Egg-free, going dairy-free (and mostly soy-free) - need input!

[luminesce]

After about 2 months of keeping a food journal for DS (28 months) we're pretty sure it is dairy that is giving DS instant diaper rash. He is currently withholding (but at least pooping when we hold/comfort him) so it has been very difficult to figure out exactly what was causing the problem (poop is delayed a day or two coming out.) Enterolabs results came back showing a level of 19 for soy and 20 for casein at the same time we coorelated a bout of diaper rash with a trial of a little bit of butter on his pasta... so we finally think we've nailed it.

His reactions are delayed. He doesn't have any other symptoms other than instant and awful diaper rash and a teeny bit of mucous.

He seems to handle a little dairy in baked breads (though a baked casserole with a lot of milk and cheese caused an awful diaper rash.) He is still eating a (mostly) organic cereal bar (it is one of the few packaged products he eats) that has a little dry milk powder way down the list because it has never bothered him and it gives him 20% of calcium per day. Other than this bar, however, he and I are going on a dairy free diet. We're going soy-free other than soy lecithin and maybe a little soybean oil in a few baked products because they don't seem to bother him. I have since read that those products have very little protein in them so it makes sense now.

This has been a very confusing and difficult thing to sort out. I feel relieved that we know what direction to go but now I need some help! I, personally, have no problem going dairy-free (since I was mostly dairy free before I was pregnant) aside from getting enough fat in my diet (breastfeeding is sucking the weight from my bones!) - I'm more worried about meal preparation for DS. He is already thin. I know it is likely his build (I've always been extremely thin and so was DH as a kid.) but I still worry.

I need some help with food. DS won't touch anything green (except maybe a green pepper in something) with a ten foot pole! I have hidden broccoli in things but it seems to upset his GI tract. He likes orange things - sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots. He also loves breads/muffins/tortillas. Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches are a *daily* staple. We do eat meat but nothing red aside from the rare piece of venison. We eat a lot of chicken & turkey and rarely, pork. He likes apples, pears and bananas. He won't eat beans. He loved tomatoes until we had to stop them completely due to the acidity/poop holding issues (we're still not entirely sure he doesn't have an allergy to them but I think now it was mostly the dairy that we almost always ate with the tomato dishes.) He also likes potatoes, corn and pasta (both quinoa and regular pasta.)

DH and I have always had a somewhat simple diet; but for DS, we need to try some new things I think (though I'm also a little scared to introduce new things until we are sure we get this sorted out!) We definitely don't want to give him anything acidic like citrus fruits or berries.

Here are a few sample meals/snacks that we have been eating during this horribly restricted diet the past six weeks or so (we prepare most all of our food - no convenience items, preservatives, artificial colors/flavors, additives, etc.), we don't eat out and eat largely organic food. Any suggestions on how to mix this up more? Ideas for new foods (that are not very allergenic!) that we can introduce? Tips on how to get him to eat more green stuff?


Grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, pasta, peas (he might eat one pea!)

Turkey burgers, sweet potato fries, green beans (won't touch!), corn

Chicken noodle soup (carrots, onions, celery, chicken) and homemade bread

Plain pasta, chicken nuggets, steamed carrots, cauliflower, broccoli (eats only the carrots)

Roasted turkey w/yellow potatoes, baby carrots, onions, corn, pasta

Chicken & green peppers in a tortilla wrap, rice, steamed carrots

Turkey/apple/shredded carrot fingers, roasted yellow potato/sweet potato/carrot/red pepper/red onion tossed in oil/seasonings

Quinoa crusted chicken with mashed potatoes (made with rice milk and dairy-free, soy-free margarine) and alternative orange veggie

Hashbrowns with green peppers and turkey sausage

Oatmeal with sunbutter

Sunbutter and jelly on whole wheat bread

Homemade breads, various muffins (banana, pumpkin, apple, quinoa, we've even tried a lentil muffin that he'll eat once in a while.)

[kjbrown92]

Was the testing for intolerance or allergy?
Most intolerant people can't tolerate the lecithin or oil either. It's allergy people who are more likely to tolerate them.
You say he's still withholding, so he still has symptoms. Take out ALL the milk and soy, and see what you get. THEN after 2-3 weeks of completely dairy/soy free, see if he can tolerate the other things. Otherwise, you'll never know.

Did he get tested for anything else, or just for dairy/soy?

I have recipes on my blog: www.kathysrecipebox.com. Also go up to Resources, and there's an Allergy Recipe thread.

[kjbrown92]

Also since you're not sure about broccoli and tomato, I'd either keep them out or keep the food journal going until you figure it out. You want to give him a chance to heal by keeping anything that's bothering him out of his system.

Do you not eat pork or beef because you don't like it or just that you prefer the taste of chicken/turkey? Just curious because they're all healthy, depending where you get them from and how you prepare them, and you might want to open up your options if you're restricting them in other places.

[elanorh]

Keep an eye on the legumes - my dd's both react(ed) to all legumes, not just soy. So peas, green beans, dry beans, etc. also caused problems for them. Something to consider if symptoms persist after you've removed foods completely.

We used calcium OJ for the calcium source - same number of calories as milk, so once the girls were older, that's what they (and I) got with meals. I used to feel a little guilty about this, but having read here about arsenic in the rice milk, I feel a lot less guilty.

Green veggie options you haven't mentioned, that you could try:
cabbage
brussel sprouts
spinach (chard, etc.)
leaf lettuces
kholrabi (eat raw, like carrots)
green onions (raw or cooked, the stalk portions too)
asparagus
Other greens - mustard, kale, mache, etc.

....If you're eating mostly organic and/or locally grown, you may discover that some foods you thought you didn't like (say, spinach or cabbage) you might actually like a LOT. The flavor is totally different for fresh, locally grown foods. We had cabbage in our CSA package last week and it was divine raw (we made coleslaw with oil and vinegar). Dh has always thought he hated spinach, and discovered he liked it when I grew it in the garden last year.

allrecipes.com is a good place to look up recipes if you're unfamiliar with cooking a particular kind of food. You can do an advanced search to exclude dairy/soy/egg.

I just read Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter - she's an R.D. who specializes in children's nutrition, it's highly recommended in the field. You may want to read it, too (I wish I'd read it when dd1 was little, because we really worried about her weight with all her allergies, and I think I would have worried less).

You may all need to adjust some of the foods you eat, and branch out and be more adventurous - it will take time for a child your ds's age to decide he wants to try a new food. But having it on the table, and offered to him, and watching you and your spouse eating it and enjoying it, will lay a good groundwork for him to try it. dd2 just doesn't want to eat green veggies (ironic, since she spent much of her 2nd year of life eating dandelion greens out of the lawn ). We are having to be very careful to just keep offering. She will take things and let them sit on her plate, I've seen her take quick tastes and put it back. Eventually she'll come 'round, she sees the rest of us all enjoying our green veggies!

I agree that you may want/need to branch out into some more variety for meats -- lamb is pretty easy to find in organic form - similar to venison for cooking/flavor, IMO.

Some other veggies you may not have tried, but may find you like (to diversify your options some more):
parsnips (divine just cut into coins and fried in a little olive oil with salt)
turnips/rutabagas (some like them just steamed with butter, or mashed; others like to mix with cooked mashed carrots and/or potatoes)
beets (very nice roasted with salt, rosemary, olive oil)
cucumbers
zucchini and other summer squash

Are you eating any whole grains at all?
And, have you considered adding yellow, orange, and red bell peppers since your little one likes the green ones?

Also, celery steamed with a little oil and salt might be good (since he eats it already with the chicken soup)

ETA: We are dairy, soy, and egg-free here also. It becomes pretty manageable once you get into the swing of it. We've been this way most of the last six years, and it's second nature and very easy to do now.

[elanorh]

Something else I just thought of - we think of 'green vegetables,' but some of those nutrients can be found in fruits, too, so you may want to look at the fruits being eaten and see if there are fruits which can fill in the gaps a little, while your little one becomes more interested in green veggies.

So, plums, peaches, nectarines, grapes of any color ... berries are still in season this time of year, we have raspberries coming out of our ears here ... apples are coming on soon and pears are already on .... Some of these are easier than others to find 'organic,' I don't know how accessible the organics are for you where you live (not very, for me, in terms of fruits, so we are more restricted, and waiting for my apple trees etc. to get bigger!!).

Avocados are a really good source of calories and healthy fats. Have you tried mashing it well, with a little oil or salsa or etc. (I know you're avoiding tomatoes, but if you decide they're safe) - on bread??

It's hard to adjust to adding more oil to foods, but if you're concerned about your own weight loss and trying to ensure that you get enough calories for yourself and your ds, remembering to add more olive oil (or oil of choice) to your foods can help a lot.

Have you tried making homemade pies, and have you found some egg/dairy free cake recipe(s) you like? Both can be accomplished without dairy, egg, soy. I use palm oil shortening for pie crusts, fresh fruit or my homemade canned pie fillings for the fillings. And the girls LOVE our chocolate cake recipe ( a version of Wacky Cake), we make a palm oil shortening 'buttercream' frosting for it, too. If you are trying to avoid refined products completely, desserts are a bit difficult though.....?

[kjbrown92]

coconut milk and coconut oil are good sources of fat as well.

[lil_miss_understood]

I second Kathy's suggestion to take out the dairy-laden bar. ALL dairy needs to be gone, not just most.
On the topic of getting veggies into kids. Have you tried green smoothies? I tend to use a lot of fruit in mine (right now, I'm just starting out), but it's an option you might consider with your DS.
Also, if your burgers and sausage are homemade at all, you might consider "sneaking" some vegetables into them. Chop up some spinach and throw it in, or even just some parsley. I know it might not be much, but I think every little bit adds up.
Use lots of herbs: basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage. Offer peppermint tea or make a peppermint "milk" shake made with coconut milk and fresh peppermint leaves and some honey.
Have you tried offering different veggies with something to dip it in, like hummus? (I'm sure you have but..)
And, as elanorh said, I'd be cautious with any other legumes as well.

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

Was the testing for intolerance or allergy?
Most intolerant people can't tolerate the lecithin or oil either. It's allergy people who are more likely to tolerate them.

The test was done via a stool sample sent to enterolab. It is not a peer-reviewed, scientifically accepted test but it confirms what I have seen via food journals. The test measured IgA antibodies to caesin, soy, yeast and egg. Anything above 10 indicates sensitivity - it ranges from 0 to as high as 350. Egg was 9 (but egg has been eliminated for a while so I think that is why), milk was 20 and soy was 19. Yeast was 12.

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

You say he's still withholding, so he still has symptoms. Take out ALL the milk and soy, and see what you get. THEN after 2-3 weeks of completely dairy/soy free, see if he can tolerate the other things. Otherwise, you'll never know.

We just figured it out so we haven't tried the dairy free diet yet. He is still recovering from the rash from butter earlier in the week. I am betting it will make a huge difference if he and I both go dairy free. I think the withholding will take some time to get better even after his diet is fixed. At this point, he is fearful and it may take him quite a few painless, easy poos to get him over that fear.

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

I have recipes on my blog: www.kathysrecipebox.com. Also go up to Resources, and there's an Allergy Recipe thread.

Thanks so much!

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

Also since you're not sure about broccoli and tomato, I'd either keep them out or keep the food journal going until you figure it out. You want to give him a chance to heal by keeping anything that's bothering him out of his system.

We haven't had tomato since early in July (I have, he hasn't) but looking back through our journals, tomatoes were almost *always* served with some form of dairy. I still don't think I want to reintroduce them until we're beyond the holding part because of the acidity (unless going dairy-free makes such an amazing difference that we feel comfortable offering a small spoonful of spaghetti sauce or something in a couple months as a trial.) I'm not sure what to do about broccoli. It is such a wonderful food. I think I'll keep it out for 3-4 weeks and then maybe try a tiny about in something - he will eat it in a tortilla/chicken wrap.

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

Do you not eat pork or beef because you don't like it or just that you prefer the taste of chicken/turkey? Just curious because they're all healthy, depending where you get them from and how you prepare them, and you might want to open up your options if you're restricting them in other places.

We don't like beef and don't particularly care for pork.

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by elanorh

Keep an eye on the legumes - my dd's both react(ed) to all legumes, not just soy. So peas, green beans, dry beans, etc. also caused problems for them. Something to consider if symptoms persist after you've removed foods completely.

I've wondered about this too - right now, he won't touch any of these foods, other than an occasional pea. The Earth Balance soy-free margarine I just started using, however, does have 'pea protein' as an ingredient. I don't think it is bothering him though as he is eating quite a bit of it and the dairy rash is almost better.

Originally Posted by elanorh

We used calcium OJ for the calcium source - same number of calories as milk, so once the girls were older, that's what they (and I) got with meals. I used to feel a little guilty about this, but having read here about arsenic in the rice milk, I feel a lot less guilty.

We do have some rice milk but use it very infrequently, not as a drink. He won't drink *anything* but breast milk and water - not even juice or popsicles. The orange juice is something we can probably try as he is older - right now I think the acidity increase with the current stool holding behavior would be bad. I don't want to risk any acidic poos!

Originally Posted by elanorh

Green veggie options you haven't mentioned, that you could try:
cabbage
brussel sprouts
spinach (chard, etc.)
leaf lettuces
kholrabi (eat raw, like carrots)
green onions (raw or cooked, the stalk portions too)
asparagus
Other greens - mustard, kale, mache, etc.

....If you're eating mostly organic and/or locally grown, you may discover that some foods you thought you didn't like (say, spinach or cabbage) you might actually like a LOT. The flavor is totally different for fresh, locally grown foods. We had cabbage in our CSA package last week and it was divine raw (we made coleslaw with oil and vinegar). Dh has always thought he hated spinach, and discovered he liked it when I grew it in the garden last year.

Great tips. I'm staying away from cabbage due to milk supply issues; I'm also sensitive to asparagus according to ELISA tests. We used to eat spinach but always in tomato based sauces so I have to figure out how to work that in again.

Originally Posted by elanorh

allrecipes.com is a good place to look up recipes if you're unfamiliar with cooking a particular kind of food. You can do an advanced search to exclude dairy/soy/egg.

Thanks - I go there and to recipezaar a lot.

Originally Posted by elanorh

I just read Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter - she's an R.D. who specializes in children's nutrition, it's highly recommended in the field. You may want to read it, too (I wish I'd read it when dd1 was little, because we really worried about her weight with all her allergies, and I think I would have worried less).

You may all need to adjust some of the foods you eat, and branch out and be more adventurous - it will take time for a child your ds's age to decide he wants to try a new food. But having it on the table, and offered to him, and watching you and your spouse eating it and enjoying it, will lay a good groundwork for him to try it. dd2 just doesn't want to eat green veggies (ironic, since she spent much of her 2nd year of life eating dandelion greens out of the lawn ). We are having to be very careful to just keep offering. She will take things and let them sit on her plate, I've seen her take quick tastes and put it back. Eventually she'll come 'round, she sees the rest of us all enjoying our green veggies!

I agree that you may want/need to branch out into some more variety for meats -- lamb is pretty easy to find in organic form - similar to venison for cooking/flavor, IMO.

Some other veggies you may not have tried, but may find you like (to diversify your options some more):
parsnips (divine just cut into coins and fried in a little olive oil with salt)
turnips/rutabagas (some like them just steamed with butter, or mashed; others like to mix with cooked mashed carrots and/or potatoes)
beets (very nice roasted with salt, rosemary, olive oil)
cucumbers
zucchini and other summer squash

Great advice and tips; thanks!

Originally Posted by elanorh

Are you eating any whole grains at all?
And, have you considered adding yellow, orange, and red bell peppers since your little one likes the green ones?

We eat a lot of whole grains. We use Rudi's Organic Honey Sweet Whole Wheat as a primary sandwich bread. I also just found an awesome recipe on allrecipes last weekend for 'Fabulous Homemade Bread' that makes six loaves of really great bread. I increased the whole wheat in it when I made it (it also contains oats.)

Originally Posted by elanorh

ETA: We are dairy, soy, and egg-free here also. It becomes pretty manageable once you get into the swing of it. We've been this way most of the last six years, and it's second nature and very easy to do now.

This has been a really, really rough two months but I feel like we're starting to finally figure things out! Thanks for your time and detailed response!

[kjbrown92]

Originally Posted by serenitii

We haven't had tomato since early in July (I have, he hasn't) but looking back through our journals, tomatoes were almost *always* served with some form of dairy. I still don't think I want to reintroduce them until we're beyond the holding part because of the acidity (unless going dairy-free makes such an amazing difference that we feel comfortable offering a small spoonful of spaghetti sauce or something in a couple months as a trial.) I'm not sure what to do about broccoli. It is such a wonderful food. I think I'll keep it out for 3-4 weeks and then maybe try a tiny about in something - he will eat it in a tortilla/chicken wrap.

That sounds good about keeping it out until you know more. That way you'll get a better reading on taking the other things out. Also, keep up the food journal since you only tested for 4 foods. Then you might be able to catch the smaller foods.

We don't like beef and don't particularly care for pork.

There are different ways to make them. And you just want to make sure on a restricted diet that you're getting enough fats and proteins. That's why the bone broth is a good idea (I prefer the chicken to the beef anyway and use it a lot). But pork is a fattier meat and a great versatile protein (breakfast sausage, italian sausage, bacon [we use bacon grease to cook in for some things], pork carnitas, ground pork in meatballs, pork fried rice, pork stir fry, etc.). One of my kids can't do beef, and one can't do chicken and turkey, so pork and salmon are their common meats. So I have found new ways to make things that don't all taste the same, out of sheer need for food. So I'm just saying to keep your options open as you take things out of your diet. My kids eat a variety of vegetables because they can't eat the "main" ones (peas, corn, green beans, carrots). I never would have tried a leek or bok choy or a lot of other things if it hadn't been because we were tired of the few things that we did have to eat. You aren't too limited yet. I'm just saying you might get tired of chicken, and you might not get enough fat that way because it's a lean meat (though there's coconut milk and avocado nuts and other ways to get fat).

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by elanorh

Something else I just thought of - we think of 'green vegetables,' but some of those nutrients can be found in fruits, too, so you may want to look at the fruits being eaten and see if there are fruits which can fill in the gaps a little, while your little one becomes more interested in green veggies.

So, plums, peaches, nectarines, grapes of any color ... berries are still in season this time of year, we have raspberries coming out of our ears here ... apples are coming on soon and pears are already on .... Some of these are easier than others to find 'organic,' I don't know how accessible the organics are for you where you live (not very, for me, in terms of fruits, so we are more restricted, and waiting for my apple trees etc. to get bigger!!).

We're afraid to try anything acidic like peaches, grapes or berries yet. Raisins created a terrible rash. Once he gets over withholding, then I can go there. But I'm sure we will have to absolutely ensure a pain-free poop and no irritation for a good while him to get over it. The withholding + the allergies have made this SO difficult!

Originally Posted by elanorh

Avocados are a really good source of calories and healthy fats. Have you tried mashing it well, with a little oil or salsa or etc. (I know you're avoiding tomatoes, but if you decide they're safe) - on bread??

I haven't tried avocados -- because I have no idea how to select or prepare them.

Originally Posted by elanorh

It's hard to adjust to adding more oil to foods, but if you're concerned about your own weight loss and trying to ensure that you get enough calories for yourself and your ds, remembering to add more olive oil (or oil of choice) to your foods can help a lot.

We've been trying to do this with the Earth Balance dairy-free, soy-free spread. It has a decent 'butter-like' flavor so it has been easier to add than straight oil; we've started frying a little more to increase oil intake too.

Originally Posted by elanorh

Have you tried making homemade pies, and have you found some egg/dairy free cake recipe(s) you like? Both can be accomplished without dairy, egg, soy. I use palm oil shortening for pie crusts, fresh fruit or my homemade canned pie fillings for the fillings. And the girls LOVE our chocolate cake recipe ( a version of Wacky Cake), we make a palm oil shortening 'buttercream' frosting for it, too. If you are trying to avoid refined products completely, desserts are a bit difficult though.....?

We have found some great dairy-free, egg-free bread, muffin and cornbread recipes. We don't eat a lot of cake or pies right now but the palm oil shortening is a great idea for that. It was forbidden on my swank diet (for multiple sclerosis) but that diet has gone out the window since giving birth.

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

coconut milk and coconut oil are good sources of fat as well.

Do you have a brand recommendation?

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

I second Kathy's suggestion to take out the dairy-laden bar. ALL dairy needs to be gone, not just most.
On the topic of getting veggies into kids. Have you tried green smoothies? I tend to use a lot of fruit in mine (right now, I'm just starting out), but it's an option you might consider with your DS.
Also, if your burgers and sausage are homemade at all, you might consider "sneaking" some vegetables into them. Chop up some spinach and throw it in, or even just some parsley. I know it might not be much, but I think every little bit adds up.
Use lots of herbs: basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage. Offer peppermint tea or make a peppermint "milk" shake made with coconut milk and fresh peppermint leaves and some honey.
Have you tried offering different veggies with something to dip it in, like hummus? (I'm sure you have but..)
And, as elanorh said, I'd be cautious with any other legumes as well.

I'm not opposed to removing the bar with calcium, I just don't think it is causing problems for him. It definitely isn't dairy-laden, though. The milk powder is at the bottom of the list (and the bar is teeny-tiny.) I actually kept wondering how he could be sensitive to dairy and not react to the bar -- but, I've since read that things like milk powder is often processed so much that the protein changes; on top of that, it is heated again when baked. I'm betting the low amount and the heat change may be why it doesn't bother him. In any case, the real issue isn't the bar - it is that I need to find a suitable calcium supplement because I'm afraid that he isn't getting much calcium (other than my breast milk) and what is in bar. BTW, he also seemed to tolerate a teeny bit of butter in baked muffins. We're definitely cutting that out though because it isn't necessary to put butter in the muffins!

We do make homemade burger and sausage. We've mashed up broccoli, cauliflower and carrots in them and found them yummy. Broccoli seems to give him gas though; not completely sure about other reactions because, again, broccoli was always being served near or in conjunction with dairy. I don't think we're going to know until we get the dairy out.

We actually haven't tried hummus. I don't know how to make it, though I am a little wary of legumes. He has eaten a few bites of lentils (and lentil muffins) and they didn't seem to bother him but again, I'm not going to know for sure until we get the dairy out for a few weeks.

Thanks for your advice!

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

There are different ways to make them. And you just want to make sure on a restricted diet that you're getting enough fats and proteins. That's why the bone broth is a good idea (I prefer the chicken to the beef anyway and use it a lot). But pork is a fattier meat and a great versatile protein (breakfast sausage, italian sausage, bacon [we use bacon grease to cook in for some things], pork carnitas, ground pork in meatballs, pork fried rice, pork stir fry, etc.). One of my kids can't do beef, and one can't do chicken and turkey, so pork and salmon are their common meats. So I have found new ways to make things that don't all taste the same, out of sheer need for food. So I'm just saying to keep your options open as you take things out of your diet. My kids eat a variety of vegetables because they can't eat the "main" ones (peas, corn, green beans, carrots). I never would have tried a leek or bok choy or a lot of other things if it hadn't been because we were tired of the few things that we did have to eat. You aren't too limited yet. I'm just saying you might get tired of chicken, and you might not get enough fat that way because it's a lean meat (though there's coconut milk and avocado nuts and other ways to get fat).

Good advice -- we've started buying the darker ground turkey to up the fat a bit. We have a couple decent pork recipes (one was with chicken broth, milk but I'm sure rice milk would work) and another was for an apple/pork recipe that worked well in my dutch oven.

We're definitely not going to stop the food journal; I feel like we're just starting to figure it out. The dairy-free is going to change it all. For example, I've even suspected carrots and broccoli but that was likely because they were served with cheese or butter. We're going to have to figure out if those are ok by themselves all over again. :|

[kjbrown92]

Originally Posted by serenitii

Do you have a brand recommendation?

I use Aroy-D coconut milk (there is a preservative in it, but no guar gum, since DS can't tolerate it). We use Nutiva Coconut oil (LOVE it for sauteing).

I'd still take out the bar until you know for sure. Make come chicken broth (36 hour variety) and see if you can get some of it in him each day (either cooking rice in it, or making gravy out of it, or making it into soup, I use it in stir fries and fried rice for flavor) for calcium in the meantime. Then when you're sure he's at baseline, you could try it again to see if he can tolerate it. Most kids with intolerances react to the entire part of the milk not just the protein. When people can tolerate something cooked but not raw, or oils, it's usually an allergy not an intolerance. For some reason intolerant people react to more of the food, not less (strange, but seems to be true).

My blog has a bunch of pork recipes on it. My brother "can't stand" pork except when I make it. Then he'll eat it so sometimes it just depends on the cut and the cooking.

[luminesce]

We cut out the bar. However, after a big plate full of carrots, we had a very distinct diaper-rash reaction when it came out. The carrots were steamed with maybe a wee bit of a crunch and when they came out, there were tiny undigested bits of carrot in the poo. When that poo was over, the area seemed to not be as irritated by what came out after that.

In the back of my head I've actually always suspected carrots but retrospectively thought it was probably because of butter on them. Is a carrot sensitivity common? My gut instinct and food journal indicates carrot but I've never heard of such a sensitivity. He ate organic carrot purees a lot when he was younger...

What do I do? Eliminate it, moderate it?

[kjbrown92]

Originally Posted by serenitii

We cut out the bar. However, after a big plate full of carrots, we had a very distinct diaper-rash reaction when it came out. The carrots were steamed with maybe a wee bit of a crunch and when they came out, there were tiny undigested bits of carrot in the poo. When that poo was over, the area seemed to not be as irritated by what came out after that.

In the back of my head I've actually always suspected carrots but retrospectively thought it was probably because of butter on them. Is a carrot sensitivity common? My gut instinct and food journal indicates carrot but I've never heard of such a sensitivity. He ate organic carrot purees a lot when he was younger...

What do I do? Eliminate it, moderate it?

My DS can't have carrots. I wouldn't say it's common. But ANY food can cause ANY reaction. Nothing is safe. Not even the benign rice (which my DS also can't have). If your food journaling is saying it's bad, then it's bad.

[mamafish9]

Originally Posted by serenitii

We're afraid to try anything acidic like peaches, grapes or berries yet. Raisins created a terrible rash. Once he gets over withholding, then I can go there. But I'm sure we will have to absolutely ensure a pain-free poop and no irritation for a good while him to get over it. The withholding + the allergies have made this SO difficult!

Been there. My son didn't poop for three months. Ugh. A couple thoughts:

1) Tuck salicylates away in the back of your mind as a possible cause of the constipation. Raisins are really high in sals, and tomatoes bug a lot of sals sensitive people too. What happens to your son when he eats apples?

2) Magnesium. Get as much magnesium supplements into your son as you possibly can. Kirkman makes a magnesium glycinate powder that I sprinkle on lots of food (ground lab, sweet potato fries, in peanut butter...), and lots of the mamas here like Natural Calm, if you can get him to drink it. You take mag supps too - it doesn't pass on very well beyond a certain amount, but if you are deficient, supping will increase what's in your bm. My son still gets backed up sometimes, but I can fix it now with enough magnesium. It softens poops and can create diahhrea if you give enough of it (but I've given plenty and never gotten there). Most people are deficient in mag, so it won't hurt your son at all, and it REALLY helps with pooping.

[luminesce]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

When people can tolerate something cooked but not raw, or oils, it's usually an allergy not an intolerance. For some reason intolerant people react to more of the food, not less (strange, but seems to be true).

Whether we're talking IgE or a delayed t-cell mediated reaction / IgA, if the allergy is to the protein and heating changes it, wouldn't it lessen it in either case?