Allergy families, need food ideas

[mistysue]

We have spent quite some time trying to narrow down exactly what my son was allergic to with little luck. (We've kept saying it seems like everything!) Well, today we got back the results of his allergy testing.
I need ideas for how to cook with no milk, soy, seafood, walnuts, mushrooms, egg whites or peanuts.
I got the list and just kept thinking "what the heck is left?" We don't like to eat meat, but I think we might have to start just from the lack of options.
That takes away every cheap meal I know of. We had already figured out that he was happier with rice milk, but now I know I can't even use butter or the butter substitutes I had and eggs are in almost everything. It seems like everything I try to look at that is egg and dairy free has soy.
Does anybody have allergies like this they deal with in cooking and good recipes that aren't too pricey? My kids won't eat lentils or beans either.

I guess I'm pretty much at egg free pasta with pesto... (which he won't eat) I've heard of lactose intolerance but never thought about being allergic to milk. I'm sure this will make vacation even more fun to coordinate.

 

[Maddies Mama]

I can't help you with soy free recipes, but my daughter has a dairy allergy and in searching for an alternative to using butter, I came across this: http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/#/products/soy-free/ It's both dairy & soy free. I haven't used it, but a friend of mine uses it as her son has similar allergies to your son and she swears by it. It's not cheap, but nothing really is when you have allergies like that unfortunately. Almond butter is a great alternative to peanut butter, but again, it's super pricy. Good luck.

Also, not sure if your son is allergic to the milk itself or the milk proteins, but if it's the proteins, you'll need to get rid of everything with whey and casein in it as well. My daughter is allergic to the proteins and it's been an interesting few years cooking for her because everything seems to have a milk protein in it. She's outgrowing the allergies though and can tolerate the proteins better, but I still cut them out 95% of the time. Sometimes it can't be avoided because the alternative is that she doesn't eat so I'm thankful that it's not a life threatening allergy, but a minor skin reaction.

 

[Madison'smommy]

I cant really help you... My DH is allergica to alot, but his is manageable..... he is allergic to poultry, seafood, nuts, rice (who knew??).. but just wanted to say... make sure of the nuts used to make the pesto. My DH cannot eat it at all, but I have seen recipes that use walnuts to make it. I would assume it has pine nuts, but I dont know for sure.

 

[Priorityonecb]

Our daughter had a long list of allergies as a toddler too. It was tough at first, but once you get it figured out it will be second nature! It will get better, I promise! Our daughter loved Sunbutter, which was made from sunflower seeds. Dairy was harder, but she drank rice milk happily.

Our daughter has since outgrown most of her allergies, so there is hope for the future as well! I know how overwhelming it can be at first though! You'll get the hang of it!

For our daughters second birthday when things were really tough in terms of allergy free things...she had a rice crispy treat birthday cake!

 

[LuLuO]

My son is dairy free and tomato free and I am gluten free. I second the Earth Balance spreads. There are different ones so you have to specifically look for the soy free version. If you don't see it on the shelf, you may be able to get the grocery store to order it for you. I buy in three or four huge tubs at a time because our Whole Foods is about 40 minutes from our house. I use the spread for cooking and baking with no problems and actually prefer the taste to anything else I've ever had.

We only use almond milk in the house. For cooking savory dishes I use the plain unsweetened kind. For sweet baked goods and cereal I use the vanilla flavored.

Look for Daiya Vegan Cheese. Free of dairy (casein and lactose), soy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts (excluding coconut). My son loves this brand. We make our own pizzas and we use this on burgers: http://www.daiyafoods.com/

You can sub eggs fairly easily in recipes:

http://askville.amazon.com/substitute-eggs-recipe/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=7901414

Also try Ener-g egg replacer if you can find it:
http://www.ener-g.com/egg-replacer.html

Ingredients: Potato Starch, tapioca starch flour, leavening (calcium lactate [not derived from dairy], calcium carbonate, citric acid), sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose

I haven't eaten regular pasta since 2004, but none of the gluten free pastas in my pantry have any soy, eggs or dairy.

I also recommend this site:
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/

 

[LisaR]

We have spent quite some time trying to narrow down exactly what my son was allergic to with little luck. (We've kept saying it seems like everything!) Well, today we got back the results of his allergy testing.
I need ideas for how to cook with no milk, soy, seafood, walnuts, mushrooms, egg whites or peanuts.
I got the list and just kept thinking "what the heck is left?" We don't like to eat meat, but I think we might have to start just from the lack of options.
That takes away every cheap meal I know of. We had already figured out that he was happier with rice milk, but now I know I can't even use butter or the butter substitutes I had and eggs are in almost everything. It seems like everything I try to look at that is egg and dairy free has soy.
Does anybody have allergies like this they deal with in cooking and good recipes that aren't too pricey? My kids won't eat lentils or beans either.

I guess I'm pretty much at egg free pasta with pesto... (which he won't eat) I've heard of lactose intolerance but never thought about being allergic to milk. I'm sure this will make vacation even more fun to coordinate.

My son is allergic to all the things you mentioned plus about a dozen other foods. We also don't eat meat and we are able to find plenty of things to eat. I pretty much make everything from scratch and we don't eat out often at all. It is all about adjusting your taste buds and introducing foods on a regular basis. I really enjoy the way we eat now and we will continue with this lifestyle when my son moves out. If you are looking for anything specific, let me know.

 

[Evi]

Not sure if this helps but I find this site very useful.
http://www.foodallergy.org/

Also I suggest finding a clinic for food allergies. Mass General in Boston has a pediatric food allergy clinic. Maybe they can help you find a dr in your area.

 

[MineMail]

Not sure if this helps but I find this site very useful.
http://www.foodallergy.org/

I second that link - my niece swears by their tips and recipes.

My immediate family has only a few sensitivities/allergies. (Mangos, lactose intolerance and fresh pineapple.) I know a lot of people who struggle to put together healthy meals for the whole family with a limited ingredient list.

In their case, I can totally understand why they would puree beans and hide them in tomato sauce or chili to boost protein intake without dealing with objections.

Good luck - it'll work out.

 

[mistysue]

Thanks everyone. The more I read about it the easier this seems. Initially I started looking through our food and I couldn't find anything he could eat but the gummy candy! We went to the mall last night and he wanted a snack- the only item in the food court I was sure wasn't on the list was fries and even then I don't know if they had soy in their oil.

Eggs, dairy and soy seem to be everywhere. At least we are used to making our own bread, we had thought it was something in food packaging before because he breaks out from almost every manufactured food he has had.
At this point I'm thinking it will be easiest to go with a vegan diet and then add meat if we want it.

 

[GoofyFairie]

It will get easier! I cook and bake from scratch almost everything we eat. I think we are all healthier for it. I have found some recipes on this website that are tasty that everyone will eat. Good luck! www.egglesscooking.com

 

[mjbaby]

I have a LOT of experience with food sensitivities and will PM you when I have a moment. One thing to keep in mind: once you get the hang of things, it gets much easier. My husband is soy-, cow-dairy, wheat- and beef- sensitive. Our daughter has another whole set of sensitivities. When we first uncovered these challenges, our food bill spiked but now has calmed down. My main observation is that, with soy on your "no go list" you'll be a LOT happier and more solvent if you just rid your kitchen of processed foods entirely! You'll also get a feel for the degree of sensitivity and can play around accordingly - for example, we use the Earth Balance soy-free margarine, but he can tolerate a small amount of soy so if "soy lecithin" appears in an ingredients list I don't worry. Anything fried in soy oil (frequently sold as "vegetable oil"), though, is a pass for a rush to an ER. You'll get a feel before too long for these variations for your son.

One thing that's helped me is created my own "family cookbook" of recipes that are either good for us or can be made so with substitutions. Vegan, gluten-free or allergy-specific cookbooks have been of limited utility because they invariably include heavy use of some other ingredient I cannot serve. Once you get a feel for what you CAN use, though, they make good starting points. The Jamie Oliver and Everyday Food cookbooks are great because they are nearly 100% processed food-free and have simple, fast recipes.

Good luck! It's worrying now, yes, but the silver lining is that your whole family's diet is likely to become better, more healthy and perhaps even cheaper than you ever imagined possible.

 

[mjbaby]

For our daughters second birthday when things were really tough in terms of allergy free things...she had a rice crispy treat birthday cake!

Yep! You need to be creative, that's for sure. We had a "birthday fondue" once instead of a cake. It was yummy!

 

[Andreas Mom]

My son has allergies to egg, soy, dairy, tree nuts, and peanuts. I have found soy to be the hardest things to avoid. Seems like at resturants every thing is fried in soy oil...may it be plain soy or a combo of oils but soy always seems to be in it.

It will get easier. I second making your own family cookbook. Once you find things that he can eat that everyone enjoys that cookbook will be a lifesaver on a busy night with little time to cook. I have found Prego spaghetti sauce is the only one out there with no soy that is on the cheaper end. Im sure they have brands that have no soy but lets be honest...who wants to pay $5 a jar of sauce?!?!?! I had a harder time finding things he could eat that didnt cost me an arm and a leg. I try very hard to only make one dinner for the whole family but allergy friendly foods can get spendy.

Depending on your area Daves Killer bread may be good. its the only one my son can eat.

Oh and one last thing that has been a life saver for us since we like to bake.....to replace an egg in baking use 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of water. Works great and that opens up pancakes and waffles and baked goods that he otherwise would have to avoid.

 

[clanmcculloch]

We also like the Earth Balance soy free margarine. It's good stuff.

Check out Turtle Mountain's coconut milk based products. They have milks, kefirs, coffe creamers, yogurts and ice creams under the brand So Delicious. It really is delicious and doesn't have a strong coconut taste. They're all milk and soy free (just make sure you grab the coconut milk products and not the soy products). Some flavours do include nuts so you'll just have to check them to be sure. My understanding is that they take great care with any cross contamination. We've never had any reactions with any of their products other than my DD11 reacts to their soy stuff despite not being allergic to soy (she reacts to several brands of soy products but it's not the soy since she can eat other brands of soy products with no problems).

For cheese, there are some pretty good American Slices made by Galaxy Foods that are made with rice. You just have to be sure to grab the package that is rice cheese and clearly states vegan because they also make rice slices that contain casein. They're great for making grilled cheese or mac & cheese (for mac & cheese just melt them with some margarine and some milk alternative and salt and toss over cooked pasta; really yummy kid food).

For baking, I typically just use unsweetened apple sauce instead of eggs. It's cheaper and easier than using flax or Ener-G egg replacer. For non-sweet baking I'll use Ener-G egg replacer though I keep telling myself I need to try flax mixtures. For things like meatloaf I just use tomato sauce. For hamburgers I just did away with using a binder and just form the patties using just the meat and my preferences of seasonings mixed in.

 

[kkandaj]

My DS has life threatening food allergies to soy, dairy, egg, peanuts and tree nuts. Even trace amounts are epi-pen and ambulance, so we are extremely careful with his foods. Soy--BY FAR--has been the hardest to avoid. DS can have no soy oil or lecithin--so that cuts out 95% of all processed foods, including candy, crystal light, gum, etc. If DS could have one of those foods back, I would take soy in a minute. We make most of his food (except pasta) from scratch.

Daiya cheese is great! It comes in mozzerrella, pepper jack and cheddar. It opened up SO many foods for DS! As a family, we don't usually eat it because it is so expensive--but DS will even eat it by the handfuls.

Spectrum has a shortening that can be used, made from palm oil. We also use Earth Balance, but there is only one version that is truly soy free. Many of them include soy oil/lecithin.

So Delicious coconut milk has been great for DS. They make safe ice cream, yogurt, boxed milks, cold milks. This is the milk I usually use for subs. And the only ice cream and yogurt that he eats, unless made at home. I have never made yogurt successfully at home, though I have seen recipes.

DS eats NOTHING in restaurants, other than McDonald's apples that are prepackaged. Even if we find foods that are safe--chicken breast, broccoli, etc.--the risk for cross contamination in restaurants is just too high for DS. Other than WDW, he has never had a meal in a restaurant.

www.kidswithfoodallergies.org has literally been a lifesaver for DS. KFA is where I learned about additional testing, brands to use and all my recipes. They have information regarding sending kids to school, 504 plans, asthma, etc. Most of the information and support forums are free, though they do charge a $25 yearly membership fee to see the recipes. They are a non-profit organization and that is how they are funded. It is a small price to pay for the recipes and a donation to an organization that has literally saved my sanity.

Also, not sure how severe your child's reactions are, but DS wears a MedicAlert bracelet. This was suggested by his allergist and once I looked into it more, am so grateful for the suggestion. Not only is the bracelet a reminder for people not to give him food, if he ever got seperated from us, people would know not to feed him and they could get a hold of us. MedicAlert is not only a bracelet, but a 24 hour emergency service. The phone number to MedicAlert is on the bracelet and his specific member #. MedicAlert would contact us via phone if someone called in about him. They also have all his insurance, hospital and allergist info on file in case an emergency happened when we weren't with him and couldn't be contacted. I love this small peace of mind.

And since this is the budget board, the only way to make multiple food allergies "budget" is to make as much as you can from scratch. I can't give you much info on avoiding all those foods and not eating meat. Meat is big for DS since he lacks so many other foods. KFA would definitely be able to help you with that!

 

[minnie1928]

At this point I'm thinking it will be easiest to go with a vegan diet and then add meat if we want it.

I'm attempting to go vegan as well. I've found a book called the Engine 2 Diet to be very informative. There's also a Facebook page for it, they are currently listing a new "plant-strong" recipe every day.

 

[Andreas Mom]

The other thing that for us was huge was finding the sunbutter.....basically peanut butter but made it sunflower seeds. Taste great!

also i dont think you can use the ener-G egg replacement since your son cannot have egg whites. My son is allergic to both the white and yolks and i think the ener-G is egg white based? Please correct me if I am wrong....have not looked at it for awhile. We are in a totaly rut of what we eat right now so all these new ideas are great!!

 

[jenffer]

Thanks everyone. The more I read about it the easier this seems. Initially I started looking through our food and I couldn't find anything he could eat but the gummy candy! We went to the mall last night and he wanted a snack- the only item in the food court I was sure wasn't on the list was fries and even then I don't know if they had soy in their oil.

Eggs, dairy and soy seem to be everywhere. At least we are used to making our own bread, we had thought it was something in food packaging before because he breaks out from almost every manufactured food he has had.
At this point I'm thinking it will be easiest to go with a vegan diet and then add meat if we want it.[/QUOTE

FYI: Some fries (McDonald's for one) also have dairy in them. You are going to find it is easier and safer to plan ahead. That is really the adjustment. You have to be much more deliberate on outings and vacations, but it's still doable.

 

[LuLuO]

The other thing that for us was huge was finding the sunbutter.....basically peanut butter but made it sunflower seeds. Taste great!

also i dont think you can use the ener-G egg replacement since your son cannot have egg whites. My son is allergic to both the white and yolks and i think the ener-G is egg white based? Please correct me if I am wrong....have not looked at it for awhile. We are in a totaly rut of what we eat right now so all these new ideas are great!!

Our top selling egg substitute made with potato and tapioca starch. With only 10 calories per serving, Ener-G Egg Replacer simplifies baking and allows you to enjoy a variety of delicious egg-free baked goods. Used strictly for baking, not only is Ener-G Egg Replacer 100% egg-free (contains NO eggs nor animal protein), it is also gluten-free, wheat-free, casein-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, soy-free, tree nut-free, peanut-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, and it's low in protein. It mimics what eggs do in baking recipes so it's perfect for people who cannot have eggs, replacing whole eggs, egg whites, and egg yolks in baking. 16 ounces is equivalent to approximately 100 eggs. Also available in a 50 pound bulk package*.

 

[jenffer]

I think my first post got eaten. LOL. My son, now 9, had almost those same allergies as a toddler. It is hard at first, but it gets a lot easier. I have a bunch of links on my blog. dairyfreediner.wordpress.com There's a whole community out there that will have lots of advice for you. Unfortunately, it's a more and more common issue.