Your GP has suggested you trial dairy free? Soy free? Egg or wheat?

Sep 22, 2024

4 min read

This is not a resource to guide your whole diet, nor replace the advice of your GP/MCHN or any health care professional. If you think something in your diet may be causing symptoms for your child/baby, you must speak to your healthcare provider. This blog is only to help it be a little less overwhemling, after your GP recommends you trial an elimination diet. If you're cutting out anything long term, I also recommend touching base with a dietician. Responsibility remains your own to diligently check allergen labels every time. Companies regularly change ingredients in their products. Whilst I personally eat products that 'may contain' allergens (so are included in this blog), you must check with your health care provider whether this is appropriate for you/your child. This resources is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is not to be used to diagnose conditions nor to be used in any way to disregard advice of a medical professional, or delay seeking medical attention.

My story
Where to begin with eliminating dairy/soy
When the GP suggests also eliminating egg +/- wheat (note, this section is also dairy/soy free)
Additional Resources

When I started the allergy journey, there were SO many times I was 'this close' to ending our breastfeeding journey, despite how important it was to me. It started when a friend had begun eliminating dairy from her diet, to see if it would her daughter, and I ended up giving it a go too. I clearly remember saying 'if this works (ie. Mia doesn't tolerate dairy), then this is the end of our breastfeeding'. I wish I could say as soon as I knew it was helping, I cut it out completely, but I was still in denial for a while, and it wasn't until Easter, when I had some chocolate, that I realised it really was making a difference. I also lived in denial about soy for many more months (again, because it was overwhelmingly difficult to even think about where to even begin with cutting out soy; it's EVERYWHERE, and what even is soy!?). It wasn't until I'd made a tofu version of my usual lasagne (and ate leftovers for 3 days, and then did a food diary) that my denial turned un-deniable & I cut soy too.. and from there, Mia slept through the night. Poor Mia.

Where to begin with dairy +/- soy?

Keep in mind that soy is a very similar protein to cows milk protein (dairy), so avoid swapping to soy based products if you can. FYI, eggs are not dairy - dairy comes from cows ;) 'Lactose free' is not dairy free - it's just dairy that has had the lactose removed from it; it still contains cows milk protein.

Tip: Woolies has an allergen filter option with their online ordering. Ie. you can filter for dairy free, wheat free etc (however it is not 100% reliable).

Milk

Oat milk tastes best (especially with coffee). It also fairs well to swap with real milk when cooking. Almond milk is another alternative. Tip: find a product that is fortified with calcium.

Yoghurt

Coconut or oat alternatives. I like cocobella brand.

Cheese

They all suck, sorry. But you can find the alternatives in the vegan section of the fridge isle (just remember to avoid soy alternatives)

Butter

Nuttlex

Cream

Oat based (OATLY brand), or coconut cream

Snacks

Yumi's brand dip (sweet potato & cashew is great)
Frozen wedges
Marathon frozen Spring rolls
Woolies carrot/saltana/walnut loaf
Woolies Anzac Bisuits

Treats

Chocolate: It's all expensive & not much is great. Pico (salted caramel) & NOMO brands were my go to.
OREOs (contain soy lecithin, however 'soy lecithin' is usually tolerated unless anaphylaxic to soy)
Ice cream: choose vegan icecream (again, if you're cutting soy, check for soy). Ben & Jerrys was a good one, or vegan maxi-bons

Specific alternatives

Soy sauce: Maggi Seasoning Sauce
Bread, it probably contains soy (soy flour).
You can find soy free bread at your woolies/coles if they have an on-site bakery. It's in the bakery section (not the bread isle), and you need to check ingredients every time, as they will use soy flour sometimes depending on what they have stocked. This is an easy fix to cutting back on soy (and it's cheap).
Vegan Pesto: barilla

Dinner ideas

Simple meat & veg
Pasta (without real cheese)
Tacos (without cheese/cream)
Chicken schnitzel
Gnocchi (chicken, coconut/oat cream, vegan pesto, mushrooms)
Risotto
BBQ/sausages

GP suggesting to cut even more? Egg +/- wheat?

Egg is hard, because that's a big source of protein.

Wheat is hard, because that's easy carbs.

I previously mentioned the importance of involving your healthcare provider, and I will reitterate again, it is crucial to seek support from a dietitian and GP, especially when you are considering eliminating wheat and eggs from your diet.

Here's some things on my supermarket list that are wheat & egg free too.