Who else is dealing with food allergies/intolerances?

[Tess in the Burbs]

My son had dairy and egg allergies as a baby/toddler. He tested negative at 3.5 years old at a new Dr office when we moved here. Before that Duke had him tested in a food challenge and he failed miserably. So I was elated he was finally negative and ready to move on! I had been dairy/egg free with my son all along.

 

We introduced milk and egg to him that first year but it was hit or miss. Some things caused diarrhea and the 'shiners' under his eyes and others did not. Egg clearly wasn't ok for him and he didn't eat it unless baked into something and in small amounts. We moved him to cow milk two years later and he seemed ok.

 

but I had times when I thought perhaps we were wrong.....

 

Two years since making the milk move I am pretty sure we were wrong. We have potty issues. And the shiners/puffy eyes are back. Last night's cheese enchilada and ice cream dinner brought it all back to mind....and he's clearly not ok with dairy!

 

At first I was ok with this information. It had been in the back of my head off and on that some behavior and physical issues were possibly allergy related. But hours later today I feel so burdened. I don't remember what snacks we used to eat. I don't remember the old websites I liked(and now can't find). I feel I should get him tested so I am not saying he has something he doesn't, but if he tested negative ....I would still avoid dairy, so do I go through the trouble?

 

He's not severely allergic. Never was. itchy/rashy skin, 'shiners' under his eyes, behavior is not his normal when too much milk in his diet. Just enough to make him miserable. scratching his skin, in the bathroom all the time, and cranky!

 

Who else has food allergies? Dairy specific? I would really appreciate some information. Snack list of ok normal store bought foods. Products that are okay for dairy allergic people. I could do the research, yes, but I am so overwhelmed right now I am hoping someone is willing to share info. I spent hours today already...and have so much to weed through.

 

The bright side is...I know we will all eat healthier. meat, fruits, veggies. less sweet stuff.

 

I just can't believe we are back to this point. And I bet we never should have stopped our dairy free life from back then! I plan to pursue testing back at Duke if possible. I didn't trust the Dr here before and now really want a solid testing experience.

 

thanks for listening. Off to eat some Tofutti ice cream sandwiches :-)

[abbeyej]

You know, Tess, my first thought is that maybe his reactions are related to environmental allergen loads as well? Pollen down here in Georgia has been bad for at least a week, and usually VA's only about a week behind us. And often the *combination* of environmental and food allergens can just overload someone's system when one or the other alone might not be truly noticeable.

 

I really do empathize with all this. When ds was four, the child ate pretty much nothing but meat, leafy green veggies, mushrooms, blueberries, and peaches. We survived, lol, but I'm not quite sure how. When we got corn, legumes, and dairy back, I was *elated*. Now that we have wheat too, it's like I don't even have to *think* about allergies most of the time anymore. Whoohoo! But if someone said we had to lose dairy or gluten again, I know I would cry. You *do* get used to it, but it's *hard*. :( (Ds still can't have eggs and nuts are life-threatening...)

 

But, you know, if you do need to remove dairy from his diet, you *will* survive. It's tough, but if you can make it through the first month, it'll get easier. You'll remember the old things you'd feed him. You'll get creative again. You'll find your routine.

 

Thinking of non-dairy snacks:

rice cakes with toppings (jam or sunflower butters are common ones here)

fresh veggies, pitas, or chips dipped in hummus or salsa

celery sticks with peanut butter (sunflower butter here) and raisins

homemade popcorn (I make ours on the stove -- others can give instructions for making your own microwave popcorn in brown paper bags)

carrot sticks wrapped in lettuce leaves and sprinkled with a little salt

apples with peanut butter (sunflower)

pretzels

 

 

If you have Trader Joe's in your area, go to the customer service counter and ask if they have a list of dairy-free foods in the store. They carry lists for *most* common allergens, and it can be really helpful as you walk through the store looking for things for your child...

[Supertechmom]

We are dairy and gluten free. I do remember that oreos and cheerios are dairy free. Some kinds of animal crackers, push pops are dairy free, Fruity pebbles, cocoa pebbles, rice chex, beef frank ball park hot dogs, Vienna sausages, small size moon pies, Act 11 butter lover popcorn was dairy free (yea go figure!),

 

And food allergies can come and go. My middle's dairy came on when he was 7. Just out of the blue. One day he was fine the next he was a skinny rail living in the bathroom. And dairy could be a problem with the processing, lactose, whey, or casein, In theory, he could have had a problem with one, gotten over it and then had a problem with the other. And gluten issues are known to cause dairy issues. So it could be a different problem that is just noticeable with the dairy. IF it doesn't clear up in a reasonable time, break out the food diary and start charting. I think I wrote a novel between my kids. Good luck!

[Misty]

I suspect a dairy allergy with my 5yo daughter, but I have not found a place to take her to be tested. I took her to a regular allergy clinic when she was 3 years old and described her symtpoms (hyperactive, shiners on her eyes, etc.) and they looked at me like I had ten heads. What a waste of time! I wish I knew where to take her here. I have asked around and not found anyone. She has a diagnosis of Asperger's, ADHD, severe OCD, and Nonverbal Learning Disorder. She also screamed her head off when she was a baby until I stopped consuming dairy (breastfed). As soon as I stopped dairy, she stopped screaming. But when I take her off of dairy now, I don't see much of a difference in her behavior, so then I start second-guessing it all and end up giving in to her asking for milk constantly (she seems addicted to it... another red flag!)

 

Anyway, no help here, just a big old whine.:tongue_smilie:

[keptwoman]

DD reacts to dairy although she hasn't been tested. It's the rashes and snotty nose.

So I keep her off dairy and I dont have gluten.

I can't help you with brands, but I certainly sympathise. It can be a right pain!

[Wyndie]

We have so many allergies I hate to even name them all. Dairy is our biggest; all three children are anaphlactic to that one. We've been dealing with it for 9 years and I still get in a funk sometimes, although less often now than before. I think it's really hard to be different and when you've "done" different, got back to "normal" and then discover you have to go back to different, it does affect you.

 

We eat so far outside the norm I can't even help you with suggestions, just wanted to empathize with you. It's not easy to avoid certain foods b/c that means giving up alot of convenience foods. But you've done it before and can do it again. Be strong and enjoy your toffuti!!! :D

[ElizabethB]

Whole foods and trader joes have a lot of stuff. The first time I go to a store, I like to make a trip without the children and read labels for a few hours and bring home things, the next trips I'll take the children.

 

Trader Joes has a nice sheep milk feta if he can do sheep milk.

 

Whole foods has unfrosted fruit bars and pop tarts (expensive organic brand) with no milk.

 

Pretzels, any chips without cheese or ranch flavors are usually fine.

 

I really like these dairy free egg free pancakes:

 

http://kylie.wordpress.com/2006/03/26/egg-free-dairy-free-pancakes/

 

I usually do oat flour and water, I can have a bit of flour once a week but save it for sheep cheese pizza, why waste it on pancakes when oat flour pancakes are fine. I'm also allergic to soy, so just use water or oat milk.

 

Asian food and middle eastern food are generally milk free, those are good recipes to consider. Also, greek food except for some yoghurt based sauces.

 

My daughter loves veggie sushi rolls as a snack (they're a bit expensive unless you make your own, and I once got fish cross-contamination, that was not fun, fish is one of my strongest allergies.)

 

Amy's and Enjoy Life are two companies with a lot of snacks I can eat, here's a list of dairy free Amy's products:

 

http://www.amys.com/special_diets/images/Dairy_Free.pdf

 

and their homepage with pictures of their products to jog your memory:

 

http://www.amys.com/index.php

 

Here's Enjoy Life, I think all of their things are free of the top allergens (which includes dairy):

 

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/index.php

 

Edit: Trader Joe's is generally cheaper than whole foods. It's worth a stock up trip once every month or two if you're a bit of a ways from one, and Whole Foods has a lot of things, although generally a bit more expensive overall. There's a bunch of Trader Joe's in the N. VA area, one in Richmond, and one in Newport News.

 

I like rice milk with cereal and oat milk for cooking, except for desserts, where rice milk generally works better, although hot cocoa and pudding work better with oat milk than rice milk.

 

If you must bring the children, I have tips for each store based on their snacks and setup, let me know!

Edited April 2, 2009 by ElizabethB

[rafiki]

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[Dana]

My son has had a dairy allergy since he was 3 months old.

A year ago he had an anaphylactic reaction to cashews. We were VERY grateful for the Epi-Pens due to his dairy reaction. So it's definitely worth having them in case of a later reaction to something else.

 

Nuts are easier to avoid than dairy, so this addition hasn't been as tough.

 

I signed up with FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) and get alerts emailed to me when there's a recall for an allergen. That's been helpful.

 

I also really like the Earth Balance margarine.

Some soy yogurts do have a dairy starter, so they're a bit hit or miss.

The Enjoy Life chocolate chips are great!

Cherrybrook Kitchen (http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/) has mixes for some treats. We've found their mixes at Kroger. (We don't have any of the good natural foods stores in our area.)

 

I've never been much of a cook. We ate lots with prepackaged foods, quick meals, and ate out. These books are very basic, but they've been very helpful to me (baked a cake from one yesterday and making pancakes from another today!)

The Milk-Free Kitchen by Beth Kidder: http://www.amazon.com/Milk-Free-Kitchen-Living-Without-Products/dp/0805018360/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238692572&sr=8-3

What's to Eat? by Linda Coss http://www.amazon.com/Milk-Free-Egg-Free-Nut-Free-Allergy-Cookbook/dp/0970278500/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238692952&sr=8-21

 

Good luck. It's tough to feel that you're going backwards, but you'll get used to the routine again. :grouphug:

[Dana]

Also forgot (and don't see in the WONDERFUL list above),

Teddy Grahams seem safe (read label of course to be sure).

Vienna Fingers are safe too.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Thank you SO much.

 

It must have been God's grace...the new cow milk I just bought was bad this morning ;-) and everyone had to have the rice milk instead. And everyone was fine. No complaints. YAY! Luckily our cereal's were all dairy free. We got through lunch dairy free as well. I have no clue what is for dinner, lol.

 

I am making lists of snacks(when we travel we need prepackaged!) and printing out recipes to cook, and brands to look for. I plan to hit Trader Joe's this weekend too.

 

It's been nice today...he's not in the bathroom. He's playing. Like a kid should be. His eyes look better already.

 

We are going to do the dairy free first and see what happens. He had egg allergies but doesn't like eggs, so he doesn't get much exposure to it and won't try to eliminate it unless after the dairy we still have issues. I didn't realize gluten was often tied with dairy allergies...so will be considering that if this doesn't clear up the issues.

 

He did good though yesterday when they gave him snacks at Awanas, he thought to mention he shouldn't have dairy...although they were clueless on the food ingredients.

 

I am taking allergy drops now, and we have 2 epi pens in the house. He was never anaphylactic before but we see our family Dr tomorrow and will inquire about getting a pen for him, and whether we should bother testing or just avoid what is obviously bothering him.

 

I appreciate the support. I was so thankful when we got out of that mode. It was hard to walk back through the door. But not avoiding the egg is helpful this time. Keep your best food ideas coming...seems like many of us could us it!

[khope1]

I see that you have gotten some great responses already. My dd was allergic to egg until about 1 week ago-her tests still showed positive, but the food challenge was negative. She has now crossed over to nuts. I always had an epipen with me, but our new allergist changed it to a TWIN-JECT. It is awesome since it has a second back up shot in it already, so you only need to carry the one thing with you instead of 2 epipens. Just wanted to tell you that before you went to the doc tomorrow-in case you wanted to research it before you went.

 

Envirokidz is a company that I used a lot with the egg (but now cant with the nuts). Im not sure if they are dairy free, but they are very kid friendly. I also use Arrowhead mills pancake mix. You can make it with water or milk-but you would have to read the ingredients to make sure that the mix is dairy free.

 

Good luck!