OK friends – today’s post is something different. For the last few months we have been on a journey of figuring out my son’s food allergies. After seeing him react to dairy and peanut when we introduced them right at six months we did more testing and found out he has allergies to dairy, wheat, eggs, and peanuts. So I had to eliminate those items from my diet (as I am nursing) and his as well.
Those first few days were overwhelming! It was so hard to walk into a store and have no idea what to eat. I was almost in tears reading label after label of things I couldn’t buy at Trader Joes.
This combination of foods is especially tricky to work with because a lot of items have wheat – and if they don’t have wheat they have either milk or eggs, or both. “Vegan” means no dairy or eggs BUT it doesn’t mean no wheat. So I need items that are gluten free AND vegan…which seriously limits the options!
The most difficult of this journey is revamping *everything* we eat. I recently met with a pediatric nutritionist who specializes in food allergies and that was such such such a win. I highly recommend finding a nutritionist if you’re in a similar situation!
When you start reading labels you will realize that allergens are everywhere. My olive oil spray had wheat and milk (I kid you not). So I had to repurchase a bunch of essentials to get rid of allergens. As a guide, if something is cheap it probably has wheat as a stabilizer and preserver…so just be aware.
Labeling has improved a ton so you can easily turn an item over and see that it contains – it will say something in bold letters like “CONTAINS: WHEAT“. The top 8 allergens are federally mandated to be labeled on foods near the nutritional guide. Many websites make it clear what allergens are in a food, but I always always check labels as well. You can learn more about labeling requirements here and here. For example, this product is labeled “non-dairy” but MILK is an ingredient. This is why you need to read labels!!!
A first time cooking with flax egg…..it did not work. Now it does and our pancakes are great!!!
I’m not really sure what the point of this post is, besides a bit of a journal entry on life lately. Between severe eczema (just see a dermatologist, don’t waste your time on over the counter stuff!), food allergies, traveling, two family weddings, the holidays – life has been busy. Luckily we have the eczema under control but had to make a lot of changes – all new detergents and soaps. (We love this detergent our dermatologist recommended) He has to wear long sleeves, pants, and socks all the time because if someone with another detergent holds him, his skin will break out. He is also irritated by any carpet or rug – his skin is so reactive!
My husband and I said at the beginning of this journey that if this is the “worst” medical condition we have to deal with, we are lucky! This can be avoided with time, money, and planning. So what we eat, buy, and cook has changed drastically but this is the reality we are living in for the foreseeable future 🙂
His allergies are truly on my mind all day, everyday. Every day I worry we missed something or he will have a new reaction to a food. It’s so tough!
I was also so reassured after both the nutritionist and our pediatrician saying we are doing a great job with him and changing our life to make our food safe for him. If you are starting down a similar path – find a care team that can help you! We are so lucky to have found an allergist who will call me back and have long conversations. And a nutritionist who is always available on email and is so invested in helping my life get easier.
It’s also difficult because things I used to enjoy – like eating out – are now a source of stress and just aren’t enjoyable. It’s very stressful to have a list of food you cannot eat, or worse, you have a server who is difficult to work with and won’t help you figure things out. (Note I ALWAYS call and have a note made in our reservation and I am as up front as possible. But it’s truly difficult to have 4 major allergens removed from foods in restaurants. Sometimes I can’t even have grilled chicken because they have a marinade, for example, that I cannot have.)
Anyways…life can throw you curveballs and my no-happiness diet (that’s what I call it 🙂 ) is a lot of work but totally worth it for our little buddy. We will redo his bloodwork soon and we will see about introducing some allergens. Wish us luck!
