Allergies, Anaphylaxis, Eczema, Topical Steroid Withdrawal & Asthma

Top 10 Health Blogs 2022 Top 10 Health Blogs 2021 Free From Hero 2021 Top 10 Health Blogs 2020 Best Blogs Award 2020 20th in the Top 60 UK Health Blogs Best Free From Blog 2014
  • Home
  • About
    • In the news!
    • Advocate
    • Testimonials
  • Books
    • Anaphylaxis – The Essential Guide.
    • The Shape of Skin
  • TSW
  • Advertise
  • Discounts
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

20 tips for Cow’s milk dairy allergy in cafes

04/04/2023 by Ruth Holroyd Leave a Comment

Living with a dairy allergy means I’m not an expert in navigating possible exposure to airborne and the cross contamination from dairy in cafes and restaurants and I have come up with my top 20 tips for eating/drinking out with a dairy allergy SAFELY!

oat milk for dairy allergic

Staying safe with Dairy allergy in cafes – airborne and cross contamination

I’ve got a few things that I do on the regular to keep me safe from exposure to cow’s milk. Here are my tips and cautions for staying safe in cafes with a dairy allergy. Things to watch out for include:

  1. Ask about plant milks – Do they stock them and if so which types? Depending on your allergies, you might be able to have them.
  2. Check the brands and ingredients – If you’re not sure, ask to examine the carton.
  3. Tell them about your allergy – If you have an allergy, intolerance, coeliac disease, tell staff and explain what precautions are necessary.
  4. Dirty rag – if you see them using that filthy rag the wipe the spout with, ask them not to use it, to just make your coffee without using that frother spout
  5. Ask for a clean or no stirrer – They often reuse the stirrer too! Stirring every drink with the same one! They just pop it in a jug of water or something. Don’t risk it! Ask them not to stir yours.
  6. Ask for cold milk – Something about heating the milk causes a lot of cross contamination or chances for the wrong milk being used. It’s easier to see that it’s a different milk when it’s cold on the side. It’s either the frothing machine, or the jug used for frothing not being cleaned properly, but I’ve had so many near misses with this.
  7. Ask for milk in a jug on the side – this way if you’re not sure you can decide not to add it. If you didn’t see the brand, or couldn’t confirm what milk was used and check ingredients, doing this means you have a choice and can decide not to have it. Once it’s poured into your drink it’s very hard to tell the difference.
  8. Ask to pour the milk yourself – Some cafes will let me do this also, and that makes me feel super safe when I can check the ingredients, and see it in front of me.
  9. Herbal tea can be safer – You won’t need milk in it and you can see that’s safe
  10. Test some on your hand – If in doubt, rub some coffee or milk on the back of your hand and if you’ are allergic you should get hives pretty quickly. I’ve started to do this when I’m feeling wary or anxious. My instincts have been correct so it’s an extra safety procedure.
  11. Take your own milk – Get a small bottle and take a portion of your own milk, that way you can be 100% sure your drink is safe
  12. Sit far from the coffee making – If you can find a cafe with space so you can sit far away from where milk is frothed and becoming air borne, this will help.
  13. Sit outside if you can – Not great all year round but a really good option, it gets you far away from the milk vapours
  14. Find a cafe with good ventilation and a back door – This has been my 2023 game changer. My mum and I have found a cafe we can visit regularly that doesn’t trigger asthma for me. The ventilation that occurs when front and back doors are regularly opened means milk vapour doesn’t build up in there.
  15. Find vegan cafes – There will be NO cow’s milk vapour! I’ve managed to find a few now and it’s been such a relief to not have to worry about my dairy allergy. If you have other allergies, like soya and nuts you will still need to be careful but I don’t tell these vaporise in the same way.
  16. Get a takeout – Another option is to get takeout, be careful using all the tips above, but take your drink to a nearby park, bench etc. Avoids milk vapours and is something we regularly do.
  17. Send back milk you didn’t ask for – This really annoys me. When I ask for black coffee and tell them I’m allergic to dairy and STILL get some milk. Send it back, tell them you don’t want it as you’re allergic. Only by calling this out will people learn.
  18. Ask for tables to be cleaned – Milk spilt on tables can also be a problem. I recently got hives on my hand after milk was spilt by mistake and we had to act quick to wipe it up. Wash hands immediately if this happens and ask staff to clean up for you and remove everything to limit your exposure.
  19. Take wet wipes – so you can clean the table yourself
  20. Ask friends not to have milk – some of my friends join me with the oat milk so I know nothing on our table can cause me harm
  21. Take your own snacks – Go prepared so if others all get cake, pastries or cookies, you have something safe to eat!
  22. Say ‘Cow’s milk allergy‘ – saying dairy allergy doesn’t always make sense to some people. Using the most clear language can really help with communication.
  23. Carry an Equal Eats allergy dietary card – I always carry mine, they’re so useful and you can show to staff to help with communication. Visit Equal Eats to order your cards! And use code WHATALLERGY for 10% off.

I hope some of these help you guys and would love to hear your tips too.

How to order safe tea or coffee with a dairy allergy

This is what I say, “I have a very serious dairy and nut allergy, please can you make my drink black, don’t stir it and just hand it to me please?”

Just be really clear and concise, tell them what you’re allergic to, ask them to take care, show you labels and use clean utensils etc.

Cafes pose so many potential risks for people with dairy allergy

I really think cafes are unsafe for people with allergies, especially to cow’s milk allergy, unless you are very careful and take the precautions above. If you just order an oat milk latte there is so much that could go wrong!

Stay safe from milk allergy in your local cafe please!

Anyway I hope this helps. Stay safe, always check and ask and don’t risk it if you’re not 100% sure, didn’t see them pour your oat milk etc. Visit the Anaphylaxis UK website for their Milk Allergy Fact Sheet.

Do you have problems in cafes too? Do they make you wheeze? What do you do to keep safe?

You may also be interested in reading:

  • Dairy allergy ate buttermilk by mistake and nothing happened
  • Vegan and dairy free calcium sources
  • Roundup of oat milks in the UK

Related posts:

Who doesn't love a topless hunk but really? This product is for people with health issuesA2 milk unsafe for dairy allergies Hedgehogs are allergic to cows milk too! milkIs lab made milk safe for dairy allergies?

Filed Under: Allergies, Anaphylaxis, Eating Out Tagged With: air borne milk allergy, air borne milk vapour, allergic to milk vapour in cafe, dairy allergy, dairy allergy in cafes, milk allergy in cafes, wheezing in cafes

About Ruth Holroyd

Author of 'Anaphylaxis: The Essential Guide: An Action Plan For Living With Life-Threatening Allergies' and 'The Shape of Skin, both available as paperback or Kindle on Amazon. Ruth is a Writer, Blogger and Patient Expert in allergies, asthma, anaphylaxis, eczema and topical steroid withdrawal.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome to my blog!

https://whatallergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMG_2853.mp4

Hello, I’m Ruth, author and blogger

Ruth

 

Hi I'm Ruth. I've grown up with eczema and multiple life-threatening allergies and collected more as I've got older.  It started with a peanut allergy and now I'm allergic to milk, wheat, soya and many more. In this blog I share tips, advice and things I've learnt living with allergies, asthma and eczema with a focus on topical steroid withdrawal. You can buy my books, which are brilliant by the way! The first is Anaphylaxis: The essential guide and the second, The Shape of Skin, healing poems for eczema and sensitive skin. The reviews speak for themselves. If you want to chat you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (links below). Do get in touch. And please comment on blogs, it makes a humble blogger do a little happy dance!

Subscribe today for Free Resources

Share and Connect

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Allergies Anaphylaxis Asthma Awards Coeliac Cold Sores Cooking Digestion Eating Out Eczema FreeFrom Awards Hay Fever Indoor Allergies Industry News Mental Health Natural remedies Nutrition Poetry Product Review Rant Recipes Restaurant Review Skin care Topical Steroid Withdrawal Travelling Vegan

The Shape of Skin – poetry for eczema

The Shape of Skin poetry for eczemaThe Shape of Skin

Strange, striking and sensitive poems for people with eczema, psoriasis, topical steroid withdrawal and troubled skin.

Readers comments include: "Powerful, relatable, Absolutely bloody fantastic (pun intended)..."

Buy it now on Amazon

Buy ‘The Anaphylaxis Guide’ Now

Anaphylaxis - the essential guideAnaphylaxis - The Essential Guide. An action plan for living with life threatening allergies.

"This book is such a great wealth of information and a delight to read! A must read for anyone with allergies or connected to an allergy sufferer. Congratulations!" Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, Natasha Foundation

Find out more

get help - in distress?

Pollen Free Flowers and Plants

Read my blog, "Allergen and pollen free, artificial plants for your home"Faux la fleur artificial pollen free plants

Please Review my book on Goodreads

Ruth Holroyd's books on Goodreads
The Reluctant Allergy Expert: How to kill the fear that anaphylaxis could kill you The Reluctant Allergy Expert: How to kill the fear that anaphylaxis could kill you
reviews: 3
ratings: 3 (avg rating 5.00)

Get Free Resources

Get Free Resources

  • Food, Mood and Symptoms Diary
  • Topical Steroid Withdrawal handout for doctors
  • Anaphylaxis Action Plan
  • 50 x Food Real Challenge
  • Eat the Rainbow Food Challenge
  • More coming soon!

Click here to Subscribe and you'll receive a link to download!

Follow What Allergy on TikTok

For even more hilarious content, check out my new TikTok account

tiktok logo

Chocolate, cake mixes & more – Top14 Free

Read my product review for Gnawbles, like Maltesers and Ferrero Rocher rolled into one.

Gnawbles freefrom top 14 allergens

Use Coupon Code WHATALLERGY10 FOR 10% OFF everything you buy!

Natural skincare for Eczema / TSW

Balmonds Natural SkincareBalmonds Natural Skincare - Use code: WHATALLERGY for 20% off

Testimonials

Find out why people love this blog!

“I think your blog is fab – I send it to everyone who has skin problems and allergies.” 
Sarah

Read more testimonials here.

Archives – Find old blog posts

Mental Health

Set intentions not resolutions for 2024

Why do we think eczema is ugly?

OMG! Me in a film on eczema and mental health

Eating Out

My coffee shop allergy – reacting to milk vapour?

Coeliacs and Vegans have it easy

Milk and wheat allergen free fish and chips

Asthma

Do you need Health Insurance for Allergies & Asthma?

Did Covid cause asthma and eczema flare?

What if you couldn’t have your Ventolin inhaler?

Copyright © 2025 · Terms Of Use · Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · [footer_Privacy_Policy #"privacy policy"] Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in