I need dairy free advice please!

[rubato]

My 10 year old son is going to be dairy free for our trip next month. We are brand new to this lifestyle (working on day 2). I know that the chefs are great and will work around his limitations. What I would like to know is how tasty is everything? He is so upset about this because he LOVES milk and cheese and ice cream. We bought some Silk chocolate milk and he thinks it's gross. I have been researching and found out which milk alternatives I'm going to buy this week that aren't as sweet. He was really looking forward to the ice cream Mickey bars and the endless milkshake at WCC. I know they have rice dream (or whatever name it is, sorry), but does it taste any good? Is he going to have good tasting, fun options for snacks and CS? I'm joining him in the dairy free lifestyle, but I'm an adult and easily adaptable.

Thanks to anyone with experience and advice!

 

[chell]

Sorry that I have no clue on that stuff but wanted to say that I feel his pain. I just found out recently that I have Celiac Disease so I can't have gluten. It is difficult to adjust when you are used to stuff. And it really sucks to have a trip to WDW planned and you have all these wonderful things in your head that you are looking forward to then you find out you can't have them anymore. Give him a from me. And one to you too!

Have you contacted the Special Diet department yet? They make it SO easy! They will make sure he gets great tasting foods! They have allergy-free chicken tenders. I don't know how they taste yet, but I'm planning on trying them on our trip.

 

[snorris49]

I'm Dairy free and Gluten Free and have had a great time at Disney World! They are so accommodating. I know it can be hard to make that transition to dairy free and finding things that you like, but once you get past the cravings (the first few weeks are the hardest) it will get easier. I've been GF/CF for about a year now and I still struggle, but you get through it.

I know that not having certain disney treats is hard (darn I miss those rice crispy treats of all things!), but there are many treats you can have. Itzakadoozie bars are dairy free and awesome! They sell those at most ice cream carts. There are also strawberry bars, etc. and I'm pretty sure those are dairy free too. (not sure on GF).

I've had amazing chocolatey desserts that are Gluten and dairy free at Crystal Palace (with Rice Dream ice cream).

Definitely email Brenda Bennett at special diets so you can get an idea of things available. Fill out the allergy form and contact restaurants if you need to. The chefs are all so accommodating and friendly. In fact, at Jiko I had a special menu made for my dietary restrictions!

As far as milk alternatives, for what it's worth, i like So Delicious Coconut Milk (found in the refrigerator section of your grocery store, or health food area) It's awesome. It's a little sweet, but not as sweet as you might think coconut milk is. It's the closest texture and taste to regular milk. The coconut milk ice cream is amazing. It's the same texture as regular milk ice cream. (Rice dream can be kind of more sorbet like..the texture is strange) Coconut milk doesn't have much of an after taste, unlike rice milk which I find has a significant after taste...yuck don't like eating cereal with it. It's great for baking, but not just plain (imo)....

Good luck! I hope you are able to find great things...at WDW I'm sure you will have success! They were great for me!
Let us know how it goes...

 

[MrRay]

I'm dairy free and have always had great experiences. Most places with have either Rice Dreams ice cream or tofutti. I personally prefer the tofutti as the rice dream has a very clear ricey aftertaste. You can expect to find basic flavors mostly. Vanilla and Chocolate probably at the most. Honestly either vanilla rice dream or tofutti doesn't taste like vanilla ice cream. That's something you just have to learn to accept and then you can enjoy eating something close to ice cream.

I get sundaes made with the vanilla tofutti and peanut butter sauce and its great. They also have dairy free brownies around a lot of places, just ask for them, and those are very tasty too.

So it won't be the same as he's used to but it really is ok and should never feel like he is left out.

 

[MrRay]

Oh and at home I prefer eating Double Rainbow Soy Cream. They have a lot of flavors like mint chocolate chip.

I also prefer using Trader Joe's unsweetened soy milk in my cereal. It does have a little bit of a soy aftertaste if you just drink it straight though.

 

[rubato]

Thanks for your responses. I did try to contact Brenda Bennett and she forwarded me to another area. I am calling today to put the info on my ressies.

We had a very informative weekend. He is learning to cope with this new lifestyle. He gets upset when he can't have something, but he's already feeling so much better. I am thinking that, since he is 10, I will give him the option of having dairy on Christmas day because he's complaining about that. He will probably feel horrible and will have learned his lesson.

 

[chell]

So glad you are learning so much so quickly. It is amazing how quickly he is starting to feel better. Are there any allergy support groups in your area?

If it will make him feel any better tell him that I am 36 years old and I still get frustrated over not being able to have things. Today we had our Christmas snacking day at work and the only things I could eat were the things I brought. There were so many things that looked great but I couldn't have any of them. **sigh** Tell him he isn't alone. It isn't easy. We simply have to learn to deal with it and live with it. That may sound cold but I don't mean it to. We have to find ways to cope with it. We have to find the ways that work best for us. For me it is reminding myself of the damage the "bad foods" do to my body and of the pain they put me in, even the smallest amounts. Maybe the Christmas thing isn't such a bad idea as long as he isn't at risk of going into anaphylactic shock from it.

s to you both!

 

[turkeymama]

My daughter is 9 and she still has her dairy allergy. Walt Disney World is where she can eat like a normal kid. The dairy-free brownies at Crystal Palace are wonderful. The chef usually serves it with a scoop of Tofutti on the side with some sprinkles. It was every bit as good as a regular brownie with ice cream. And on a side-note, DD drinks Silk soy milk (plain) with Hershey's syrup mixed in. As a matter of fact, DS5 isn't on a restricted diet, but he prefers the soy milk over dairy milk. We have found the soy milk is much tastier when we add our own flavor. Plus, I cook with the Soy milk too, so I have never bought the flavored.

Most of the chefs can accommodate the dairy-free foods pretty easily and DD has never gone without while we were there. Her favorite thing to get is the Mickey waffles. Even the CS locations can usually accommodate that request.

He'll have plenty of options for TS and CS as long as he isn't a real picky eater. DD has been dealing with this all her life so she has learned to try lots of different foods. Snacks will probably be your biggest challenge. To counter that, we take plenty of safe snacks in a backpack into the parks. I have a Mickey-head cookie cutter and I make rice krispy treats (dairy-free) to take with us. That helps DD a lot.

 

[Kat77]

Dairy free Mickey bars would be easy enough to make with soy ice cream, d-f chocolate chips and a mickey cookie cutter- I wonder if you could prearrange one being ready made with a chef? We've never had diet mods so I do not know just how accommodating Disney will get but it sounds like a wonderful idea for them to offer regularly!

I'm inspired to try it out for fun now. Maybe I'll make some this week for my nephew who has never had a Mickey Bar due to severe allergies... goody!

 

[snorris49]

Dairy free Mickey bars would be easy enough to make with soy ice cream, d-f chocolate chips and a mickey cookie cutter-

What a good idea! You could make them at home! I bet you could ask the chefs at WDW about it; I know a lot of them like doing something different and they are always so accommodating to dietary restrictions.

You'll have to let us know if you make them or go to WDW and get some made...

 

[we3are1]

Yes we know the feeling - we are caseine free (dairy and whey). My son (9) has adapted very well to the rice milk but the almond milk is good too. He alsoe loves the rice ice cream - the mudd pie flavored one. He also like the italian ice cream that has no dairy in it - lemon flavored. There is a group on yahoo that can help a lot with recipes and items to purchase. Trader Joes is a great place to look. Good luck! Feel free to contact me if I can help in any way.