non-dairy/non-egg/non-nut protein sources for elimination diet

[aiea]

Hi everyone,

Has anyone done an elimination diet to minimize "colic" due to breastfeeding? I mean when the mom eats a trigger food and then it causes digestive pain in the infant. From what I have read, I need to eliminate wheat, eggs, nuts and dairy for 2-4 weeks at least, and then introduce one at a time into my diet. Trouble is, I am vegetarian and all my protein sources are eggs, nuts or dairy.

Some background -

I am expecting DD2 in April. We had severe digestive problems with DD1 (otherwise known as colic) for the first 5 months or so. I am planning to lessen/avoid this problem with DD2, should it arise.

I have a long list of supplements for reflux, digestive enzymes, probiotics etc, in case we can determine she'll need any of it. But the first and most important thing (to me) is to eliminate any of the trigger foods by starting an elimination diet late in pregnancy and continuing it as needed.

[thepeach80]

For most people, the main problem is just soy and dairy. Those are the most common followed be eggs and wheat IME. I'm supposed to be dairy, soy, egg, and wheat free and having a heck of a time doing it (mostly b/c I need to wait till DH gets paid so I can get some food that fits that). This is based on history though, my last 2 were milk, soy, egg, and wheat, and I ended up on the total elimination diet w/ Evan. If you want to eliminate those things, go for it, but I would never want to eliminate more than I needed to b/c it's hard enough eliminating what I have to! You're going to need to eat beans, lots of beans. lol Black bean burgers, hummus, rice and beans, refried beans, etc. There's lots you can g do w/ chickpeas. You might google or even search here for vegan recipes, there's lots of vegans here that can help. Wheat has always been hardest for me, but I found that making bread at home in the breadmaker (gluten free) was yummy and I found some gluten free tortillas that weren't bad etc. Rice pasta, rice crackers, rice milk...

[inhomecare]

Beans, chickpeas, quinoa, brown rice, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, whole grain pastas, oats, spirulina, seaweed, pumpkin seeds, wheat berries...

[Healthy_Baby]

start with just dairy and soy,(use rice milk) and if nothing changes in 2-3 weeks then try eggs , then wheat and so on.

it's best not eliminate all at once - because then you'll be totally lost in the grocery! (been there )

this page is really helpful

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...nsitivity.html

"If your baby is highly [milk protein] allergic, it will be necessary to eliminate all sources of dairy proteins, which requires a careful reading of food labels. See the Hidden Dairy "Cheat Sheet" "

[aiea]

Originally Posted by Healthy_Baby

it's best not eliminate all at once - because then you'll be totally lost in the grocery! (been there )

So true!

Thanks ladies! Don't have to start the diet until the last month or so of pregnancy and I think I will cut dairy/soy first, then try to pare down as best I can. And in order of "most likely allergic/intolerant". Just for a funny twist it'll probably turn out that this babe has no colic whatsoever, so much for my planning in that case... though I'd be *incredibly* relieved!

I also googled some vegan sites and could only find quinoa and anything blue/green algae to add to my list. I am trying to stay away from beans, broccoli, gassy foods as well. I will take your ideas and hit the health food store with my 20% off coupon!

[leigh09]

My DD had a large number of food intolerances and here's some things I have learned from experiences cooking for her:

The cookbook "Cooking Free" by Carol Fenster is wonderful and I really recommend it if you are planning to go off of wheat, dairy, and eggs. I use it a lot to cook for DD

If you are looking for higher-fat non-dairy products, goats milk is sometimes easier tolerated than cow's milk. DD has no problem with goat's milk, cheese, or yogurt. Cow's dairy does some nasty things.

I was also surpised that many alternative foods don't list milk in their ingredients lists, but list casein instead. Casein is a main protein in milk. (I thought I had found rice-based parmesan cheese, but then noticed the casein in the ingredients)

Good luck!

[peskyflylady]

Sorry to barge in here with a question, but I'm wondering with the next pregnancy when to start eliminating problem things from my diet. I had gestational diabetes and kept it under control by getting a huge amount of protein from milk and soy. In fact, I drank soy protein shakes regularly during the last trimester to keep from losing too much weight.

Lo and behold, I have a son who is milk and soy protein intolerant. I'm wondering if I caused it by overeating those things during pregnancy and how in the world I am going to manage during the next pregnancy if the only proteins I can have are from meat and eggs and vegetables?

If I were you, I would start with the most common offenders and work your way down from there. And it's tough reading food labels--I occasionally end up accidentally eating something that I didn't realize had something in it until my baby started acting up.

[thepeach80]

When and if you eliminate is up for debate. There's not much research to say that it does help and in some it just causes other intolerances. I've never eliminated while pg (bfing DR said I should now and I'm going to try, but I only have 3 wks left), but eliminate at birth. I only started w/ dairy w/ Evan and he was supplemented w/ supposedly safe hypo formula. He was the worst of my 3. I went dairy/soy free right away w/ Ilana and used rx formula to supplement and while she had more intolerances than my oldest (who we didn't even know had issues till 1), she outgrew them quicker and was milder than my 2nd. I will eliminate more this time at birth if I don't start this weekend and we'll use rx formula again to supplement (I have a hx of very low supply, but I'm already working on it this time) in hopes of avoiding issues later.

[aiea]

Originally Posted by peskyflylady

Sorry to barge in here with a question, but I'm wondering with the next pregnancy when to start eliminating problem things from my diet. I had gestational diabetes and kept it under control by getting a huge amount of protein from milk and soy. ...
Lo and behold, I have a son who is milk and soy protein intolerant.

Hi there,

I plan to start eliminating at least 2 weeks before my due date. I believe it takes 2 weeks for dairy to clear your system in prep for breastfeeding. Also, regarding the intolerances, they may disappear in your son. I read on Dr Sears site (I think... it was quite awhile ago) that infant intolerances and even allergies can be temporary and go away within the first year of life.

[leigh09]

peskyflylady: what about eating more beans & lentils during pregnancy? i am not vegetarian but simply don't like a lot of meat and often simply add a can of beans to spaghetti sauces or soups, or anything that many people would typically add ground beef/chicken to.

[jmmom]

Depending on your reasons for being vegetarian, would you consider adding meat to your diet while you're eliminating the other things? I know this may be controversial, but there is at least some research that indicates that some important nutrients can only be obtained from animal sources. If it's for ethical reasons, you could perhaps look into pastured beef, etc, if you were ok with that.

If not, I understand! Just wanted to throw it out there.

Quinoa is great.

[aiea]

Originally Posted by jmmom

Depending on your reasons for being vegetarian, would you consider adding meat to your diet while you're eliminating the other things?

That may have to be the fallback. Meat in general makes my stomach queasy (not to mention my psyche!) but I did have red meat once during this pregnancy for iron deficiency and it really pumped me up. I think I'll leave it in my back pocket in case nothing else seems to be filling up the menu.

[thepeach80]

I had a friend that added turkey back in her diet when she was having to eliminate a lot.