[aslmere]

I also posted this in Good Eating Forum... if this is not the right place (although it is a breastfeeding issue) please feel free to tell me.

HELP! What do I eat... allergies in baby
I am breastfeeding my 2 month old, and he has food allergies.
I cannot eat dairy, soy, eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, nuts and thinking that wheat may be a problem as well
I would love to eat beans, but they make him painfully gassy.
That just about eliminates EVERYTHING I eat. I also have to stay away from gassy vegetables....onions, peppers, broccoli etc.

Suggestions would be wonderful. I have been told that a whole food vegan diet would be best, but don't know where to start.. in addition, dh has serious concerns about me getting enough nutrients to maintain milk supply and keep me healthy....right now there is no variety in my diet. Turkey, rice, carrots, apples, pears and oatmeal are about it. I am ALWAYS hungry.
I am working on a meal plan for the next two weeks... something I have never done, so if any mommas who have had the same experience would like to share eating ideas, I would be VERY VERY grateful.

The dr tells me that most babies with his issues end up on specialized formula... I am NOT ready to give up, yes this is going to take a lot more work for me, but this is my son... it will be worth it.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

 

[Mona]

Off the top of my head, how about some veggie soups?
You could do a vegetable soup, sweet potato soup (or is that an allergin too?), carrot soup, borsht, for cream soups you can substitute rice milk for cream. If you eat meat you can make a variety of combinations- beef and veggie, chicken and veggie, ect.
How about tuna? or other fish?

Make sure you are taking some vitamins/minerals, and I would also take omega 3 supplements and flax seed oil too.

HTH
Lisa

 

[IslandMamma]

I went through the same thing with my newborn... I did a strict elimination diet for 2 weeks, and then slowly-- S_L_O_W_L_Y-- started fiddling with it. Turned out that wheat was our big problem, and I could acutally eay small dairy amounts, among other things. (Reflux was-- and still is-- and issue). But DS is 4+ months now, and to give you hope, his digestion is getting better in leaps and bounds. I've just started introducing the smallest amount of wheat to my diet, and no probs.
But to tell the truth, I don't really miss the wheat. Yeah, I can't slurp down a krispy kreme doughnut, but that's for the best anyway. I have learned to LOOOVE rice and rice pastas, and other "alternatives". It's also helped PP weight loss ( be careful, I actually lost too much!).

Hang in there... it WILL get easier!!!!

 

[beanma]

check out www.askdrsears.com for info on the elimination diet. i think he has some sample menus there. best of luck with it. i'm positive breastfeeding is the best thing for your little one.

 

[DaryLLL]

LOVE how informed your dr is about bfing and how supportive she is---NOT!!!

I rec going to LLL for moral and practical support too. Most dr's know next to nothing about breastfeeding or nutrition.

 

[aslmere]

I did follow dr sears for a bit. That is how we foind out that is was more than dairy. I didn't find any recipes with the elimination diet.
I went to a breastfeeding group yesterday and although they were supportive and it was wonderful to connect with other breastfeeding moms, I didn't get many suggestions beyond going to the library and checking out vegan cookbooks.

I don't know about sweet potatoes.. I don't usually like them, but at this point I am willing to try them again, if Conor can tolerate them.

Conor does have MAJOR reflux as well.. and without the dairy it does seem a bit better. Does wheat effect the relux as well?
That one will be a lot harder for me to get rid of for some reason.
But that is what I thought about diary as well.

thanks!
Nina

 

[abranger]

my dd also has a dairy allergy but I have found that I am able to eat sheeps's milk products without bothering her (not goat though). most whole foods stores sell sheeps cheeses and yogurt. Regular stores sell romano and ricotta which are sheeps cheeses. Also some feta is from sheep read the label.

hope this helps

amy

 

[aslmere]

Amy
Thanks for letting me know

I will look into sheeps cheeses. It is also good to know that goat was a no no in your experience.. maybe I will just stay away from that. Things are getting better, I don't want to make them worse again!

Nina

 

[Momtwice]

If you cannot eat soy/beans/and maybe wheat I disagree that you should necessarily go vegan unless YOU want to.

Personally in that situation I would eat meat, chicken, turkey etc.

You might want to try natural meats from a health food store in case the additives, antibiotics, nitrates in cold cuts etc. disagree with your sensitive baby.

Good for you for your dedication! Have you tried a pediatric allergist?

You may also find you need to rotate foods. Some allergic people find relief if they only eat X food once a week or so. An allergist could help with that or try googling "rotation diet."

 

[cdahlgrd]

This can be an EXTREMELY complicated and time consuming issue!! Congratulations on being willing to take the rough but high road.

My son is allergic to: soy, tree nuts, eggs, chocolate, dogs, cats, and dust. He broke out with excema at two months and I asked his ped about allergies. SHe said that it was just dry skin and we couldn't look at allergies until he was 2, sigh.

I spent a few weeks studying FOOD ALLERGY cook books. MUCH better than vegan. It is a VERY different problem. They can be found at the library with some luck and persistance.

I spent 2 weeks eating pork, rice, zuccini, and sweet potatoes. His excema cleared up and he wasn't constipated anymore!! Then I slowly added stuff back.

I do cook wheat free a lot because my sister has a wheat allergy. I have a lot of alternative grain recipes and ways around most any allergy.

If you want more info or recipe, pm me and I will type them up for you.

Also, I nursed my son for 2 and 3/4 years. He avoided solid foods for a long time and even at 2 years old, didn't eat much (compared to other kids, even nursing ones). Just his way of protecting himself. He is now taking allergy medication daily and it has improved lots of things, but we still eat the same way.

allergy - substitute

wheat - rice, kamut, spelt, corn, oat,etc.
eggs - flax seed meal and water or tapioca flour

Good luck.

 

[cdahlgrd]

Actually here is a generic recipe from The Tightwad Gazette that is very flexible:

Muffins (or can make quick breads too)

2-2.5 c flour (wheat, spelt, oat, kamut, rice, corn, etc.)
1 c liquid (milk/juice/etc.)
1/4 c oil
1 egg or substitute (or skip it altogether)
2T-1/2 c sugar/ honey/ molasses
2tsp baking powder (or 1 tsp bp and 1/2 tsp b. soda with non acidic liquids)
1/2 tsp salt
1-1.5 c additions (raisins, pumkin puree, shredded fruit or veggies, whole oats, etc.)

Bake about 20 minutes at 350.

Different grains behave differently. There are whole books dedicated to this info, but here is what I find that works. Use a grain with some glutton mixed with a glutton free one. For example Kamut and spelt have glutton and will behave closer to wheat than the others. So use 1 c spelt with 1 c oat. However, quick breads don't really need glutton, it just is more familiar to the American palate.

Cookies and buscuits are also easy to do with substituting. Regular breads are very tough because they just don't have the glutton that holds them together correctly.

Also a great way to do sweet potatoes:

Peal and chop equal amounts of s. potato and apple. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with a dash of salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar (maybe some oil or orange juice). Bake until soft.

 

[aslmere]

Quote:

Originally posted by DaryLLL LOVE how informed your dr is about bfing and how supportive she is---NOT!!!

Actually, she is very supportive of me continuing to bf. She is trying to help us figure out exactly what he is allergic to and/or if there are any other underlying causes.

She was trying to let me know that there was an "out" so to speak.. and that most moms choose formula over the time- comsuming and worisome task of changing their diet. And as long as he is gaining weight she won't even suggest formula again.

She even told us that if the blood allergy test isn't conclusive yet ( he could be too young) she is going to give us the name of a naturopath who does an allergy test.

I still am going to go to as many LLL and/or other bf support groups as I can!

 

[Geofizz]

Unfortunately, with the allergies and sensitivities you're finding, the available formulas may be worse: formulas are based on cow's milk or soy.

Something to beware about the allergy testing is that it can only test for an allergy, not a sensitivity. Doctors tend to concern themselves with allergies (an immune response) because that's all they can test for. People can have sensitivities as well that aren't an immune response. Problem is that with an allergy or sensitivity, the baby is still unhappy.

Another grain that hasn't been mentioned is quinoa. I love it. It's pretty high in iron and lysine (an amino acid you will struggle with if you do cut out meats). I'm told by a friend who has two kids with celiac disease that it's gluten free. Just be sure to rinse it really well to get rid of a weird bitter taste. I cook it in veggie or chicken broth with and stir in sauted veggies, zucchini is a favorite.

 

[Nif]

I totally hear you! My little guy is allergic to dairy & tree-nuts, and intolerant (NOT allergic) to legumes, corn, & red meat.

I was lucky, I had to do a yeast elimination diet about 3 years ago, so I knew what to expect. But man-o-man, the minute this child is weaned, I'm having a HUGE ice cream sundae! *grin*

I also got some ribbing (from a girlfriend), that he would have to go on formula - however, since most of them are dairy/soy based, that wouldn't work, now would it? (DUH!!!!)

I agree with what everyone's commented so far:

Food allergy cookbooks are the most help, since the vegan/veggies books tend to have lots of soy as subs. But remember, you need about 30gs protein per/day - and protein is in lots of things, not just a big slab 'O meat!

Soups are really helpful, and a great way to get some interesting grains into your diet - barley, brown rice, millet.... ummm! The LLL folks are great, and one of them reminded me:

watch your additives! there are so many preservatives, chemicals and small amounts of allergans in processed foods... not what you want to hear when you've got a small one & not lots of time for from-scratch cooking, but I was astonished when I started checking ingredients list, how many time soy/corn are put into things you don't expect. And that's not including dyes.... Yucko!

Our solution has been to make a BIG batch of soup on the weekend, and one other huge dish (eggplant stuffed w/kashi, for example), so if I don't have time to cook during the week, I can just heat that up.

Good luck, and don't give up: it DOES get better. My nursling's now 6 months, and i'm starting to rotate some soy and corn back in a few times a week, he seems to be ok.

(and you know - it's worth it.)

-nif

 

[aslmere]

WEll.. we are now officially gluten free/dairy free

Thanks so much for all your suggestions.

Does anyone have the names of any allergy cookbooks that I can get? I live in just the right spot so that I don't have privileges at the local library without paying $75 a year.

Nif: I really am not eating very many prepared foods at all right now... it means my menu is limited b/c of time (2 kids 2 and under, and I work part-time) But I know that there isn't many "extra" nasties in my diet.
I think one of my biggest problems right now is dealing with dd and dh refusal to eat the same thing I do.. so I have to make two or three different meals! I am starting to try to add a bit of potato sometimes... my relatives that have many of the same allergies are not allergic or sensitive to potatos.

cdahlgrd: thanks for the recipe.. I just bout some oat and rice flour last night so I will try the muffins tonight.
unfortunately I am not gluten free and so can't mix them up

BUT! the man at the natural foods store was VERY helpful so I KNOW that everything I bought yesterday was glute/dairy/egg/soy free.

Geofizz: thanks... I will try and get sopme quinoa next time I go shopping. my dr seems to be okay with dealing with sensitivities... she isn't going to try and test for them, but has let me know which foods commonly cause them and we have talked about them every visit.

THANKS!!!

 

[cdahlgrd]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312146124/qid=1066843874/br=1-11/ref=br_lf_b_11//002-0393301-5968816?v=glance&s=books&n=282862

This one was pretty good. You will definitely want Gluton free cookbooks. That is a little harder, but managable when you get the idea.

There are a bunch at Amazon. I would order a few books from them and return the ones that you don't like. Or spend a few hours at a local bookstore.

A problem I ran into, each book has just a little new info. In order to make your life easier you need all those little gems to make it work. I am considering putting it all together in my own cookbook. Also, most of the books make it so complicated!! Instead of giving you a list of easy recipes with easy substitutions, they try to make you eat all vegies or all tortillas.

Once you figure out some recipes you enjoy (or can at least swallow), make huge batches and freeze the extras in single serving containers. Then you can feed you and the baby easily. If you want to learn to do this the easiest, get the book MEGA COOKING by Jill Bond. It is expensive, but very worth your time and money. It is really a textbook on food buying, preparation, cooking, and preserving.

Another great resource is the Tightwad Gazette. There are 3 of them and one combined volume. It is ons of great info, but she has put lots of great generic recipes in it.

Good luck!!

 

[Nif]

i'll get the name of the allergy book i used when i go home - but it didn't really have any recipes.

i ate LOTS of potatoes & brown rice: rice milk, even potato chips, which i dislike. but again, found i had to read the bags, for ones that weren't fried in no-no oils (peanut/soy/corn).

i had luck w/nava atlas & the moosewood cookbooks, just sometimes i subbed fish for the soy protein.

oh yeah - lots of fish. but NO shellfish, he can't do that, oh nosiree... *Grin*

Try having your sweetie help you make the big batches of "your food" on the weekends, and then you can cook the other meals during the week? I'm assuming he(?) agrees that breastfeeding is critical, so maybe explaining to him that you need some extra help for a few months to make this doable would lessen your load. I also work part-time, and I sympathize...

book name later...
nif

 

[aslmere]

cdahlgrd:
The link you sent didn't work.
If you ever do compile your own I would get it

I am wondering if the HUGE used section at our local bookstore might have any... and I love supporting them too!

nif:
looking for that title still ?

dh definately agrees that breastfeeding is important... he is just a wuss when it comes to food.
LAst night I made chicken strips and french fries myself with oat flour and rice milk, organic potatoes and canola oil.... no reactions from the baby and dh and dd ate it.
YUMMY!
I was craving some junk food

now if i could only make chocolate dairy/gluten/caffeine free :LOL

 

[aslmere]

Does anyone have any other ideas???
any soup recipes that are dairy/gluten/egg free?
I am soo uncreative!