Newly Diagnosed Milk and Egg Allergies - Any pointers, websites, etc for info

[cjzimmer1]

My 7 month old was just diagnosed with allergies to egg and milk. Since he's predominately breastfed, I'm having to altar my diet. I'm already completely mourning my cheese, sour cream, ice cream, butter etc,,  I drink Almond milk and can easily use unsweetened milk in savory things.  I know there is a dairy free "butter" called Earth's balance (if I'm remembering correctly).  Our local store has daiya "cheese" if I get completely desperate but I don't really like the way it tastes.  I have no idea how to replace chocolate or eggs.

 

I'm looking for any pointers, websites with recipes etc. that will provide helpful information to make this transition.  It's only been 24 hours but I'm already missing my chocolate and I can't think of anything to make with cocoa powder that doesn't have milk and/or eggs.

 

It doesn't help that today is DD5's birthday and so supper will be (at her request) homemade pizza with cheese in the crust, chocolate cake and ice cream, none of which I will be able to eat.

[Soror]

There is dairy free chocolate, look at Lindt some of the dark varieties are dairy free. I like chocolate w/ nutbutter or plain nuts. You can just use almond milk as a replacement in recipes that call for milk if there is something you have in mind.

[Dana]

Hugs. It's hard!

 

FARE has resources and recall info. Check them online.

 

Namaste brownie mix is YUM! Earth Balance is the safe margarine. It comes in tubs and sticks. It's okay. I can't stand Daiya.

Enjoy Life does safe chocolate chips and candy bars (so you can get a chocolate fix). We are milk free for ds (although dh and I eat some) and the house is completely nut free.

 

Coconut ice cream isn't bad.

 

And vent here when you need to (or feel free to send PMs)!

[athena1277]

Look up "Living Without Magazine".  They have a lot of online info for people living with multiple food allergies or intolerance.

[cjzimmer1]

There is dairy free chocolate, look at Lindt some of the dark varieties are dairy free.

 

That's good to know.  I checked every type of chocolate I had in the house and it all has milk so assumed that meant all candy did.  Glad to hear there are some other options out there.

 

Hugs. It's hard!

 

FARE has resources and recall info. Check them online.

 

Namaste brownie mix is YUM! Earth Balance is the safe margarine. It comes in tubs and sticks. It's okay. I can't stand Daiya.

Enjoy Life does safe chocolate chips and candy bars (so you can get a chocolate fix). We are milk free for ds (although dh and I eat some) and the house is completely nut free.

 

Coconut ice cream isn't bad.

 

And vent here when you need to (or feel free to send PMs)!

Thank you,  more chocolate ideas.  As the day has wore on I've realize that the chocolate is probably the most crucial of my issues.  When we went to buy DD's birthday cake this afternoon, I did find Almond Dream has a chocolate ice cream.  It was good, very very good.  I didn't envy the cake at all after that. 

 

Can the brownie mix be made without eggs?  I keep thinking of things I could make where I could sub out the milk but then get stuck on the eggs.

 

Look up "Living Without Magazine".  They have a lot of online info for people living with multiple food allergies or intolerance.

 Thank you!  And I've lucked out that my library even has some copies of this so I've put in a request for them.

[Um_2_4]

In most (not all) baked goods, eggs can be subbed with ground flax seed meal.

[wisdomandpeace]

My 7 month old was just diagnosed with allergies to egg and milk. Since he's predominately breastfed, I'm having to altar my diet. I'm already completely mourning my cheese, sour cream, ice cream, butter etc,, I drink Almond milk and can easily use unsweetened milk in savory things. I know there is a dairy free "butter" called Earth's balance (if I'm remembering correctly). Our local store has daiya "cheese" if I get completely desperate but I don't really like the way it tastes. I have no idea how to replace chocolate or eggs.

 

I'm looking for any pointers, websites with recipes etc. that will provide helpful information to make this transition. It's only been 24 hours but I'm already missing my chocolate and I can't think of anything to make with cocoa powder that doesn't have milk and/or eggs.

 

It doesn't help that today is DD5's birthday and so supper will be (at her request) homemade pizza with cheese in the crust, chocolate cake and ice cream, none of which I will be able to eat.

[lmrich]

I have used applesauce in place of eggs. I have both allergies now myself. It is tough. I agree birthdays stink without chocolate cake end ice cream. I will have to try that almond milk ice cream.

[wapiti]

When I was in a similar position, I used this simple cookbook - pretty basic, but it got me through a few months of avoiding all the top 8 allergens.  Using this cookbook also helped me figure out what to substitute in some of my own recipes.  (Ultimately I switched from nursing to Nutramigen; we never did figure it out, and now dd4 has no known food allergies according to recent skin testing)

 

www.foodallergy.org

[Dana]

My son's egg allergy does allow them in baked goods although he still can't tolerate baked milk (sigh). So we do use eggs in the Namaste brownie mix. I believe they have optional directions for without egg...replace with oil and vinegar maybe? I think that's the egg substitute in a other cookbook....

 

http://www.amazon.com/Milk-Free-Egg-Free-Nut-Free-Allergy-Cookbook/dp/0970278500/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1377225872&sr=8-8&keywords=Milk+free+cookbook

 

This cookbook and her other one have some good cake recipes. Good chocolate cake too! :)

 

I know it's overwhelming now, but it WILL get easier with time.

[Jan in SC]

Not that you are planning to switch to formula, but if you do, be very careful with Nutramigen. It contains milk and my ds reacted poorly to it. Neocate formula is milk free. Not recommending you use it, or switch from nursing, just giving you a heads up about Nutramigen and allergies.

[Mabeline]

This is the best chocolate cake recipe. My family loves this cake. I often double the recipe and make it in a 9x13 pan.

 

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=290878

 

Look up vegan recipes. I have found many good ones on Pinterest.

[Ravin]

Ener-G egg replacer and recipes on vegweb.com.

[wisdomandpeace]

Are the egg & milk in your diet causing problems for your baby? The reason I ask is that my son stopped nursing at age 3.5 and during that time I kept eating almost everything he's allergic to (very severe allergies and history of anaphylaxis to egg & milk, plus wheat, barley, rye, peanut, tree nut, and sunflower seed). I kept peanut / tree nut out of my diet because it was giving him eczema. But if I just stayed away from the nuts, he was perfectly healthy with porcelain skin. My allergist said that so little of the allergenic protein makes its way into breastmilk to worry about unless it was causing a problem. (It's way too small of an amount to cause a significant reaction.) I think I probably wouldn't have nursed him as long as I did if I had had to live on such a restricted diet. And I think that for a child with a severely restricted diet, the breastmilk was so beneficial to him! And now that he's nearing his 4th birthday and starting to outgrow some of his allergens (even ones his drs. said he probably wouldn't outgrow) and his IgE numbers are falling, I wonder if the tiny amounts of allergenic protein he received through my breastmilk actually "taught" his immune system to recognize them.

 

Experiment and see what you can get away with, foodwise. If regular milk and egg in your diet bother him, try baked egg and milk. I think there is also a rotation diet out there that allows you to eat the allergenic foods on occasion, making sure that the proteins can't build up too much in your milk. Eat all the dark chocolate you want--there's no milk in that! Also try the So Delicious coconut ice cream--the chocolate flavor is so rich and creamy! Good luck!

[cjzimmer1]

Thank you all for the ideas and suggestions.  I now have a huge list of books I have requested from the library.  I hadn't even thought about vegan recipes as fitting the bill because I love my meat and my brain didn't even go in that direction.  I was just stuck and not even sure where to start. 

 

Are the egg & milk in your diet causing problems for your baby? The reason I ask is that my son stopped nursing at age 3.5 and during that time I kept eating almost everything he's allergic to (very severe allergies and history of anaphylaxis to egg & milk, plus wheat, barley, rye, peanut, tree nut, and sunflower seed). I kept peanut / tree nut out of my diet because it was giving him eczema. But if I just stayed away from the nuts, he was perfectly healthy with porcelain skin. My allergist said that so little of the allergenic protein makes its way into breastmilk to worry about unless it was causing a problem. (It's way too small of an amount to cause a significant reaction.) I think I probably wouldn't have nursed him as long as I did if I had had to live on such a restricted diet. And I think that for a child with a severely restricted diet, the breastmilk was so beneficial to him! And now that he's nearing his 4th birthday and starting to outgrow some of his allergens (even ones his drs. said he probably wouldn't outgrow) and his IgE numbers are falling, I wonder if the tiny amounts of allergenic protein he received through my breastmilk actually "taught" his immune system to recognize them.

Experiment and see what you can get away with, foodwise. If regular milk and egg in your diet bother him, try baked egg and milk. I think there is also a rotation diet out there that allows you to eat the allergenic foods on occasion, making sure that the proteins can't build up too much in your milk. Eat all the dark chocolate you want--there's no milk in that! Also try the So Delicious coconut ice cream--the chocolate flavor is so rich and creamy! Good luck!

 

My son has very mild eczema that I'm quite sure is from the milk.  The reason we sought the allergy evaluation is that my son is barely growing and we haven't been able to find a cause or remedy to help him gain weight. He was born at over 7 pounds and has gained less than 4 pounds in 7 months.  We have no idea if the food allergies are causing the problem or not but are trying to rule out anything we can to get to the bottom of what is going on.  So while I certainly hope this is not a long term thing, I've got to do this strictly for a while to see if it will make a difference or not.  I'm happy to hear that even with your son's severe allergies you could continue most foods.  That gives me hope that I can eat my beloved dairy products again whether or not I wean him.

 

 

 

 

I'm not really looking to wean him anytime soon, my last nursed till she was 2.  Right now he refuses any supplimentation we have tried (formula - Nutrimagen, homemade goat milk formula, and human donor milk), he just doesn't like anything besides me so even I wanted to wean it's not an option.  We're pushing solids but he can only handle just so much of that.  We are just trying everything possible at this point to put some weight on him. 
 

[Tess in the Burbs]

Enjoy life has chocolate, I used to order in bulk!!!

 

Fleishmans unsalted butter is dairy free.

 

Vanilla rice milk is good.

 

You will have to try the cheese alternatives to find one yiu like but we loved goat cheese in our tacos.

 

Our allergist gave a list of alternatives for baking put out by Faan. I didn't like the Egg replacer so I mix 3 things( I think it's oil water and vinegar??), would have to check back with exact amounts. It works great for cooking w/o eggs

 

Don't panic. You will find substitutes for your favorites. There is a lot out there now I didn't have access to 10 years ago!!!

[craftymama]

I know someone posted that they could still eat foods with the allergens in them, but I could not. Every case is different. In ours the allergic reaction showed up while breast feeding exclusively.

[wisdomandpeace]

In that case, I think you're right to be strict, at least for a while. Like I said, highly recommend the So Delicious products: they make "milk", coffee creamer, yogurt, and frozen goodies. To sub for egg in baking use Ener-G egg replacer or you can make a "flax egg" by soaking flax in water (we use King Arthur brand). I like Earth Balance vegan mayo and their shortening sticks in baking because they're non-hydrogenated. Many Applegate products (hot dogs, bacon, lunch meat, pepperoni) are dairy free. (You do have to be careful with deli meats because cheese is frequently cut on the same slicers. Buy the prepackaged kind.) As for chocolate, Hershey's has very good labeling and that includes their Scharffen Berger brand. Enjoy Life is also good. Life is stressful enough with a food-allergic child, a girl needs her chocolate! Highly recommend cookbooks by Cybele Pascal and books about food allergy by Dr. Scott Sicherer (on the board of directors of FARE, formerly FAAN, and we're very fortunate in that our son is his patient).

 

I think the previous poster meant to say that Fleischman's unsalted *margarine* is dairy free. Butter is definitely not dairy free! And be careful with goat's milk--many, if not most individuals allergic to cow's milk will be cross-reactive to goat's milk. Maybe have a skin test done before trying it.

[vonfirmath]

My 7 month old was just diagnosed with allergies to egg and milk. Since he's predominately breastfed, I'm having to altar my diet. I'm already completely mourning my cheese, sour cream, ice cream, butter etc,,  I drink Almond milk and can easily use unsweetened milk in savory things.  I know there is a dairy free "butter" called Earth's balance (if I'm remembering correctly).  Our local store has daiya "cheese" if I get completely desperate but I don't really like the way it tastes.  I have no idea how to replace chocolate or eggs.

 

I'm looking for any pointers, websites with recipes etc. that will provide helpful information to make this transition.  It's only been 24 hours but I'm already missing my chocolate and I can't think of anything to make with cocoa powder that doesn't have milk and/or eggs.

 

It doesn't help that today is DD5's birthday and so supper will be (at her request) homemade pizza with cheese in the crust, chocolate cake and ice cream, none of which I will be able to eat.

 

 

My daughter has a dairy allergy. Yes, plain old cheese, yogurt, sour cream, butter etc in the stores is right out. No more canned cream of X soup, though you can make your own. A lot of chocolate is "Milk chocolate" and needs to be eliminated. NOTE: bread often has milk in it. You are going to have to look at labels and really find which brands and which varieties are milk free. My daughter can handle "May be processed in the same facility as milk containing items" Some kids can't.

 

My daughter can handle HEB's Whales crackers -- which are their Goldfish crackers. Which have cheese. But for some reason it doesn't hurt her (at least in moderate quantities). Again, your mileage may vary

 

Miracle whip does NOT have milk

 

Ranch usually does. Check your Mayonaise. A lot of spaghetti sauces have milk.

 

My daughter drinks soy milk. We tried almond milk and she wouldn't drink it. Because of the concerns about soy you might want to start with coconut or almond milk.

 

We have a soy alternative for butter we buy at wal-mart we use for stuff we want DD to be able to eat. I have recently purchased coconut oil to try baking with. Lard also works.

 

I have also found that she vastly prefers chicken or pork over beef. I don't know if its related to her allergy or just being a toddler.

 

We do a LOT of sandwiches (she loves peanut butter.) Pulled Pork was her birthday dinner. Baked Chicken. Chicken in pasta and sauce dishes. My husband recently converted a Pasta and sausage dish to be dairy-free and she enjoys that as well.

 

ETA: Check out Milk Allergy Mom's blog for more ideas. http://milkallergymom.blogspot.com/ She has to be very strict on her milk avoidance because both of her kids have been Anaphylactic to milk. One's somewhat outgrown it, but the other still has it.

 

Here is the recipe for Cake that we used for DD's 2nd birthday (we call it wacky cake). No milk, no eggs.

http://milkallergymom.blogspot.com/2008/05/dairyegg-free-cake.html

 

There is also a whole community called Kids with Food Allergies http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/pages/community including recipes you can search by your particular allergens

[Annie]

The first two or three weeks really are the hardest. It will be second nature soon. :hugs:

 

You've gotten really good advice. I use either the ener-g egg replacer or "flax egg" depending on the recipe. I've had very good success with things that call for two eggs or less. Two people linked to wacky cake recipes, and that's my go to option for birthday cake. I've also made a vanilla and lemon version, and both were quite yummy.

 

Your LO is too young for it to make a difference now, but I keep a batch of wacky cake cupcakes in the freezer so that I can grab one to take with me if he's going to a birthday party or other place where all of the kids will likely be eating treats he can't have. It's a lot easier than scrambling around 2 hours before you're supposed to leave. ;) The same general idea would probably work for mama chocolate cravings.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I have an egg allergy. I usually use applesauce or "flax seed egg" when cooking if it is something I can't just leave the egg out of.  I check everything for egg, it is second nature now for me and for my dh to check things.  It will get easier for you.

[Katy]

Not growing?  If your new diet doesn't make a difference quickly I'd try either formula (keep pumping to keep supply up),  or I'd try going gluten free.  Not growing is one of the signs of celiac.

 

And I'd probably take a probiotic and try and figure out a way to give the baby some (maybe a quarter teaspoon of sweetened coconut or soy yogurt on your nipple at every feeding).

 

And you might want to add something like cod liver oil to your diet, or some other sort of essential fatty acid (cod liver oil has made a difference in my family when other oil supplements didn't though).

[Isabella]

Another thought to throw out there is NAET treatment for the allergies.  I've heard lots of good things about it, and it might be something worth trying?

[HollyDay]

we have had this combo of allergies in our house as well.  Here are our favorite ideas:

 

EGGS:

Ground flax seeds can be used as egg substitutes in baking. 

EnerG makes a powdered egg substitute that works well too

Tofu makes an okay "scramble" if you are really craving scrambled eggs.  I like to stir fry it with spinach, shredded carrots, sesame seeds, etc.

 

Milk:

Oat milk is great for baking.  I love it in pumpkin pie, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, etc.

Almond milk is okay too for general drinking and mixing. 

Dd preferred rice milk for her cereal, chocolate milk, etc.

My favorite coconut milk ice cream: http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/

My favorite ice cream treat: http://www.tastethedream.com/products/product/2429/205.php

If you need buttermilk,  add 1 T/cup of any other type of milk (again I prefer Oat for baking, but almond works fine too)

 

Earth Balance makes a very nice butter substitute.  Even dh likes it!

 

Be very careful about mayo.  The nutritionist told us many dc who are allergic to dairy cannot tolerate mayo for whatever reason.  Earth Balance also makes a nice dairy free, egg free mayo.

 

Can you tolerate goat milk?  Dd actually really likes goat yogurt.  She doesn't like goat milk, but does enjoy goat yogurt

 

Read labels.  You would be surprised where dairy turns up.  If it is an allergy to the protein, then you want to avoid all casein as well.  That one can be tough.  I've seen some "dairy" substitutes that actually have casein in them.  We would only buy products that were dairy, casein, and whey free.  I made a lot of our own baked goods and ice creams. 

 

[almondbutterandjelly]

Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips! 

 

If you like Oreos, those are also egg and dairy free.

 

The book, Bakin' Without Eggs, is wonderful.  http://www.amazon.com/Bakin-Without-Eggs-Delicious-Food-Allergic/dp/0312206356

They have a great "No Cow Brownies" recipe that is quick and easy.  And so chocolate-y.  (They also have great recipes for cookies and cornbread and lots of other stuff.)

 

Vegannaise or Nayonnaise is great for sandwiches and things like tuna salad.

 

Earth Balance is awesome for a butter substitute.

 

Read every ingredient label before you buy.  You'd be surprised at how milk sneaks into things.

 

There is no good tasting cheese substitute. 

 

Tofutti makes a decent sour cream and cream cheese substitute.

 

HTH

 

 

 

 

[cjzimmer1]

Not growing?  If your new diet doesn't make a difference quickly I'd try either formula (keep pumping to keep supply up),  or I'd try going gluten free.  Not growing is one of the signs of celiac.

 

That's why we did the allergy testing, we were suspecting milk and possibly gluten.  However, there was no reaction at all to wheat.  Can one have celiac and not react to the skin prick test?  The eggs were a complete surprise and I think why this is been hard to adjust to mentally. 

 

we have had this combo of allergies in our house as well.  Here are our favorite ideas:

 

EGGS:

Ground flax seeds can be used as egg substitutes in baking. 

EnerG makes a powdered egg substitute that works well too

Tofu makes an okay "scramble" if you are really craving scrambled eggs.  I like to stir fry it with spinach, shredded carrots, sesame seeds, etc.

 

Can you tolerate goat milk?  Dd actually really likes goat yogurt.  She doesn't like goat milk, but does enjoy goat yogurt

 

 

I looked for EnerG at the store today and couldn't find it.  I looked in the natural food section.  Where does your store stock it? 

 

I can tolerate all milk fine it is the nursling who is having the problem.  The allergist wants me off all diary (cow, goat and sheep) to see if this causing nursling's poor growth issues.

 

Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips! 

 

 

Vegannaise or Nayonnaise is great for sandwiches and things like tuna salad.

 

Earth Balance is awesome for a butter substitute.

 

Tofutti makes a decent sour cream and cream cheese substitute.

 

I will keep the chocolate chips in mind next time I'm in the store.  I made the chocolate cake someone posted above and had my chocolate fix by the time I went to the store and forgot to check them. I did pick up the vegannaise, earth balance and sour cream you recommended so I have them on hand when I need them.

 

Thanks again to all for the helpful advice.  I'm starting to feel slightly less overwhelmed, although it was torture to go to the farmer's market and have to skip nearly all the samples (multiple cheese stand, pesto, cheese bread, sour cream based dips etc) and treats that I might normally have bought.

[Annie]

I've gotten the Ener-G at the health food store. I've seen it in the natural food section of some grocery stores but not all of them. I would google to see what the box looks like. It can be easy to miss even if you know what you're looking for. They usually put it in an out of the way place. I don't think it's a huge money maker for them. ;-)

[prairiewindmomma]

Costco sells Earth Balance in bulk.

I have a coconut allergy and I avoid soy so I use almond milk most of the time. I have missed icecream the most, but there are lovely sorbet and almond milk "icecream" recipes out there.

 

 

Preemie baby has the same allergies.....she also started gaining a lot once I completely cut out dairy, egg, and peanut and cut way back on gluten.

[wisdomandpeace]

Celiac and wheat allergy are completely different. Celiac would not show up on a skin prick test for wheat allergy.

 

If your market doesn't have egg replacer, try Amazon. (When your kid eats the weird foods that mine does to avoid 8 different allergens, subscribe & save is your friend!) You can also google how to make egg replacer--it's mostly baking powder.

[walkermamaof4]

Sheep feta from TJ's doesn't bother my highly sensitive to egg and dairy son. Goats milk does bother him though.

[HollyDay]

My local store sells the EnerG egg replacement on the baking aisle.  But, you can order it online.  If you are supposed to be off all dairy, then they are suspecting casein as the trigger.  In that case, read, read, read all labels.  This website has a very informative list: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=37

"hidden" dairy can be a big problem. 

 

Remember too that butter is a dairy product.  So, watch labels for that as well