What am I supposed to eat? EBF LO has a wheat and dairy allergy.

[Zenmama1]

My DD is EBF and has been since day 1. She had really bad colic until I went on an elimination diet. I stayed on the diet until recently. She is 6 months old now and developed a really horrible case of eczema after I added wheat and dairy back in to my diet. I went to a LLL meeting and they told me just to keep nursing her and basically "oh well."
 
But last week I cut out dairy and wheat again and her skin cleared up to almost no eczema. Doctors and friends tell me to keep eating whatever I want but I can't do that and look at the sores on her face every day and feel good about what I am doing.
 
My challenge is that I am losing a ton of weight and starting to look like I am anorexic. And I have completely lost interest in food. I used to be a vegetarian but after I had my DD I added chicken & fish back into my diet but I don't enjoy eating them. I have been only eating root vegetables, rice, greens & corn with my chicken or fish. I haven't tried beans, broccoli or cabbage yet. I did try adding in soy and eggs and she didn't manage those very well either. And I am really missing the foods I used to eat: I love Italian & Mexican food.
 
Anyway I am just feeling kinda down about things and wanted to see if anyone could relate and share some advice. and maybe some food ideas. TIA

[scsigrl]

They make a lot of GF noodles, lasagna and all.  Tinkyada is good.  Trader Joe's is cheaper though it clumps more. I you Tinkyada for cold applications mostly.  Corn tortillas are pretty easy to find or make.  You should be able to do some Mexican and Italian with that.  We can't do corn really so I am not sure of brand names.  It also depends if you can do soy oil/lethecin or not cause that's in a lot.  We don't so overt soy but it sounds like you aren't interested in that either. 

Bean dips, hummus, veggies, GF bread, pancakes, waffles, "breaded" baked chicken (I use a combo of Mary's Gone Crackers and rice crackers to make breading for my kids), turkey loaf?  Turkey meatballs.  

Just throwing some stuff out there.  Hang in there. It's tough but you can do this Mama!

[mom61508]

mama it doesn't sound like your're eating enough fat!!! What is your fat intake like? I would say more protein in form of meats but saw your struggling just to eat fish. Nursing takes so much out of you! You need so much fat and protein! With DD1 I was vegatarian then went vegan and I got so skinny nursiing her and she was thin as well....but with DD2 I now eat a more traditional foods diet and I look good ;) still have my butt and DD has adorable rolls :)  I'm also gluten and dairy free. WE do lots of coconut milk,ghee, avocado,coconut yogurt, nut butter,coconut oil,feremented cod liver oil, homemade salad dressings, and we do a lot of grass fed meats as well. I try not to eat to many grains but If I do I cook sprouted rice in bone broth yum!  Have you considered taking a look at the tradtional foods forum? I personally wouldn't do soy period unless feremented it's very hard on our bodies.

Tinkyada is a good pasta brand.

Mexican that's free?? Easy...guacomole, throw anything in an organic corn tortilla, make a batch of homemade beans and make refried beans, you can make salsa eat with gluten free corn chips or rice chips, etc.

How about smoothies? you can do fruit a quality protien powder with coconut oil and coconut milk

Udis is a good gluten free bread that we have a few times a week with ghee on it or nut butters

Here's a couple GF blogs to give you some ideas. Usually if soemthing calls for milk I use unsweetened coconut milk and If it calls for butter I use ghee or coconut oil. Being GF is really easy the hard part is not buying all the unhealthy processed food ya know. Do a little research you can find numerous GF or vegan blogs to give you recipes. Don't lose hope!

 

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/p/site-index.html 

http://www.easytobeglutenfree.com/home

 

 

[mom61508]

Also follow your gut don't listen to those people who tell you to eat whatever. you're doing the right thing. I know it's hard but once you figure out what to eat you will feel better :)

 

[HappyWoman]

Bring on the tahini sauce!!

This stuff rocks.

3 Tbs tahini

Water

Brown Rice Vinegar

Wheat free Tamai or Shoyu or other soy sauce

Onion Powder

Thyme

Mix tahini with a little water until desired consistency. Add in BRV, soy sauce, onion powder, and thyme to taste. It tastes like a cheese sauce and it goes really well on steamed greens, rice, millet, etc. I LOVE this stuff. It's creamy, rich, and deeply satisfying. It will turn a boring meal into an amazing meal.

Sesame seeds (main ingredient in tahini) are high in protein, calcium, and minerals. Some are allergic to seeds, but it is much less common than nut allergies.

Here is a Gluten Free Blog with a Special Italian Section:

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/07/italian-recipes.html

[Zenmama1]

Thank you all so much! These are all really great ideas. And it's nice to know I am not the only one out there on such a strict diet. I made  blueberry pancakes tonight with Bob's Red Mill gluten free pancake mix and they were so yummy. I've never been great at cooking but I guess its time to learn.

Thanks again!

[scsigrl]

Not to add stress but I just want to be sure, are you avoiding nuts at all?  If not, great!  They are an awesome source of protein.  If you are, be aware that Bob's Red MIll GF flours are notorious for cross contamination.

[kjbrown92]

we're dairy, gluten, corn, soy free (and more for my kids) and have been for over 3 years. It was hard at the beginning, but none of us are starving, and I'm certainly not losing weight! Getting enough fats is essential, as others have said. And eating good tasting food so that you don't feel like you're depriving yourself. We've figured out how to make all sorts of things. Today I'm making bread, pork roast, sauteed green beans with garlic, and mashed white sweet potato for DS (who can't have white potatoes) and white potatoes for the rest of us. On Sunday I made a batch of ketchup, marshmallows, fudge, rice krispie treats, plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh I also made pistachio ice cream on Sunday that we're actually freezing in the ice cream maker tonight (pistachios, sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla). You can do it!!

[Zenmama1]

Originally Posted by scsigrl 

Not to add stress but I just want to be sure, are you avoiding nuts at all?  If not, great!  They are an awesome source of protein.  If you are, be aware that Bob's Red MIll GF flours are notorious for cross contamination.

Well I wasn't avoiding nuts, except peanuts, but you are right. She had green poop after I ate the pancakes :( guess I can add nuts to list.

[Zenmama1]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92 

we're dairy, gluten, corn, soy free (and more for my kids) and have been for over 3 years. It was hard at the beginning, but none of us are starving, and I'm certainly not losing weight! Getting enough fats is essential, as others have said. And eating good tasting food so that you don't feel like you're depriving yourself. We've figured out how to make all sorts of things. Today I'm making bread, pork roast, sauteed green beans with garlic, and mashed white sweet potato for DS (who can't have white potatoes) and white potatoes for the rest of us. On Sunday I made a batch of ketchup, marshmallows, fudge, rice krispie treats, plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh I also made pistachio ice cream on Sunday that we're actually freezing in the ice cream maker tonight (pistachios, sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla). You can do it!!

Any recipes, cookbooks, or product names you can share with me to get me headed in the right direction.

[franklin907]

I probably make the most Mexican & Italian for meals & ds1 can't do gluten, soy, peanuts, beef, chicken, eggs, dairy, sesame or sunflower...I'm probably forgetting some, too. Tinkyada brown rice noodles are great! Spaghetti sauce is easy- lots of recipes online to make it from scratch. I usually just dump lots of seasonings in mine- garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, etc with turkey burger, onion, olives, mushrooms, etc. & tomatoes of course Crushed kale chips on top are awesome!! For burritos, cook burger with cumin, garlic, onion, salt, etc. Food for life has brown rice tortillas & corn tortillas, fill em with burger & top with avocado, olives, tomatoes, onions, etc. add rice if you want, homemade salsa is easy- tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, cilantro & salt. I've got a lot of recipes on my blog, too, it's:

www.allergicadventures.com

Also, I don't know all the sites but if you google:
The Whole Life Nutrition
Lexies Kitchen
Adventures of a Gluten-free Mom
They all are good resources! let me know if you have any questions & hopefully this helps! Also, Erewhon Brown Rice cereal is great (like rice krispies) & Amazon is a great place to buy food at a lower price!!

[BabySmurf]

I feel your pain!!!!!!! As other Mamas have said, starting out is the hardest part...I'm a whole 3 months into this, and already feeling MUCH better about things.  Once you know what your/her triggers are, you will be able to take almost any recipe and substitute what works for you.  I would make sure that you are keeping a food diary - my DS has a particular pattern of reaction for each food that he is sensitive to.  (Dairy will be at it's worst four days after I eat it, soy will start to get better after three...gluten, we are just experimenting with now, but he has a much milder reaction so far).  It's hard to do, but if you are able to keep tabs on this, you will learn your DD's triggers, and be able to tell if you accidently ingested some dairy, or if she is showing an allergy to something new, kwim?

I agree with others about your fat and protein intake - make sure you are getting enough! The others have posted some good sites, I also wanted to add thespunkycocnut.com

If you can make up some salad dressings, that can help keep things interesting - i have been able to find several mayo substitutes that are good so that i can make creamy dressings as well as the oil and vinegar types. they also work great for dips so that you can add in calories :)  quinoa is another GF grain that I like a lot, and you may be able to find mung bean or black bean noodles for a pasta substitute that is really high in protein.  if you are able to do tomatoes, there are endless possibilities for sauces/chile (i saute carrots, celery,  and onion together, add tomato sauce and/or chicken/veggie/etc broth, and it's a great base for chicken or white fish - add corn starch as a thickener if you like).  umm, daiya has a "cheese" that is GF, dairy free, and soy free - this has been wonderful for me (hello tacos!!!).  definitely stay away from most premixed seasoning packets because they more than likely have fillers that wouldn't be good, and impossible for you to figure out a trigger from - they are typically way easier and cheaper to make on your own anyway (this is something i learned recently, since i am still learning to cook, lol). 

and definitely check on some older threads in here - there is an overwhelming amount of info, but you will learn a LOT and pick up some good recipes/food substitutes along the way.

[kjbrown92]

With only wheat and dairy, you've got lots of options. Do you want packaged ready-to-eat foods? Quick cooking foods?

Enjoy Life has a couple of good cookbooks out, the one I have is cupcakes and treats (they're top 8 free). Their bars are good and their chocolate chips keep me sane. Though if you can have soy and you're just avoiding dairy, there's probably a ton of chocolate you can get (as long as it's dark chocolate). So Delicious makes a line of coconut milk things: milk, yogurt, ice cream. Coconut is high fat (of the good variety). Avocadoes are another good fat. We used to do a lot of salmon for its good fat (and my DS and DD2 loved it when they were younger).

[Zenmama1]

Thank you for these great tips. I think she may have more than just a wheat and dairy allergy so I am considering doing the ALCAT test. Thank you everyone for the advice it is really helpful!

[mytwomonkies]

Originally Posted by Bocamom 

Well I wasn't avoiding nuts, except peanuts, but you are right. She had green poop after I ate the pancakes :( guess I can add nuts to list.

We reacted to the small amounts of gluten in Bob's Red Mill stuff so be careful. They test their products to be less than 20ppm, that adds up after a while and some are super sensitive. We were out of our honeyville almond flour so were using BRM almond flour and it made my girlies DH flare up and the other two of us gluten sensitive one's had tummy issues from it. Just giving you a head's up. That being said you have lots of options! It just takes time, a lot of research and reading of labels, and some things just have to be cooked from scratch. Before you know it you'll be telling others that eating gluten and dairy free is a breeze! :)

[tashantx]

nak with the pancakes my 4 y/o allways had a bad reaction to blueberries...just a thought. I'm about 2 weeks into dairy  coffee soy and 4 days into gluten elimination comtemplating nuts eggs potatoes oats and corn (due to not being sure if ds is reacting to them ugh it's such a dectective game) .hugs to you. I felt hopeless at first too but I am making my grocery list right now and I LOVE  the allergen free recipe thread on here!! TONS of yummy food! these mamas are genius!

[featherstory]

Hey.  I've had two different issues with this.  After my first people told me to eat fish and cheese.  I was vegan but tried to eat fish and raw goat cheese, I knew I couldn't handle cow dairy all my life.  My daughter and I had a horrible reaction to the cheese so I stopped that easily.  I tried fish and that made me feel pretty bad too.  Plus I kept reading things about how it might not be so good, and my daughter's digestive issues and discomfort got worse.  I was vegan for the rest of my time nursing her, but I had issues sometimes with feeling weak and losing weight myself due to the quantity of my milk she consumed.  She was very healthy, and chunky.  I was eating a high fat (mostly raw) diet at the time.  After she was 1.5 I learned about high carb, l(mostly raw) low fat eating.  I immediately started eating that way and it completely changed my nursing relationship.  The irritation and enervation I'd started feeling after awhile went away quickly. 

I'm also a breastfeeding counselor and encountered a lot of other women having similar problems.  With my second daughter I've been eating this way for a few years and never have the problems I had with my first.  I've also gained weight.  Healthy weight and I can nurse both of them, healthily.  I eat a lot of fruit.  A lot of bananas and mangos and dates(high carb/high calorie fruits) and I make sure to get plenty of water and rest and relaxation.  I have definitely found that a lot of women don't realize just how many calories they need, don't eat enough, eat too much fat and not enough carbs and are dehydrated. 

My second daughter has gluten sensitivies, sensitivity to spices and can get digestion issues from beans.  I've found that it is not difficult to accomodate this if I eat enough carbs from rice, potatoes and fruit.  I use avocado as my main fat source, sometimes sunflower seeds, and the fat that is naturally occurring in fruit.  I also make sure to eat a lot of greens for protein.  My daughter also has a soy sensitivity.  We use rice noodles sometimes too. 

[Zenmama1]

I think my weight problem is also due to stress. I am so stressed out and trying to figure out how to be a mom that its hard for me to find time to research recipes and cook them. My DD is very high needs and wants to be in my arms at all times. I can get her to play by herself for about 10-15 minutes. but thats it. And I dont have any family around to help out. Good news is her eczema has almost disappeared. I removed: eggs, dairy, wheat, corn, soy, chocolate, bananas, peanuts and all other nuts. Only after I eliminated everything did it get better. I can't imagine she has an allergy to all of these, so I am going to try to add things back in and see what reaction I get.

[mytwomonkies]

Originally Posted by Bocamom 

I think my weight problem is also due to stress. I am so stressed out and trying to figure out how to be a mom that its hard for me to find time to research recipes and cook them. My DD is very high needs and wants to be in my arms at all times. I can get her to play by herself for about 10-15 minutes. but thats it. And I dont have any family around to help out. Good news is her eczema has almost disappeared. I removed: eggs, dairy, wheat, corn, soy, chocolate, bananas, peanuts and all other nuts. Only after I eliminated everything did it get better. I can't imagine she has an allergy to all of these, so I am going to try to add things back in and see what reaction I get.

Big hug!! I know it's stressful! Do you own a baby carrier?? That is a wonderful way to accommodate your baby and still have your hands free for other things. She should be big enough to be on your back too so that makes it even that much easier to do things. Also, it seems like it's really common for babies/children with food intolerances to be clingy. It makes sense, they don't feel good so the want mama!  Once you get the food intolerances under control she should become a little more independent. Sounds like leaky gut, have you looked into gaps/SCD? If I were you, and she is doing good (no symptoms), I would wait a little while to add anything back in. It might be good to give her system some time. If it is something like leaky gut and you reintroduce something that she's already sensitive to it can irritate her gut and cause her to be sensitive to new foods. Just give it some time, it will get better!!

[tripmom4]

try these sites for info:

www.gfcfdiet.com

www.PaleoFood.com

www.GFlinks.com

www.nowheat.com/grfx/nomilk/index.htm

cookbooks:

specail diets for special kids -Lisa Lewis

the gluten free gourmet series -Bette Hagman

the complete food allergy cookbook -Marilyn Gioannini

raising your child without milk -Jane Crook