Wheat/soy/nut allergic vegetarians?

[Cassidy]

Hi,
We are a vegetarian family who has recently discovered that one of our daughters is allergic to wheat, soy, and nuts (among other things). Our allergist told us not to worry about her diet, but the more I read, the more I think he must be crazed! Our other daughter also has a peanut allergy, similar behavior issues, leg cramps, and headaches. Both girls live on carbs and the one with the diagnosed soy allergy loves the stuff! She suffers from eczema, asthma, stomach upset, bedwetting, and allergic shiners.

I just ordered a bunch of allergy related books & cookbooks from Amazon, but i was hoping to hear from some warm-bodied vegetarians who are living this life. I have to ask, "What in the name of God do you eat?" I'm afraid that if we can't eat pasta, we'll starve! Is it possible to meet nutritional requirements this way?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[AmandasMom]

We are raw vegans, so it is possible to survive without soy/nuts/wheat and more! Actually we do eat nuts, but the ones that are uncooked, which are pecans, walnuts and almonds. (the walnuts and almonds are soaked for an hour or so to rehydrate them). Peanuts have a toxin in them, which is why they need to be cooked before you eat them. So we don't eat them because if you *need* to cook it before you eat it then we shouldn't eat it. The same with soy and wheat too.

We eat a wide variety of fruits, nuts, raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and a tiny bit of nuts. Also flax seeds, I put flax on everything! You can do the same only cook the veggies if you want, but cooking does destroy alot of the nutrients, so I would keep as much uncooked as possible. It might take a while to get the taste buds to adjust to fresh food.

BTW you don't have to be 100% raw, shoot for 80% of the diet uncooked fresh foods. There are tons of recipies, it isn't all salads, that's way too boring.

Some good websites with awesome recipes are:

http://www.fresh-network.com/fresh_a...ipes/index.htm

http://www.shazzie.com/ (has an awesome little recipe book to buy too)

http://www.living-foods.com/

[Ravin]

A friend of mine is vegan (the family with her), and her dd is allergic to nuts. When I stayed with them last summer, there were many meals that didn't have soy in them.

There are many grains you can find that are alternatives to wheat:

oat, bulgher, amaranth, rye, rice, barley, and so on. There are flours you can substitute for wheat flour in just about everything from bread to fancy french pastries. Think about it. 12 grain bread has eleven grains besides wheat. Most organic food stores have plenty of alternatives for those who can't or don't eat wheat.

The same is true of soy and nuts. I personally don't like most nuts in most things, can't think of the last time I had any. they're really not hard to avoid. As for soy, there are plenty of ways to get your protein that don't involve the oh-so popular soy:

think beans (dozens of kinds), a variety of grains, etc.

And there are plenty of products that do the dairy substitute thing without soy or wheat gluten (you might just have to get over the lack of meat subs): Rice milk, rice milk-based frozen desserts (like Rice dream) come to mind, for example. Cheese substitutes might be trickier, but for most things those can probably be done without.

There are many, many foods that don't feature nut or soy or wheat. Pore through those cookbooks, read labels, be creative, and you shouldn't have to worry about variety in your daughter's diet at the expense of her health.

[boo'smama]

Hi Raven,

No fun is it? I am in a similar boat. Vegan family with a dd that is sensitive to soy, wheat, nuts & more. (She is still almost exclusively bf, but reacts if I eat them). I am still in the learning process, too. One book I am finding helpful is The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook - By Marjorie Hurt Jones. It is not vegan, or even vegetarian, but she has LOADS of info on alternative grains & things. And she talks about a Rotary Diversified Diet which makes loads of sense and I am about to try it.

For pasta, which has always been a staple in my diet, I have resorted to rice pasta. There is quinoa pasta as well, but it has corn in it, too - so if your dd is sensitive to corn, that's out. I am learning new recipes that combine vegies with alternative grains and flowers. Quinoa is becoming a new staple in our house. Lots of beans. There are a few cereals that are ok - one is called "Nutty Rice" by Pacific Grains (no nuts, just rice) and we use rice milk.

I felt really overwhelmed at first, but it really does get easier. Now its like a new adventure & challenge. I am fascinated by what I am learning. The best part is how much better I feel! I didn't know I had food allergies until I stopped eating some things.

Hang in there!

Melissa
mama to Ava 6/02