who have been found allergic to cow's milk.
1. Negresco Popsicle: Consuming processed jams is possible as long as the label does not reveal any ingredient prohibited to the milk-allergic person, as is the case with several ordinary stuffed cookies. The popsicle league is made up of coconut milk.
2. Blender Patty: With the chicken stuffing suggestion, the patty recipe is simple to make and has no hard-to-find ingredients. Here, milk is not replaced by any animal or plant extract equivalent, which ensures that the result can be consumed by any APLV carrier without fear!
3. Brigadeirão: Less conventional, the recipe for one of the most Brazilian sweets takes even carrot in its preparation. In this case, the traditional dulce de leche is replaced by the rice extract and the chocolate should be chosen very carefully so that it does not have traces of milk.
4. Cristina Cake: This banana cake has no cow's milk equivalents in its recipe. The dough alloy is provided by mixing the fruit with eggs and oil.
5. Sausage Roll: Snacks are prepared with margarine and soy milk, so it is important to be careful that both ingredients are allowed in the allergen's restrictive diet.In addition, it is also worth checking the sausage label for traces of milk, as most sausages depend on this element to be mixed and compacted.
6. Chocolate Mousse: To consume worry-free chocolate, the key is to bet on those who have a fairly high percentage of cocoa: the more bitter, the less milk chocolate has. However, it is also important to check the product label, as most chocolates? even those without milk in their formula? They are prepared in instruments that mix the most traditional products. There are more severe cases of allergy where the mere contact with cow's milk is enough to provoke reactions.
7. Stroganoff Without Milk: Stroganoff sauce is traditionally made from sour cream or plain yogurt, but in this recipe the substitution is for almond extract plus tomato sauce, ketchup, shoyu and English sauce.
8. Basic Fermentation Free Bread: Unfortunately, finding affordable cow's milk free breads is a big battle for allergic people. An alternative may be to try different recipes and adapt them until you find the best one for the restrictive diet in question. In this recipe, gluten is replaced by a special mixture of flour and milk is replaced by vegetable extract that can be consumed without problems by the APLV carrier.
9. Vegan Carrot Cake: Many traditional simple cake recipes rely only on water to turn on. Fortunately, carrot cake is one of those that can be consumed by the allergic person without fear! Here, you are still taught how to make a simple chocolate coating with affordable, milk-free ingredients.
10. Liqueur Flavored Truffle: One more recipe to satisfy chocolate addicts! This delight is preferably made with a specific brand of milk-free chocolates and has vegetable extract to combine.
11. Manioc Bread: Cheese bread without cheese is possible and can be very tasty! The taste of the traditional Minas dish is due to the manioc and the alloy of the pasta is provided by oil and water.
12. Coconut Yogurt Without Milk: Yogurt is one of the main derivatives of milk and, with this recipe, the coconut flavor becomes reality for the allergic person when being prepared from fruit and honey.
Cow's milk protein allergy: how do I know if my child has CMPA? (May 2021)
- Allergy, Food