Soy allergies... with new changes??

[brown1442]

My son has multiple food allergies and we leave for our trip in just over a month. He's allergic to peanuts (anaphylactic), tree nuts, milk, soy, gluten, bell peppers, and zucchini. I spent months mapping out what he could eat for snacks and desserts based on the lists we got back in the fall and now I understand they've changed a lot of their products!?!?!? After looking up the ingredients online of a lot of them I am seeing soy in EVERYTHING!! Now what do we do?? I am sorry but fruit is NOT a dessert for a 6 year old... its just not!!

HELPPPPPPP!!

 

[MSSANDRA]

We just returned with our PA child. Reality is that almost all desserts except ice cream were off limits to him. He was good with fruit and ice cream but we really were not given many other options. I always had a safe dessert with me in case we needed it.

 

[Mary976]

Soy is a tough one. I actually developed my soy allergy as an adult which I guess is pretty uncommon.

So for dessert at WDW (and I LOVE dessert!!) I have found:

Ice cream (only certain flavors and only at TS places)
Things from the Babycakes bakery in DTD


And that's it. Although I thought I heard a few stores would start carrying Enjoy Life chocolate bars and cookies and those are soy free.

If he can have soy in trace amounts (so if he can have artificial and natural flavors without problem) then there might be some candy options.

Sorry to be the harbinger of bad news. I would LOVE to hear if people have found other options. Personally, I would pack some desserts in my bag just to have if need be.

Good luck!
Mary

 

[SDSorority]

I'm a soy avoider!! Also gluten-free, no artificial colors/flavors/msg/yucky stuff.

The vanilla ice cream (Edy's I think) is ok in a bowl. They do have Enjoy Life chocolate bars at the Land (Sunshine Seasons) and those are soy-free/gluten-free. The gluten-free brownies are soy-free (these: http://www.frenchmeadow.com/products/desserts/gluten-free-fudge-brownies)

MOOOOST of the time we will order our food at the TS without dessert, and just snack on our own dessert after we leave the restaurant.

Special Diets can send you their allergy list and you can go online and look up the brands to see the ingredient list. I know that at some of the CS places I can get Amy's brand Rice Macaroni and Cheese, which I can eat because it's gluten and soy free. I also know that at some other CS places I can get Amy's Gluten-Free Cheese Pizza, which I CAN'T have because it has soy oil in it.

I was told last trip that the cooking oil that WDW uses is a combo of canola and olive oil- they have gotten rid of using soy oil. Granted.... for US, I'd rather they use butter, but I'll take canola/olive oil over soy oil any day!

Babycakes at DTD is soy and gluten free.... and AWESOME. Emily does a great job of managing the bakery!!!

A good option that we had last trip was La Hacienda. We had gluten free veggie tacos (corn tortillas) and they were AWESOME! We couldn't have the chips because they were flour tortillas, but that's ok- the tacos were SO good... it's our new favorite place.

 

[mistysue]

I feel your pain! I've spent months rating each dining place in the parks by how easy it would be to feed DS... I think they just took away EVERY option he actually had. I get that gluten free is huge right now and that people are making up allergies to get favors when they don't want something, but I don't know if we can go at all anymore. I'm almost angry that there are so many gluten allergies that they don't care about other ones. It's not a vacation to me if I have to change where we stay and am forced to do all of our food prep for the trip. None of his allergies are even unusual, they are all in the top 8, which their previous line was safe for.

DS has been allergic to soy, milk, egg, shrimp, peanut and walnut... Wednesday we just found he also can't have wheat now! So yay for all their gluten free- except that it all has eggs! Now it does us no good. I'm sorry, he can't eat a cookie alone for every meal for 8 days straight.

I can't help but notice that all three responses you've gotten so far have suggested ice cream or butter products, which you also said he can't have. I'm not pointing it out to pick on the other posters but it's funny. This happens every time I ask too. Makes me laugh every time. Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in a loop with people- can't have milk, try the soy milk, can't have soy milk, try the milk... I keep seeing that the plaze has rice dream though.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Lots of places which carry Tofutti ice cream also have Rice Dream ice cream and Pacific rice milk; you do seem to have to specifically ask for them though. The ice cream makes me nervous as a mom to a gluten free child just because the milk I know uses barley yet they claim to somehow be gluten free so I'm not sure how I feel about the company as a whole. I'm grateful that my kids can eat the Tofutti ice cream. They don't use barley in the ice cream which I don't understand so it really does come down to comfort with the brand. I hope they don't change the brand of rice milk to Rice Dream as that is NOT gluten free. I haven't heard any reports from anybody ordering rice milk to know one way or the other.

As a mom to a child who's been gluten and egg free (among other things free) for a while, this really doesn't change much since she already couldn't eat any of the baked goods other than Enjoy Life. I REALLY hope we can still get them next month. The chef at the Polynesian has assured me that she's ordering some in for at to have in the club lounge but everywhere else I'm not confident. Did the Ener-G buns have eggs? I know she couldn't eat them due to the citrus fiber so I don't recall the details of the other ingredients. It's really my 11yo who is being affected by this a LOT as she is not gluten free but she is milk, peanut and a few tree nuts free (among other things). Well, I'm also affected as I'm gluten, milk and peanut free but as an adult I can cope with less options better than kids can.

 

[brown1442]

I guess I am going to be packing a suitcase full of snacks and desserts for him. Its not the end of the world... we did it for our last trip... but it does make me angry. We are paying BIG BUCKS for the DxDP and I am still packing his food. Oh well... at least Enjoy Life cookies and chocolate bars travel well right?!?!?!

I just got SO excited back in the fall when I saw all these new options for him. I thought for once in his life he was going to get to walk into a shop and actually get to pick from a selection... silly delusional me. *sigh*

Its not Disney's responsibility to feed him obviously... its mine. I know that... and I get that food allergies have become "fashionable" these days so I am sure its hard for them to keep up... but still I can't help but be disappointed thats all.

We don't do Rice Dream ice cream (or rice milk for that matter)... we've always done So Delicious coconut milk ice creams and fudge bars, or coconut water sorbets which are AMAZING. Too bad they don't carry those!!

 

[kkandaj]

Brown1442--We are in the same boat and my heart aches for you. DS can't have any soy (oil or lecithin included). People don't realize that soy really is in everything. He is also anaphylactic to eggs, peanuts, dairy and some tree nuts. We also don't do Rice Dream because of x-contam issues with soy. So Delicious has also been a lifesaver for DS. Being dairy and soy free is a lonely world and people really struggle with comprehending this.

We will be packing food for DS. The only reason I will not stay on site is because of DS's food allergies. There is no way, with his allergy set, that we could benefit from the dining plan. The choices for him are extremely limited. I would lose money and still have to figure out how to feed him. We only stay off site, because allergy mom's don't ever really get a true vacation.

I also agree with the "gluten free" hype. I know there are people that have gluten allergies, but the media and marketing are making money off some people that have no idea what gluten even is. It irks me to no end when a can of green beans and yogurt say "gluten free." Um..ya..they should be gluten free.

People's first response when I say DS has food allergies is "oh, he can't have gluten or he might get sick?" I politely reply, "No, he can have gluten. But he can't have eggs, soy, dairy or any nut because his throat swells shut and he goes limp in my arms--after his face swells up and he vomits everywhere, requiring epi's and the ambulance." So much education is needed for food allergies, including the people at Disney that are providing everything gluten free, but putting eggs back into products. Egg allergies are a very common allergy. I don't get it.

Until there's a cure, this mama will be toting DS's food. It's the role God chose for me.

ETA: I doubt that Babycakes NYC is on the dining plan, but that may be an option to be able to let your child pick something out like a normal kid. I believe they are Top 8 free. I already told DH that DS will be able to spend as much money as he wants there--for donuts, breads, cupcakes, etc.--for the week. The way I see it, my child has NEVER gotten to pick ANYTHING (except apple slices from McDonald's) from a restaurant. I will probably cry as he picks out all the foods he wants for the week. He will finally get to be a "normal" kid.

 

[dntd]

You can see what is in the babycakes online. Sadly these are off limits for me due to corn allergies, when allergen are taken out they add corn.

 

[candacewi5]

I feel for you! My son is also allergic to soy, dairy, and all nuts. It is a very difficult combo to accomodate. I was hoping our first trip to Disney would be relaxing and a lot less work but it looks like I was wrong. I hope your trip is great and your child gets to enjoy being a kid! Please let us know how it goes and hopefully Disney gets their heads out of the behinds and opens their eyes to all of the families they are alienating with these changes. I have no advice to offer, but I feel for you!
Candace

 

[candacewi5]

I feel for you! My son is also allergic to soy, dairy, and all nuts. It is a very difficult combo to accomodate. I was hoping our first trip to Disney would be relaxing and a lot less work but it looks like I was wrong. I hope your trip is great and your child gets to enjoy being a kid! Please let us know how it goes and hopefully Disney gets their heads out of the behinds and opens their eyes to all of the families they are alienating with these changes. I have no advice to offer, but I feel for you!
Candace

 

[ZPT1022]

I feel your pain. We went to WDW in 2010 and we were top 8 plus strawberry free at the time. I have some allergies, and my new little guy had some allergies and since I was nursing, I get to cut everything. Yay me. We had such a good time and we ate really well while we were there, aside from desserts I felt almost normal while we were there. Now we have learned that he has no issue with eggs but we are still gluten, dairy, soy, tree nut, fish, shellfish, strawberry free, as well as avoiding large amounts of corn as it seems to make both the little guy and me sick. We were so excited to go back, with the addition of eggs we should have had a ton more options than we did last time and we were so happy about that! Now I am seeing that the options are changing and we may be severely limited with multiple allergies and I am so sad. I don't care for myself, I'm used to it and I'm old and can get over it, but my little guy will be 2 when we visit WDW and he notices now when everyone else gets a treat and he doesn't. It's going to stink, big time, if every meal concludes with his three siblings and dad getting nice desserts and him getting apple slices. I guess I'm going to have to hit that Babycakes bakery and buy him all the treats he wants and just find a way to haul them around in the heat

 

[brown1442]

To be honest I was a little uncomfortable with the nut disclaimer on Babycakes website... anybody else with nut allergies feel that way too???

 

[ZPT1022]

To be honest I was a little uncomfortable with the nut disclaimer on Babycakes website... anybody else with nut allergies feel that way too???

yes and no. Of course my preference would be that it was made in an entirely nut free facility or at least not on shared equipment but it sounds like they are aware of the potential for cross contamination and take a lot of steps to prevent it.

 

[DCDisney]

Baby cakes is tough though because many soy and peanut allergic people are also allergic to other legumes as well and the flour they use is garbanzo bean. If you are used to gluten free I think people like their stuff but people used to eating regular flour seem to often not like their products. We went with a vegan friend who was very excited but the only things she found even tolerable were the doughnut and these cups of cake crumbs, frosting, and fruit because they were moister. Legumes though are really tough because they are in all the ice creams and Popsicles but if you are allergic to soy and peanut both it's worth checking on before going to WDW and loading up on allergy products made from legumes.

 

[SDSorority]

Baby cakes is tough though because many soy and peanut allergic people are also allergic to other legumes as well and the flour they use is garbanzo bean. If you are used to gluten free I think people like their stuff but people used to eating regular flour seem to often not like their products. We went with a vegan friend who was very excited but the only things she found even tolerable were the doughnut and these cups of cake crumbs, frosting, and fruit because they were moister. Legumes though are really tough because they are in all the ice creams and Popsicles but if you are allergic to soy and peanut both it's worth checking on before going to WDW and loading up on allergy products made from legumes.

The brownies are not garbanzo bean

http://www.babycakesnyc.com/babycakes-at-downtown-disney-menu.html