food allergies?

[MamaBee]

Oh, I don't know how some of you do it... I've often thought I was allergic to wheat since if I mostly gluten free, I find that my headaches and skin rashes go away... so that restriction was only inflicted on me and if we go out for burgers, me going bun less wasn't an issue...

Now comes in short stack aka the kid... at the end of July, we have him tested for allergies and food sensitivities because he just doesn't seem to be "processing" the food like he should, if you know what I mean... and sure enough, he is allergic to Wheat, Apples, Carrots, and Peanuts.... okay, outside that these foods were the main core of his lunches and that Apples are his most favorite food on the planet... we can get along without that... and hubby and I were planning on for the month of September to do the Paleo/Whole Food diet... cool, right?

Well, we find out earlier this week that Kiddo is also highly sensitive to Coconut, egg yolk and Wheat (again)... and if you are familiar with gluten free diets, coconut is everywhere (plus I only cook with coconut oil) as is eating eggs... needless to say, going grocery shopping today was long and exhausting.

How do your families cope with food allergies and sensitivities? I hate to have to make two separate meals... I'm more of a "everyone eats whats on the table - this isn't a restaurant" type of mom... haha... for the sensitive foods, J can't have them for 3 months and then we go to a rotation diet where he can get the item every four days or so... at least there is only 3 of us in the house...

Are there any favorite recipes/blogs that you follow?

[Libby Pritchett]

Wow, I have no advice for you, but that must be so overwhelming! I'll be praying that it gets easier for you guys! Are the allergies/sensitivities something that he may grow out of, or is this something that he'll deal with forever?

[scrap2day]

I'm only dealing with gluten free right now so please double check all of these items to make sure they work with what you are needing to avoid.

I like Udi's for gluten free. You can check the ingredients on their site. I think the bread I use has egg whites so if he can't have egg whites this won't work. They also have recipes on the site.

I like the Purdue Simply Smart gluten free breaded chicken breast tenders. Make sure you look for the ones marked Gluten Free, not all of the Simply Smart line are gluten free. I find these in the frozen foods section at Target. I use these as chicken fingers, cut up on salads, as the base for a chicken parm, etc. (Just wanted to suggest since it is an easy go to).


My best suggestion would also be to focus on what he can eat and go from there. What do you eat now and can you make substitutions?

rice, potatoes, meat, veggies -- if he can eat those, there are lots of meals you could put together.

You'll have to decide if you want/need to make two meals or if you will make one meal that serves all of the allergy needs.

Most meals here are gluten free with options (i.e. a rice dish will be made with gf tamari or plain, if you can eat wheat and would like to add soy sauce you can on your own plate; I make taco meat and fixings gf, those who can eat flour(wheat) tortillas can, otherwise it's usually corn shells). On pasta nights, I run two pots, one gf, one regular.

Because of issues of possible cross contamination, gluten free is usually served first. Oh, and if there is anyone in the house who does eat non-gf bread I highly recommend having two margarine/butter, nut butters, etc. and marking them to avoid cross contamination. My label maker and sharpie are my friends.

When I can, I try to limit the gluten choices in the house at all because it is easier if it is all GF. For instance, I find broths, cream soups, instant potatoes, etc. that are gf and that everyone likes and so that is all that is in the house. Also, I only bake gluten free so that is the only choice.

I know this is a book but if your little guy will be feeling much better it will be all worth it (hopefully none of his allergies are at the dangerous level). I'm so impressed with what you do with your sticky learnings, and homeschooling stuff, you can definitely do this!

[CA Dreamer]

As a household with food allergies and all kinds of sensitivities, you have my sympathies!!! Or is it "empathies"?!?!? It really sucks.

I agree with starting with the foods that you know are safe for your family and starting there. If potatoes and rice are safe, then you have a lot of options. ---Believe me, I know it doesn't FEEL like you have options at this point

(((hugs)))

[lingovise]

totally feelin' for you, Hun!!

my husband had a barley allergy for years, that slowly evolved into a life threatening allergy to gluten... and after he went into anaphylactic shock and nearly died two years ago, we have to be extremely careful. the real problem with gluten [like peanuts/treenuts] is that it is in almost everything/anything that is processed/pre-prepared. granted there are far more options now, than there were two years ago. but cross contamination is a huge issue for us, making it more difficult, as not all gluten free products are produced in truly "gluten free" plants. in the end we completely changed our entire approach to food and how we eat. it didn't happen overnight and it required lots of research. but after a few more horrific food related scares, we are now gluten free vegan. we primarily only eat whole foods and the few things that aren't, are prepared by us. we avoid most oils and don't use much, if any coconut related items. people often tell us how "hard" that must be... and at times, it can be a challenge. but it sure as heck beats the alternative [!!] and is working really well for us.

luckily there is an abundance of information available on the internet and would recommend reading all of it. hopefully, since he's little, he may still grow out of some of the allergies [though wheat/peanut are unlikely to change]. a change in grocery stores can also ease the burden, especially in the beginning. do you have access to a Whole Foods where you live? i have found they offer the largest variety of specialized options in our area.

[rach3975]

I don't have any good advice, but lots of sympathy! If your family is anything like mine, it's hard enough to feed everyone even without figuring in allergies and sensitivities! I'm sure you can do it though, and it'll all be worth it when he's feeling better.

[MamaBee]

Aww... thanks for the votes of confidence and sympathies! Luckily kiddos allergies aren't life threatening ones... he is only at level 2 of 5 (except for carrots, which are a level 3)... however his ENT doc said that they could get worse or they could go way if we remove them from his diet... he will need to be tested again in a year.

The hardest is that people don't understand how someone can be allergic to apples or carrots... peanuts and wheat they understand - the others really throw them for a loop... Jake has been taking this news like a champ - we were at Sam's Club today and they were giving out pizza samples... it was lunch and he was hungry... I told him that he can't have something because it has wheat and he is cool with that... I'm just amazed at his maturity about this - he is only 6!

[lovely1m]

I am sorry. That seems overwhelming to figure out. I do have to say, I personally make 2 meals the majority of the time. Yes, for 2 people it does seem ridiculous to most people, but it makes life easier for us. I eat strange food that most 6 year olds would not be into and I am a vegetarian, so I just make two meals to make life easier for us all. Good luck figure it all out!

[~Cindy~]

My husband is allergic to beef and pork. Cole (4 year old son) and I both have milk allergies. I have found for Cole and I that as long as we don't over do the milk and drink 2% we are okay. I just cut out all beef and pork from our diet when Scott started having issues with it. That was before Cole so he doesn't even know the difference. Now he does refuse to eat things and he then doesn't get anything until breakfast.

My nephew was allergic to milk, eggs, and carrots.

[Tronesia]

My daughter is allergic to tree nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds...) so it is not as bad for us to avoid all of those. I know it must be hard especially avoiding wheat. A blogger I follow has a son allergic to wheat and she packs ALL of his meals wherever he goes. The daycare had given him pancakes one morning (even though she feeds him before leaving home) and he had a bad reaction to the wheat. It is things like that which scare me about food allergies with foods that are so common. I think the kids start to adjust much quicker than the adults. Hope you all can find an easy way for your family to adjust and keep your little guy safe.

[lauren grier]

I haven't read the other replies. But I Assure you it does get easier. I 100% sympathize with the coconut stuff because well I have anaphylactic reactions to the devil plant lol. I was also paleo for a while and Connor was gluten free due to his (and my ) wheat insensitivites. You figure out what works for you and your family and you just go for it. I am 110% against making multiple meals and I just find what works for everyone. ( I also have a tree nut allergy so I understand the peanut thing too.) it's overwhelming at first. But it eventually balances out. The bonus now of course is that to Internet overfloweth with blogs chuck full of recipes and ideas lol. It will be ok. You will figure it out. Kiddo used to be allergic to milk gluten and rice coupled with my coconut and. Tree nut allergies just. No. Frustration abound !! But we for through it and so shall you. I promise. Once you get into a routine it's easy peasy and you'll be like pssht what was I worried about !!

[coopert]

My husband and I have eaten mostly paleo for the last year, but I am wanting to get my kids off of gluten as well. So I am working a lot on our menus at the moment, and trying to figure out how I am going to get them to eat more veges. So I feel your pain. A few good websites that I love are http://paleoparents.com/ and Sarah Fragoso's cookbooks are my favorite http://everydaypaleo.com/. If you look up paleo lunches on pinterest there are a lot of ideas there, but since you homeschool you can probably get away with leftovers or other hot meals for lunch. I love coconut oil but have been getting bored with it lately, so have been using olive oil and some Kerry Gold Butter.

Also I am taking eggs out of my diet this week, which will be interesting, since I eat them almost every day. This morning I made a ground pork and squash hash and added some spinach. It was delicious and I'm hoping it will last for a few days of breakfast. I will make a pot roast in a few days, so will put together another hash with maybe sweet potatoes, bell peppers and mexican spices. I am also going to start making a pot of chicken and vegetable soup every week, to have on hand for lunches. You do have to be creative, and it is more work in the kitchen, but almost always more flavorful and delicious.

I have stopped getting pizza for the kids, but will probably start buying the Udi's pizza crust for them to have once a week.

You can do it. And it will so nice when you all are feeling healthy.

[LeeAndra]

We 'only' have to deal with GF stuff around here, but I just wanted to encourage you that you can do this! Since you've been GF for awhile, you already know abt label reading, making from scratch, etc. so I think you'll be just fine. Once you figure out what has those other things in it, you can make yourself a list/spreadsheet and start doing more substitutions. I know it's such a pain, but I like to think making all of our meals at home has made me a better cook and provided my family with more nutritious food than they would have gotten if we ate out or used convenience foods. It's also been fun to have DD help me cook, set the table, do the dishes, etc. and spend quality time with her + teach her valuable life skills + show her that everyone pitches in as part of our family.

For what it's worth, I make all of our family meals GF and have done so for the last 3 ish years, and I have never cooked with coconut and rarely cook or make egg things.