Allergies and certain foods

[Rayvn]

My eldest son is allergic to cow's milk and is a picky picky eater. He has eaten the same things since he was 2yo and he is 4yo now. He will eat pbj, french fries, and chicken nuggets/strips. Are the chicken nuggets/strips, french fries, and pbj - dairy free and do they avoid cross-contamination?

My youngest son is allergic to egg. Are the above items safe for him also?

Leslie

 

[clanmcculloch]

I believe that the regular chicken nuggets and tenders have milk, but I do know that the allergy ones are milk free as well as egg free. The french fries are milk and egg free but they do have to be cooked separately from the regular fries due to cross contamination in the fryer (just like the tender) so even just ordering a plate of fries will require extra time in order to get safe ones. Be sure to mention the allergy right away.

I'm not sure about uncrustables (my kids can't eat them because they can't have peanuts so I've never checked) but I believe that the regular bread all over the place has milk. There are allergy breads availabe that are milk free (not egg free with the new change in products) but they're also gluten free so if he's not used to the texture of gluten free bread then he likely won't be happy with it.

They do a great job of avoiding cross contamination but again, it does mean extra time every single time you order food (SO worth the wait for safe food; I just want you to have your expectations set correctly).

 

[Rayvn]

Where do I find the allergy ones? Are they at quick serves or table serves? Uncrustables are milk and egg free.

My son has not had gluten free bread yet. His psych doctor suggested we put him on a gluten free diet because of his Autism.

Thanks for the info.

Leslie

 

[clanmcculloch]

The allergy tenders are available at many TS and CS locations; you just have to ask about them. The Special Diets department can send you a list of the locations but I don't actually trust that the list is up to date since they're making so many changes to brands right now as well as what locations they're stocking. At MK I know you can get them at Columbia Harbour House, EP you used to be able to get them at Electric Umbrella and the American pavillion in the WS, DHS you used to be able to get them at most of the CS locations (except Pizza Planet and the string of little booths towards ToT or Starring Rolls) and I have no idea at AK because we usually eat TS here. Food courts are resorts all carry them as well.

If the uncrustables are safe then at least you can find something safe that he'll eat at many CS locations.

How soon is the trip? If your less than maybe 3 months out, I think I'd probably hold off with going gluten free until after the trip. WDW is AMAZING with gluten free but I wouldn't want to take a chance with messing with what he's comfortable with this close to a trip if it isn't due to major health issues. I do understand the reasoning since that was the original reason we went gluten free though in our case we discovered that there were a variety of little health things that were being caused by it as well (nothing obvious; it was all subtle stuff that was doing internal damage with no obvious external symptoms which would normally be tied to gluten).

 

[Rayvn]

Our trip is August 26 - August 31st. I think Ryan will fight me with all he has when I go and change his diet. I have started with giving him some Chex cereal for breakfast with the rest of the stuff he will eat.

Leslie

 

[clanmcculloch]

I know this may seem hard to imagine right now, but many autistic kids who respond well to a gluten free diet self-limit before their parents go this route making it EXTREMELY scary to try since the few foods the kids do eat typically are gluten rich foods. What ends up happening in many/most cases is that once gluten and casein free, the kids start trying other foods. I do get that it is terrifying and feels like a gamble to try since there's so little else he'll eat, but so many autistic kids really do expand their diets by a lot once gluten is out of their systems. In kids who do respond, gluten acts pretty much like an opiat which gives them a high and therefore also causes an addictive response. Once they've detoxed, they try new things. This seems to be true of most autistic kids who significantly self-limit their diets to gluten and casein rich foods (and you don't do casein becaue of the milk allergy so just gluten for him).

 

[Rayvn]

Here is Ryan's menu -

Breakfast - 4 saltine crackers with pb on them and a handful of teddy grahams
All snacks are more crackers with pg or fake Oreo cookies
Lunch - pbj on white or wheat - cut into triangles and 5 or 6 chips.
Dinner - 4 chicken nuggets and some chips

He only drinks ice water. He will eat a banana or two if in the mood.

Leslie

 

[clanmcculloch]

You've certainly got your work cut out for you. I wish I had a suggestion for a cracker alternative that tastes like Saltines but every cracker I've found that looks even remotely like a Saltine or Ritz has something else my daughter's allergic to so I haven't tried them (believe it not, most flat crackers have yeast in them).

There are some tasty gluten and milk free oreo alternatives. Check out the company Kinnikinnick. I think the Kintoos might even be egg free for your other child; my daughter eats them and she's gluten, milk and egg free. There might be a "same factory" warning for the eggs but my daughter's not sensitive enough to eggs for me to worry about that plus I know that they REALLY understand allergies and take precautions for cross contamination.

Is he fussy at all about brands?

 

[Rayvn]

Ryan will only eat Tyson nuggets. He will eat anyones french fries. He likes the pbj I make and not Uncrustables. He will eat any Saltine cracker or sandwich sliced bread right now. The teddy grahams have to be the normal size and either cinnamon or graham. He will only eat vanilla oreos.

Leslie

 

[clanmcculloch]

The problem with being brand specific is you can't just try an alternative. You pretty much have to cut off what he's currently eating and give him something completely different. I can't advise you on how to go about that or how to cope with it as my daughter was never THAT restrictive (her self-limitting was only things like she wouldn't eat anything red so there was plenty she would eat). Have you considered working with an Occupational Therapist on this? Maybe you could try picking up some gluten free (and milk free) bread and crackers to see if he'll eat those since you're saying he's not brand specific on those. Glutino I think I've read has a pretty good saltine style cracker. Kinnikinnick and Udi's are highly recommended for sandwich bread (I wish we could try the new soft Kinnikinnick bread; everything we used to get of their we loved but we've since figured out additional intollerances that have ruled all of their breads out).