Needed: Help with Food Advice for Very Selective Child with Food Allergies.

My son also had food allergies, milk, strawberries, eggs, and any kind of nuts. We were told this, when he was 1, since them he has outgrown everything but the peanuts, we took him to Childrens Hospital at Bham, where they did tests on him, I suggest that you might look into this.

Kelly,

It sounds like you have so much time on your hands, what do you do with it all? HA! My son has dairy and egg allergies. As an aside, I know a young boy who just grew out of his nut allergy at the age of five, so there is hope for the future!

Anyway, we give our son Lactose Intolerance Therapy, which is a fancy way of saying that we give him DIGESTIVE ADVANTAGE tablets from Wal-Mart (two daily) to help him digest dairy. They work perfectly!!! He has dairy whenever he wants after taking the pills. They are for children 3 and over. He had just turned three, when we started giving them to him.

As for eggs, we use an egg substitute that I purchase at a health food store, I have heard that you can get the same one from Wal-Mart. It is called EGG REPLACER by ENER G. It is in a powder form and we use it in all muffins, cookies, cakes, etc...It literally tastes the same as using eggs! I have found that brownies and french toast don't work as well, but everything else does! Just get muffins that you add eggs to and add the egg replacer and your good to go! Of course, since your son also has a wheat allergy, this may be an added difficulty, so I recommend that you contact your health food store for other options if needed. I feel your pain! Good luck!

K.
mother of three kids age four and under

have you tried finger foods such as vienna sausages and such ?

There's the brand Orgran, which sells No Egg, which is wheat-, nut-, and dairy-free. It's good for pancakes, French toast and baking (see below about wheat-free), as long as the recipe doesn't call for a large percentage of eggs for its ingredients (it won't create the volume that you need in that case; it just provides the binding quality of eggs).

Some soy and rice milks are really good (I prefer them over cow's milk). Some are chalky. You'll just need to try out a few brands till you find one that you like. It's not a matter of finding what comes closest to the dairy flavor; soy doesn't try to taste like cow's milk. It's its own thing, more of a clean, nutty flavor. It's more a matter of finding one that you like in its own right.

As for wheat, you'll find at the health food stores that there are plenty of wheat- and gluten-free breads, pancake mixes, other baking mixes, and other products. There are also various types of flour that you can experiment with if you like to cook and bake, and/or just want to make your own cheaper versions of these ready-made products.

Little kids might reject a food over and over again, and one day decide to try it. If they can't relate it to some other taste experience that they're familiar with, they might not like it the first time they try it. This doesn't mean they'll never like it, or won't like it next week. It's a survival trait - prevents poisoning or other illness. Their bodies are testing it out just a little at a time. Later, they might try it and something in them says, "oh, I know this thing. It's safe because I didn't get sick the last time I had it." So just keep offering lots of variety. That's healthy for them, anyway!

Oh - but don't become a short-order cook. That becomes a power play for kids. You can ask him in advance what sorts of things he wants, and go with that, but if he changes his mind and refuses it when you set it down for him, don't go get him something else. The idea is that they have to eat what you offer them, or else they'll have to wait till snack-time later. If you offer him lots of very healthy things on his plate, he'll eat enough of what he does like in order to fill up, or even if he doesn't eat as much as you'd like to see him eat, at least he's got lots of nutrient-dense foods in his body to keep him going till snack time (where you feed him really healthy snacks, too. If he thinks of them as snacks, given to him away from the food fight at the table, it's easier to slip in lots of healthy things, which will balance out a barely-touched "actual meal"; it's not at all about what he eats at the table only).

Good luck!
L.

I had a friend that had a child that was allergic to about the same things. She would just try buying various snacks and foods that the child would be able to eat and let her choose. When a child has choices it makes it so much easier. Good luck..!

Hi, K., while I don't have the same problem with food allergies (we had our children allergy tested d/t sinus allergies and wanted to rule out food as an allergy), we had problems with eczema. I wish I had known then what I know now about how important it is to use good skin care products & the difference it would make, but I didn't know about this product line, even though it has been around for 28 years! I'm a pharmacist,but would rather prevent problems than have to medicate. If you would like info. about the pure & safe products i'm referring to, please let me know! No pressure, I promise! Since anything that goes on the skin can be absorbed, it might make a difference for your child & even you! It's definitely improved our overall health. Hope to talk soon! God bless,
A.

Hello,
My child, now 7, is also allergic to wheat, gluten, dairy and eggs. One of my favorite products is Arrowhead Mills Gluten free all purpose baking mix. We make really quick muffins with just the mix, mashed bananas and apple sauce (occasionally we put in a bit of vanilla and grapeseed oil) I'm guessing about a cup of mix to one mashed banana and one small container or apple sauce (we never measure). Bake about 20 minutes in muffin tins at about 375 or so. It's easy and quite delicious- the whole family eats them. We use the same mix with only apple sauce or sweet potatoes baby food and grapeseed oil added to make waffles and pancakes. Arrowhead Mills also makes a gluten free pizza crust mix- we make pizza with just pizza sauce and fresh garlic on it) Sometimes we add a bit of soy cheese, but try not to overdo it as my child is sensitive to soy. We have yet to find a rice cheese that does not contain casein (from cows milk) Another good snack is hummus with rice crackers, Rice Checks or veggies to dip (but at 2 some veggies raw would be a choking risk) We make lots of beans (all kinds) and brown rice, lentils and quinoa.
We buy locally, of course, all the fresh food, fish, turkey, chicken to bake- you probably already know- most of the chick nugget type foods contain either wheat, milk or eggs- sometimes all) Anyway, we don't have a health food grocery store locally so we often order in bulk fron glutenfree mall or Amazon for breads, hotdog buns etc. Over the years we've tried LOTS of brands. Here are a few we like:
- EnerGt Brown Rice Loaf (better toasted)
- EnerGt Rice Pizza Shells 6"
- EnerGt Hot dog buns
- Applegate Farms Turkey hotdogs
- Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas- great for bean
burritos
- Penne Brown Rice pasta (can't think of brands at the
moment
Glutano makes a few cookies that are dairy, egg, gluten and nut free- we like the strawberry and the vanilla sandwich cookies- we take these to birthday parties if I don't have time to make muffins.
Sometimes for breakfast we have shredded potatoes ( a frozen brand with only ingredient potatoes). I saute garlic in grapeseed oil, add natural gluten free turkey lunch meat chopped up and the shredded potatoes- our hashbrowns. The whole family loves it.
Don't know if your child can have spelt- mine can't, contains gluten, but Natural Berlin bakery on line has wonderful spelt bread and products.
I just want to encourage you- there are so many options out there that my child never seems to mind- as long as I'm prepared at parties, visits to friends and family, etc. Blessings, RG

i'm not sure if you have heard of wildtree - but it is a company created by a single mom whose family had severe allergies, adhd (but couldn't take meds), juvenile diabetes and more! needless to say - cooking was a nightmare!! she started making her own concoctions as the usual store bought ones were literally deadly!! pretty soon - everyone wanted to buy them from her so she started selling it!! she fully discloses all the ingredients and her products have no msg, food dyes, additives, preservatives, limited sodium and sugar and over 100 products without gluten and all without nuts!! i have a document that lists all the products and which allergens are in them - an easy way to shop!! and many products are cheaper than in the store b/c you need less of it to cook! please let me know if i can help with any further info - www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com
take care
J.
ps - also check out the book - balancing the bowl

I have two children with allergies to foods, and picky eating has made that even more fun. When we could not do peanut butter, we did refried beans or soy butter. We still use soy milk for the dairy allergies, and pasta for the rice allergy, and offer a variety of healthy foods like carrots, celery, raisins, etc. for snacks. We did let them eat their favorite foods as often as they liked when they were being so picky, cause finding alternatives was not always easy (for mama)!

Hi K.,

I have children with wheat allergies and dairy allergies, and a type 1 diabetic, so dietary challenges are familiar territory at our house!! Toddlers are notoriously picky anyhow...I would love to help you find some food options for your son. What type of things does he eat now? That would help me in suggesting options.

Also, a great website for kids with food allergies is www.gfcfdiet.com. Although it primarily targets gluten-and casein-free, it does usually include information on other allergens.

Best wishes!

Hello Kelly, I myself had a huge list of food and other allergies. It is very hard to deal with as a kid, and for my parents. Everyone can eat those things and you can't. Just do your best on the diet, consult with your doctor. And just be there for son its gonna be hard for him to understand but its best. I know what both of you are going through. Try not to get to frustrated the good news is I out grew most of my allergies! Best of luck

Well, its surely a challenge! You should basically focus on providing meals that balance two food groups, namely carbs and proteins. I would say, the following could fit your requirements:

Carbohydrates:
rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, peas, chickpeas, quinoa
use oat & barley flour instead of wheat flour
use rice or soy milk instead of cow's milk
bananas

Proteins:
fish, chicken/turkey, lentils, tofu, quinoa

Others:
all vegetables, especially: broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, string beans, tomatoes, onions,
all fruits, especially: oranges, apples, raisins
try sprouting some lentils
honey (it strengthens your immunity against allergens)

Breakfast:
1. oatmeal or corn flakes + soy milk + mashed bananas & strawberries.
2. oat/rice flour pancakes made with soy/rice milk + bananas/strawberries + honey.

Lunch or dinner:
1. rice + ground chicken/turkey recipe + veggies
2. quinoa + seafood + veggies
3. sweet potato/corn/peas + tofu/lentils
4. rice pasta with meatballs in pasta sauce

Snacks:
sweet potato fries (baked, not fried)
corn tortilla chips with tomoato salsa
bananas, apples & oranges with soy yoghurt

At your local ethnic Indian/Mexican store you can find rice/lentils and rice/barley/lentils flour

I hope these combos help.
S.

You might try a book called "Feast Without Yeast." It's a book dedicated to helping people such as yourself. Loaded with recipes, there is also a sequel to it with even more recipes. We started it recently.

It has a page or two that tells you which recipes kids love that are included in the book, here are a some of the suggestions: hash browns, dilled potatoes, potato latkes (without wheat or eggs), hot beans, tomato beans, bean burgers. Dressings such as cucumber dressing, pizza tomato sauce, hummus. Rice: zucchini tomato fried rice, rice burgers, rice-ta-touille, thanksgiving stuffing. Sweets: hot lemonade, oatmeal cookies, pumpkin cake, honey butter cream frosting. Garden Lasagna, Roasted Chicken with Herbs, Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs.

The book uses mainly veal or lamb, but suggests lean meats. Lots of beans, teaches you how to make them without giving so much gas.

There's also a book called "Higher Choices" by Janet Lasky. She has a great variety of recipes that are practical, but she likes to bake everything in the oven. I don't know how much time you have. You can check this book out from the library in OKC.

What I've been doing for my son recently is making lots of things with brown rice baking mix, such as pancakes, muffins, etc. I also found that Hodgsen Mill Golden Milled Flax Seed says on the box that it can be a substitute for eggs. You use 1 tbsp of flax seed and 3 tbsp of water and it foams up and it works great! Both books suggest using sweet potatoes, like french fries and even into pies using soy or rice milk. Then, also berries galore.

I hope this has been a help to you. I am always searching for ideas for my son also. You might even look into some of the kosher recipes online and see what you can find there. If you have any other questions please e-mail me at ____@____.com

Smiles,
E. :)

My son is allergic to milk, nuts, fish and shell fish..so I feel your pain. You can buy flour that is wheat free and use an egg substitute in the recipe (apricot paste is wonderful!)to make him homemade bread. My little boy loves hamburgers and hot dogs, not the most nutritious but as long as he is eating, you can give him vitamins to make up for anything that he is not getting in his diet. Soy milk is wonderful and you can cook with it, we love to have breakfast for dinner and when we do I make him soy milk gravy and biscuits and add a little crumbled sausage to jazz it up a little. He may end up eating a lot of the same foods over and over again all of the time, but hey at 2 years old repetition is their favorite thing, right? My son is 2 also and will be 3 in September, we have been aware of his food allergies since he was about 4 months old, he was allergic to eggs in the beginning but has outgrown that on, so there is some light at the end of the tunnel I promise! Feel free to contact me if you would like to talk some more about the different food options!