Help! - Culver City,CA

N.
contact RD Donna Wolf
healthydirectionspoway.com
she is an expert/food allergy specialist and can really help you,
good luck,
M.

M. Mason-Cover, MS PT,A CE
www.BenchFit.com

Hi N.,

Try the Food Allergy Network site. It should be of some help.

Sorry you have to deal with this, but it will get easier in time - once you aquire more information.

Take care, M

Try cubes of extra firm tofu and almond butter spread on any non-wheat bread or rice crackers that she can eat. At one she can have honey now, so that may help the almond butter go down. Good luck!

Can she eat lamb? Costco has a good selection. Or pork?
Can she have goats milk? This is on par with regular milk and a good alternative.

Next, (I learned this from my friend): do a Google search and put in the search words for the ingredients she CAN have... and see what turns up. For example: "recipes with lamb and broccoli..." Or, "recipes with tofu and pork..." Or, "wheat free recipes..." etc. My friend, would just type in the words for the ingredients she DID have in the fridge, and that way, she could find pertinent recipes for her family.

Also, just as a side note, for my Mom, eating anything with oats or oatmeal makes her eczema worse.

For finger foods, try blueberries (cut in half to prevent choking), or bananas. Or, try going to Whole Foods and seeing what they have. They often have great things for kids with lots of allergies.

ALSO, per my daughter, we learned that KIWI fruit is HIGHLY allergenic for some, and can be dangerous. It can cause swelling of the throat/tongue/mouth even, and cause painful tingling sensations. Our Pediatrician didn't even know about the potential allergic reactions of Kiwi. I learned this on my own. Fortunately, my daughter did not get the extreme swelling reactions, but got the painful tingling in her mouth.

All the best and good luck,
Susan

Look up Namburipad's Allergy Elmination Treatment - NAET. It's a non-invasive, natural (no shots) allergy elimination treatment that I used for myself and my children. My daughter had a wheat allergy at birth that we eliminated. I have a friend whose daughter was born allergic to cotton. Find a local practioner near you and ask for referrals from families.
http://www.naet.com/

Since I have always had food allergies, I have always been a label reading Mama. You will find that processed food manufacturers will sneak in all kind of "fillers" into their food....the main ones being corn and wheat.

I am allergic to wheat, chocolate, carrots, apricots, citrus fruits, almonds, and shrimp. And I am intolerant to milk. My 2 yo DD will be tested for allergies in a month. But already we think she is allergic to oranges, strawberries, egg, peanuts, and possibly wheat. So we eat a lot brown rice, fresh fruits and veggies, tofu/soy, wheat/gluten free products, fresh meat and fish.

I know it seems overwhelming right now and it seems that there is nothing that you daughter can eat. But over time you will find things that work for you. There are a ton of things you can make with tofu/soy. If you live in the LA area, I highly recommend that you go to the LA Tofu Festival. Restaurants from around the are come up with yummy tofu dishes and hand out samples for the cost of a few tickets. And you can google tofu recipes.

Since I am wheat free, I really like this book called "Wheat Free, Worry Free". It was written by the mom whose son has Celiac Disease. But at the back of the book it gives a list of things that those on a wheat free diet have to stay away from, but also gives a good list of the many things we can eat.

If your daughter is not allergic to nuts, seeds, or tree nuts, then you can use them to supplement any protein and fatty essential oils that she is missing from not being able to eat meat and fish. One of my friends who has 2 kids with high food allergies gives them Sunbutter made from sunflower seeds. I will be trying it today with my DD.

Basically for my family I make a lot of homemade dinners. I make 3-4 times the portions and freeze what we don't eat that night for later meals. I make a lot of crockpot soups/porridges, stir frys, casseroles, etc. I used to like to cook, but now I am cooking way more because it is healthier for my family and it is more cost effective. I bought a Cuisinart for myself for Christmas and am thinking about buying a Breadman breadmachine with the gluten free setting in it to help save money on buying my gluten free bread ($6 a loaf!).

I have 3 friends who have children who are allergic to just about every food category. 3 out of 4 of the kids outgrew some of their allergies around the time they turned 4. So hopefully your DD will outgrow some of hers.

The hard part will be deciding on whether to make two meals (one for your DD and one for the rest of the family) or to convert the whole family over to your DD's new diet. For my DD's sake, we have converted the whole family to her diet. It is just too hard to have her surrounded with stuff she can't eat and have to constantly tell her "No" while her brother eats it right next to her, know what I mean? So I make one meal for everyone. And if we do eat stuff that she can't have, we wait until she is taking her nap or in bed for the night. And we just explain to my 4 yo son that his little sister is allergic and will get sick if she eats certain things and that he can have it when she goes to bed.

The hardest part for me is when we decide to eat out. The best place for me and DD to eat is Thai or Japanese. But DH isn't always in the mood for Asian food (BTW I am Asian, he is Caucasian). So we will get burgers and fries (DD and I just don't eat the bun), salads w/o the dressing (many dressings and sauces have wheat in them), etc.

Brands of packaged items that I regularly buy, but I am not sure if they will work for your DD are:

Namaste-mostly allergy free baking mixes
Ians-lots of wheat free items for kids
Amy's-lots of wheat/gluten free frozen meals
Glutino-gluten free breads and bakery items
Ewerhon (?)-wheat free/gluten free cereal
Pamelas-wheat free/gluten free bakery items...love their cookies!
Barbara's Bakery-wheat free/gluten free kids snack items
De Boles Pasta (I get the rice pasta, but they probably have a seed pasta or corn pasta that you could try)
Trader Joe's or Wild Oats noodle bowls-FOr $1 a bowl and I just add some tofu for some added protein...yummy! My whole family loves these!
Energy-egg replacer, plus other egg free and allergy free items.

Nowadays there are so many companies that make allergy friendly products.

My favorite places to buy my stuff is from Henry's Marketplace, Sprouts Marketplace and Amazon.com's Subscribe and Save program. You get 15% off the amazon price plus free shipping.

Sorry this is so long and so disorganized. PM me if you'd like more information on where to get info about kids and allergies. I am sure I can ask my friends for websites and groups that they met with.

We feed our daughter a lot of different veggies. Brocolli, green beans, carrots, beets, etc. We boil them so that they're soft, then cut them up into small pieces that she can feed herself. Also, have you tried millet or quinoa for grains? Maybe she won't be allergic to those and they're high in protein.... Good luck to you.

Head to Whole Foods. Lots of stuff to choose from now!

K.

Welcome to my world! You will find that you have a lot in common with the folks on the GFCF (Gluten Free, Casein Free) Diet, so there is lots of support, companies that make food that are for you, cookbooks, etc. The GFCF diet is the one used by many with children on the Autism Spectrum due to the "gut problems" that often go along with that diagnosis. The diet helps spectrum children's behavior, speech, and cognitive function. With the exception of Rice, which is allowed on the GFCF diet, almost all the foods you have listed are forbidden to us too. There are even websites you can go to (I think one of them is by enRgy Foods (not sure of the spelling) where you can type in your restrictions and they send you recipes and product lists that meet your needs.
Does your baby eat and chew well? That is, will she chew things like little cubes of pork chops? When my son was restricted from beef he was able to eat Ostrich (at Sprouts health food store -if they don't still carry it they know how to order it) and Elk or Venison. For the later, we found a hunter in our church who would give us half his catch, whenever he got one (every other year), after it had been to the butcher. It was about 150 lbs of meat (We had to buy an under the counter freezer) and would last the whole year. We all ate the Elk, it tastes much more like beef than Venison. Buffalo is no good, too close to beef. For chicken alternatives we used rabbit (Stater Brothers - you might have to ask for it) and organic turkey (Trader Joe's or Sprouts). Obviously, your days of serving convenience foods are over, but that's not a bad thing. Tilapia is a nice mild farm raised fish (therefore no mercury in it) you can try. Try Karen Serroussi's book, Special Diets for Special Kids. It is both a cookbook and the story of her child's recovery from Autism with diet alone. You can write to Karen (she's a good egg) and ask her what to substitute for the Rice Flours. There is tapioca flour, (Sprouts), Sago Palm flour, garbanzo bean flour, potato flour etc. You can substitute a liquid you make from flax seeds for egg in recipes. I hate to bake, so I am not a good one to ask, but the folks who cook a lot on the diet know what properties each type of flour are and which ones would be good substitutes for rice flour. I am thinking you could make a pretty decent cookie with potato and tapioca. Also, look at recipes meant for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, it is another that goes a little further than GFCF to avoid grains, its flours are almond, etc. Nut based, if your child can tolerate those. It sounds like the foods she can't eat are "High Oxylate foods", google that too, and check out the recipies. You can feed her all kinds of fresh fruit and steamed vegetables. Learn to love asparagus, carrots, parsnips, (great with potato), fennel (looks like celery, tastes like licorice). Froze fruits without sugar make great sorbet - just sweeten with Orange Juice concentrate, add water as necesary to make the right consistency, and put in the blender. Hagen Daas makes some nice Sorbets (Stater Bros), but they have corn syrup, and I would use that only sparingly if you are allowed corn, because Corn is a very common food to develop allergies too. But in a pinch (say, a party you have to be at in one hour), they will do quite nicely. I've got more. Write to me directly if you want, but check out these resources. I will be away for a week. B.

Wow. I've never heard of allergies to chicken, beef, salmon or peas. You might want to get a second opinion on those. Also sometimes kids grow out of food allergies, so maybe over time your job will get easier? In the meantime it sounds like you have to feed her mostly fresh fruits and veggies. cut them into tiny pieces or cook the veggies til they're soft. Potatoes are also very nutritious and filling. You can bake regular or sweet potatoes in the microwave. Scrub the raw potatoes, prick them all over with a fork, then nuke on high for 6 to 10 minutes depending on the potato's size. A large potato needs to turn over halfway through cooking. Be careful; it will be very hot when you take it out! Cut it open and once it cools a bit you can serve chunks of the soft potato to your baby as-is. Or you can mash them with applesauce and cinnamon (great on sweet potato). If the doc is right and she really is allergic to chicken, beef and salmon, then you'll need to find alternative sources of protein. Soybeans would be a lifesaver. You can buy them already shelled,frozen -- or in bags of fresh edamame, which is easy to cook and shell. Also any kind of bean makes great finger food for kids because they're fun to pick up and they're soft. If you want to avoid the salt (and cost) of canned beans, buy dry ones and cook them according to the slow-soak method (the directions will be on the bag). You can divide them into small servings in baggies and freeze them for later use. They are full of protein and fiber. Frozen corn, thawed out, might work too -- as a healthy starch, not as a protein. Also, I have read that yogurt with live/active cultures is safe for people with lactose intolerance. I don't know how accurate that is; you should ask your nutritionist or pediatrician. If it's true, you may be able to feed your daughter yogurt to get some protein and calcium into her. Good luck.

I would try soy products. They have "meats" and cheese and other things made of soy. They also have wheat free bread she can have. If you stop the formuls, maybe try soy milk or goats milk. Between the soy products and plenty of fruits and vegetables, she should be fine. Check with the dr. to see if she needs a multi-vitamin to supplement her diet. Beams are a good source of protein also and avocados are a great source of the "good fats".

Good Morning N.,

I have answers and solutions for you. I have had severe allergies my entire life. I am now 37 years old. Last fall I discovered NAET.com. NAET.com is a group of allergists around the world who ELIMINATE allergies. As far as I know, they are the ONLY allergists who eliminate allergies. Also, I strongly suggest that you log onto Amazon.com and purchase 2 books: 1. Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch, and 2. Say Goodbye to Illness by Dr. Devi Nambudripad.

In book #1, you will learn what you need on a daily basis to be healthy and what nutrition is needed for allergic people.

In book #2, you will learn all about allergies and the successful treatment and elimination of them. Dr. Nambudripad is the doctor who created NAET.

I have been seeing an NAET allergist since the fall and my elimination process is going well. I am one of those cases that you would consider to be severe so it may take me another year before all of my allergies are completely eliminated. But know, that it is working! That is the key statement to focus on. The completely drug free treatments work! If you log onto NAET.com, type in your zip code, you will be able to find NAET allergists in your area. Depending on the NAET allergists, the initial allergy test is free or they do it for a nominal fee. And yes, babies can be tested and treated. This is for all ages.

In the long run, it pays to go to NAET. If you want to ask questions, I can answer them, my email is ____@____.com well.

N.

First, did you have a blood test taken to test for the allergies or just a "scratch" test? You should confirm with your allergist whether she is actually allergic or has just indications for sensitivities to those foods. My son had terrible eczema when he was about 7 months old, so we took him to an allergist and had a scratch test done. He showed sensitivities to several foods. However, I knew that he had eaten some of the items previously (NOT peanuts, however) with no immediate issues. Plus, the scratch test seems very unreliable. In any case, I stopped feeding him the items that were shown to be potential allergens and then reintroduced them one by one several weeks later. I learned that he really was not allergic, but just was growing through some potential sensitivities to certain foods. (Granted, will wait on peanuts until he's closer to 3 yrs old) BTW, I handled the eczema with plain vaseline all over his body, arms, legs, face & neck every morning and night, and after cleaning his face after every meal -- got rid of the eczema fairly quickly.

N.,
Wow, first I have to say you are incredible to have already discovered this and seen the power food can have. So many kids have these kinds of allergies and show many different signs (eczema, asthma, constipation, diarrhea, ADD, Autism etc.) and the doctors don't connect the diet. You are way ahead of the game!
There are a few things you can look at. I see Chicken, Beef, Salmon as proteins. Is Turkey okay? Buffalo? Pork? These are some other alternatives for you, then there are other seafood's, but make sure they are not possibly on the "don't eat" list of seafood's that are highly likely to carry toxins such as mercury. Salmon is one of those you have to watch.
There are several sights you can go to to help. Look at the GF/CF diets on the TACA website. There will be choices there for you to draw from. There are also some great Gluten Free cook books out. There are lots of gluten free alternatives now and ways around milk. If you are going to use Rice milk, check the label as some have wheat. If Almond is okay that is another source of protein. Most importantly, you need to rotate the diet or you will have another issue shortly. I would also suggest getting some digestive enzymes as your little one is having trouble producing them. There are also children's probiotics that you should add too. You will need to replace butter...use coconut oil from Tropical Traditions (Expelled cold press.
Well, I hope I haven't overwhelmed you! please feel free to contact me off privately, I help people with special diet needs.

WOW! You got a lot of responses so I hope you got some helpful info. I didn't read them so sorry if any of this is repeated. My 2 boys both have multiple food allergies and I remember being exactly where you are, saying "NOW WHAT??" Well, the first thing I did was to get a book that was SO helpful to me in dealing with this. It is called The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies by Marianne S. Barber. It has quite a few recipes in there too. Here is a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Parents-Guide-Food-Allergies-Food-A...
Wheat AND rice!! Those are some tough ones....you're going to have to do other grains like barley and quinoa. You can still do oatmeal cereal right? Check ingredients carefully to make sure it is just oats. There are these things called "corn thins" that are like rice cakes but made with corn - you can use those as a snack. If it has been confirmed that there is no soy allergy, (which would be great news! as it is a prime dairy replacer) you can do tofu to replace your meats, soy milk as a beverage, soy yogurt, etc. We use a lot of soy products. Also there is a great website called the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. (FAAN) TONS of info on there. It may be overwhelming so just book mark it until you're ready but it's a great resource. In fact I am sending you this link to an article on there about food allergy testing. It is interesting, read the part about how allergy to milk may show up as a false allergy to beef (same with egg/chicken) under the part about cross reactivity. interesting.
http://www.foodallergy.org/featuredtopic1.htm
Anyway, I hope you find some of this helpful, please contact me if you have questions about anything I've written. I wish you the best of luck and all I can say is it does get easier with time and my kids' allergies have lessened in severity as they've grown and some they have grown out of. Make sure you have an allergist you trust and can talk to!! If not, find a better one!! :-)

try almond milk by Blue Diamond ..i like the vanilla flavored one..mix it w/ the chocolate one too...how about dried blueberries or regular blueberries..jack fruit for meat..i would go into Wholefoods and talk to the nutritionists..and get a book..i would also get a second opinion ...seems weird to be allergic to peas..go into some vegan restaurants and talk to them too...there's a good one on Heliotrope called Pure Luck off Melrose east of the 101..they might be able to help..good luck..

I am so sorry you're having to experience this. Your on the right track because it's something you'll have to learn to live with for a lifetime. I have not personally experienced this, but I have a good friend who has. She turned her challenges into a business where she makes, sells, and distributes baked goods for people with severe allergies. Check out www.sweetalexis.com. I don't think her daughter's restrictions were as great as your DD, but I know she has a lot of links on her website to help you through this. She also welcomes questions/conversations about her experiences. Her daughter is almost 8 now and it's been a learning process and rollercoaster ride.

As far as my own suggestions, I might try beans (all kinds), ham, canned green beans for finger foods. Again, my girlfriend might be a great resource for you. Good luck and best wishes!!!

Wow, that is a lot of allergies, rice being a difficult one, and of course wheat. It sounds like she may do ok with soy so tofu, tofu dogs may be ok. I would avoid soy milk as it can be h*** o* the digestion and go for hemp or almond milk. Hemp milk is rick in omega's, my one year old LOVES it. There are quinoa and corn pastas she may like. I also give my son rice cheese although there may be cassien in it. He also is eating goat cheddar cheese lately which is less allergenic that I make quasadilla's with corn tortillas. I wish I had recipe's but these area few ideas. oh, my one year old is into black beans lately.

N.,

My son is allergic to dairy protein and soy protein so I know what you are talking about but I will say that the more they are allergic to, the harder it is. What we did is go to a mostly "whole food" diet. The closer it is to nature,the less chance there is something added that he can't eat. My son eats primarily meat, potatoes, rice, fruit and veggies. Using your list, you are pretty much left with turkey, potatoes, veggies and fruit. You've also got beans but I'd be cautions about those because they are legumes (like peas and peanuts which are already on your list) and I'd avoid soy for the same reason. I'd recommend talking to a pediatric nutritionist to help you find a list of things she can eat. I'd definitely keep up with the neocate. You are going to need it for fat, calories, protein and calcium. My son still drinks Similac Alimentum (the first level of hypoallergenic formula, Neocate is "more" hypoallergenic than Alimentum). He's 2.5.

Another thing you might want to check out is http://www.naet.com/ I've been thinking about trying it on my son. His pediatrican said that since hasn't outgrown his allergies by now, he probably won't. NAET sounds kind of weird but I know plenty of people who swear by it. It seems like a pretty low risk thing to try so I think I'm going to try it. Worse case scenario is it won't help but it won't hurt either. If it helps, I'd be thrilled. I'm on a couple of food-allergic-kids listserves and this is a popular cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Kid-Friendly-Food-Allergy-Cookbook-...

From what I went through, there are 3 basic parts of figuring out a special diet:
1. figure out what you can't eat
2. figure out what you can eat
3. find enough variety to have a resonably healthy diet and not go bonkers

The first month or two is by far the hardest.

One of the big challenges has been increasing the fat content of what my son can eat. So I do tend to drizzle a little olive oil on whatever he is eating.

Good luck to you. You certainly have my sympathy. Hopefully your daughter will heal on the neocate and lose some of her allergies.

T.

Look at all the amazing responses you got! Wow! I'm kind of shocked that she's allergic to chicken, beef and salmon. That's rare.
There are so many nutritious recipes you can make with sweet potatoes. Mashed with coconut milk and a touch of cinnamon. Yummy!
Check out the website. There are 100's of recipes and many that will suit your needs. -www.weelicious.com

Wow, I didn't know anyone was allergic to rice except my husband's cousin, who was allergic to all grains. His mother made a lot of items with POTATO flour. You might investigate recipes may with that. Potatoes are a very good source of starch and vitamins and I have never heard of any allergies to that. For meats you might try lamb or goat or duck/goose. Have you tried straight up 100% oat products? How about barley? I would be very careful with soy as that has a high allergy potential also. I can think of applesauce and bananas. Be wary of berries as those are potential allergy foods also. Have you tried GOAT's milk as opposed to COW's milk? Were the allergies decided by blood tests or skins tests and was the diagnosis made by an allergist? Just asking, as I have three children with various allergies. All three of my children had either hives or eczema before age two. One is allergic to milk and caffeine. One is allergic to pollen and cats, no known food allergies, and one is allergic to cats and molds with no food allergies. But all were sensitive to cow's milk and I raised them on goat's milk. Did you get a second opinion?

Boy have you gotten a lot of responses to this and you are not alone with these food allergies. First, it is very common and a lot more so in the past several years as food allergies have sky rocketed. Second, let's talk about what you can do. There is a very good website of how to eat and what to eat with food allergies - www.tacanow.org and then select GF-CF Diet. The next thing I highly recommend is to do your research on vaccinations.

My daughter has 21 food allergies that we knew from the skin test and the IgG blood test. The major ones were gluten (wheat, barley, oats, rye), casein (all dairy), soy, eggs, two yeasts, several beans, pineapple, cantalope, and then several minor ones. We went cold turkey and removed everything at once by following the recommendations on the TACA website. No more asthma attacks and the eczema flareups went away. No more dark circles under the eyes either and no more ear infections or missing a lot of school.

Know that you have lots of options and you will want to go as organic as possible, especially with the meat/chicken sources. Lots of the autism families deal with this all of the time and they substitute lamb, pork, chicken instead of the beef. Do not replace the dairy with soy as you will then see a soy allergy come up probably. Soy is very similar with dairy and most of it is genetically modified and even worse for you.

First book to get is Dr. Bock's so you have a better understanding.

Please make sure YOU do the research on vaccinations for YOUR child. The AAP recommended schedule of shots for children is too many, too soon. Here are sites and books that I always recommend for people to start their research:

www.909shot.com
www.tacanow.org
www.generationrescue.com

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, by Dr. Kenneth Bock

The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Childhood Vaccinations, by Dr. Stephanie Cave
Evidence of Harm, by David Kirby

Any questions with the diet, feel free to contact me. Lots of experience here.

Hi N.,

I am not sure if I will be able to help you. Feel free to visit my website www.nolayoffs.mywildtree.com, It's all natural culinary herbs and easy meal preps. I know it will definitely help you with your cooking ideas once you find the right products. We also use grapeseed oil which is high in antioxidants and low in the bad fats. We also have infused flavors of grapeseed oil.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I also do have an allergen listing for our products.

Hope this helps you.

D.

Wow - that's tough! Hmm, at least you still have pork and potatos. What's tougher is when you go to a friends' house who's serving a bunch of food. You'll always need to find out all the ingredients of what's in everything. It's been tough for us hosting my daughter's friend who comes to parties who was allergic to cake (presumably flour and eggs), so for him I opted to get caramel apples so he could celebrate. I knew once the kids saw him with one, they'd want one too - so we had double desserts - caramel apples and cake! That's when this kid goes WOW - and decides he wants both too. I went "NONONO, you can't have cake..." then he says "sure I can..." and his mom explains that although he doesn't usually eat it, and isn't supposed to, he can have certain things in light moderation now. HIs allergies used to be really bad when he was a toddler, and have lightened up over the years. Maybe that will be the same for you. In the meantime, try some leaner meats, like lamb, venison, rabbit, elk, (if you're able to get the game meat). You had specifically said salmon, but didn't say if she was allergic to tuna or other less fatty fish. You only said peas for a vegetable - so maybe try soy products with a light stir fry. You just can't have the rice... use tofu, broccoli, carrots, celery, squash, and mix them together with a little soy sauce and sugar to give it a little flavor. You might try adding ginger and garlic as she gets older. My kids loved it when they were little and eat everything as older kids. The other thing they like is taking a baked potato and just mashing it up with salt, and stirring in whatever vegetable is on their plate, and they end up calling it a casserole. But one of the regulars is potato and corn mash. Toss some fish or pork in it too. At least you still have all the fruits too - like applesauce, strawberries (go easy on strawberries, sometimes kids get allergies to these too) and oranges. Try jello for a snack. Hope this helps!
N.

- "Simply Natural Baby Food" and "The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook" by Cathe Olson http://www.simplynaturalbooks.com/
The recipes is easily adaptable with information about allergy alternatives.

Good luck!

Hi N.,

Try a vegan diet. You may still have to remove some of the rice/wheat products, but there's some good stuff out there.

My one year old doesn't really have teeth yet, so you will have to probably make your baby food. I make it all on Sunday & store in ice-cube/freezer bags for the week. It works for me, you may want to try?

Also, here are some things you may want to try:

For breakfast maybe grits, or pancakes (there are a few varieties without wheat/milk products).

For lunch maybe some tofu with vegetables. You can cook the tofu in some yummy e-v-o-o & season, season, season to taste. Serve with veggies.

Also, there is ice-cream for dessert or to make smoothies with (lactose/wheat free varieties).

For dinner: I would try maybe a wheat-free/eggless pasta with marinara sauce. There are also lactose-free cheeses out there that aren't too bad (you get used to them).

I know your choices seem limited, but now your creative juices will have to work overtime!

I am allergic to milk/any type of nuts and don't eat any meat (vegetarian). There will be a period of adjustment, but you will start to get the hang of it after a few 2-hour long trips to Trader Jo's or Whole Foods. The first few times, you have to read the entire label--but, then you sorta know what to pick up. It's just a change, and we all know that's not the easiest we can do.

Check out mommywood.com - they have a lot of information on allergies.

Oh wow. What comes to mind 1st is: soy products (soymilk,soy yogurt, soy cheese,tofu, edamame beans, miso soup,soy butter(tastes almost like peanut butter),oats, almond milk and almond butter, potato bread, ham, pork, turkey(could be too close to chicken?)...also you may want to find out re milk..it ist casein, whey or lactose...or all 3 she can't have? All the fruits, avocado, beans, and veggies except...peas I guess. Can she have legumes/lentils, garbanzo beans, hummus dip/spread? What about other grains: quinoa (packed full of protein..try cooking it w/ 1/2 low sodium veggie broth, barley, other fish/shell fish? Sheesh!!! Good luck to you and her...looks like you are going to become a very creative chef overnite! :-)

Hi, if you don't mind me asking what kind of test(s) showed that she was allergic to these foods? My son at age two had a skin prick test done on his back and it came back positive for peanut, rice, beef, cow's milk, and egg white. We did a complete elimination diet for a couple weeks and then followed that up with a blood test which revealed no food allergies. The elimination diet did not improve my sons skin condition or improve any of my sons periodic stomach problems. So slowly we re-introduced those foods w/out any problems. I totally understand how desperate you feel, when I got my son's test results I totally freaked and didn't know what to make. I immediately went to trader joes and did some research online and had to read labels very carefully. It was very hard. I wish you the best of luck. We're now back to life as normal over here and just treat skin flare ups with topical cream.

Love the advice you are getting. My 11 month old is getting Eczema pretty bad so I plan to have him allergy tested at his one year appointment. Hopefully his list will not be as comprehensive as your daughter's list! Wow! Hopefully she will outgrow some of those (like milk- my cousin got eczema from milk but he has since outgrown that allergy). And yes you can be allergic to peas(I'm sure you know but some of the commenters seem surprised). My nephew had a severe allergic reaction to split-pea soup. I think that is one of the things that my son is allergic to since he broke out in hives after eating some(obviously cut them out of his diet but he's still getting the eczema).

Anyway... finger foods... Your daughter can still eat most fruits and veggies! Woohoo! Sweet potatoe fries are a favorite here. Turkey and ham or pork should be o.k. I think there are some breads and noodles you can make out of potatoes. I just read an article about how good white potatoes are for you (lots and lots of vitamins and minerals). Here's a link for flour made from almonds- http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/blanchedalmondflour5lb.aspx - they have a location in LA or Riverside and they have free shipping in the LA area. Good luck!

I have wheat and peanut allergies so I know how overwhelming this is at first. I found a website that has gluten free recipes. You may have to substitute ingredients and change them a bit if she is allergic to milk and eggs also. There are egg replacers you can buy at health food stores.
Here is the site www.gluten.net/recipes/index.php
I typically use brown rice flour to make breads because it provides the "b" vitamins she will miss from not eating wheat. Oats might be a good alternative, if she can tolerate them.
Hope this helps... hang in there.

Hi N.,

My girlfriend's daughter was allergic when she was small too. From what I remember she would purchase products that had the Kosher symbol on them. I hope this helps some.

Sounds to me like your going to have to treat her like a vegetarian. I would go and get a vegetarian cookbook and I am sure that you will not find any of the items you listed (except for the salmon and peas) in many of the recipes. Hopefully your little one will out grow some of these allergies.

some ideas that my daughter likes for finger food

avocado, cucumber, celery ( great for teething but only if she is good at gaging up things that get in her throat) , steamed broccoli "trees", finger sized pieces of ham (thrown in the pan for a bit of heating), banana, apples, baked french fries

good luck

You might try baked tofu bars, assuming beans are okay. My 2 year old son James loves them. Here's a link for a recipe: http://www.fatfreevegan.com/soy/baked.shtml

It's super easy - just cut the extra-firm tofu into cubes, drizzle on some soy sauce, lay on a lightly oiled baking sheet, then bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. It's also good with a little honey drizzled on top for a salty-sweet combination. And you can freeze them!

You may also try dried fruit (e.g. raisins, cranberries, blueberries), depending on her teeth, and those little baby corns that come in a can.

That's a laundry list of foods she is allergic to; it may be worthwhile to get a second opinion. Just a thought. I know you are doing all you can for your little girl - I wish you the best of luck!

Dear N.,

I'm so sorry your daughter is allergic to so many things, but if she avoids all of these foods, maybe she'll end up being the healthiest person around.

This will probably be my best contribution. I like to get at Trader Joes the super firm tofu. This is firmer than extra firm tofu, if you have a hard time locating it, ask the employees as they put tofu in two different places in their stores. It comes in one 3"x5"x5" rectangular block, vacuum packed in clear plastic wrap. I usually open this, rinse it off and slice it long ways into 4 slices. I store 3 in a tupperware type of container with water covering them. But the one slice I will saute in olive oil until a bit crispy. I use 4 on my stove, high would be equivalent to 9. This can be sliced or cubed for your daughter. If your not used to tofu, it may look funny to you, but I think she may like it. I usually put it in other things, vietnamese veggie rolls. But I have also seen it used in recipes for vegetarians as a replacement for other meats. Like chicken piccata, veal marsala while in slices. Also cubed or broken up in spaghetti sauces. I think this can be very versatile as she is growing up.

Also, there are a lot of soy options that may work for as she is growing up. They can replace the chicken. Morningstar makes I believe a chicken patti and chicken fingers made from soy, (I don't know what other ingredients are in these though), and other things. There is also soy cheese, and soy ice cream. I don't like to eat to much of these as they are processed foods, but I just want to offer up options.

Also, there are tons of beans and lentils for soups. If you would like some recipes, let me know.

For grain: Quinoa, and there are breads, tortillas and pastas that are wheat and rice free now. And for noodles, would buckwheat work? Soba noodles are made from buckwheat. There is also mung bean thread noodles. You might need a cooking lesson for these.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods might become good stores to look for more of the specialty items. Also asian stores may be good in the future. If you like looking at recipes, maybe check vegan stuff out. The same for restaurants may work.

I'll say a little prayer, and I know you will do a great job for your daughter.

I have a question, someone sent me the plant a tree email yesterday. I didn't list my business because I am not a mom and didn't want to mislead anyone. But I would like my business to be available to as many women as possible. I'm an esthetician and am starting my business. Did I interpret this correctly? My personal email is ____@____.com if anyone would like to let me know.

Hi N.,
How severe is your daughter's reaction? Is it just the skin?
What does she want to eat? She can tolerate soy?
Are these foods a problem as whole foods but okay in cooked or prepared foods (such as an egg as part of a muffin)?
I have been loving a milkshake I make (no milk) with freshly juiced carrot juice (you can get it at Costco or a local healthfood store and a frozen banana, and a little soymilk.
It is delicious and refreshing. There are other combinations that can be used as snacks, and they are fun.
Think of it as an engaging road to really knowing what you and your daughters, and other family members are eating. Label reading is vital.
Best wishes for success!
C.

It is difficult, but you will figure out how to feed her. My oldest daughter is allergic to corn which seems to be in every food. Eventually, you find things that work and you stick to them.

You may have to learn how to make certain staples in order to avoid ingredients. I substitute pesto sauce for mayonaise because I can't stand the thought of mayo, but I would think a baby would not be ready to even try something like that...she would probably spit it right back at you. The rice and wheat restriction keep throwing me off on what to make, but it seems beans, tuna, pork, lamb, and rabit will all work...unless they didn't check for all of that. Tomato soup, but watch the cream that may be in it.

There are substitutes for milk once she is off her formula. The peanuts you can avoid, but watch the labels for things that are made in the same factory.

Eczema is such an irritating thing. I have a very mild case of it and it drives me nuts!

Hi N., what about oats. I have a question for you, why dso you believe your little girl is allergic to all these things? it seems like an awful lot of stuff, for a one year old to be allergic to. I know you mentioned eczema, 2 of my daycare kids would get eczema really bad, but it was not due to any type of allergies, for De Vonte when he started kindergarden his eczema was not as bad, and he has pretty much grown out of it, The only thing he really had to avoid was sun screen, he was not allergic, but it burned and irretated the eczema. If your daughter was diagnosed by a doctor or an allergist, they should have given you a guide line, and types of foods she can have, so if it was a doctor or allergist, I would check into that. Also what kind of soap, and lotions are you using? For De Vonte I used Pure and Natural soap or an otmeal bar, I used aveeno lotion, and a cream that was perscribed by his pediatrician. There's help out there, just ask the right questions to the right people, because eczema is very uncomfortable, De Vonte would get itr really bad on his elbows and behind his kness, and he would scratch until he bleed, sometimes I applyed vasleine to get the dryness down, and that helped him as well not to scratch. Well I pray your little we be just fine. J. L.

Oye! Food allergies SUCK! But, I've been relieved to find that there are a lot of stores and companies that are really responding to the need now with some great products and better labeling. I hope this information will help a little!Quinoa is a whole grain that should be safe for her (no gluten/wheat or rice; it's a totally separate grain). Trader Joe's has quinoa but it's processed in a plant with wheat so you might want to avoid it. Sprouts and Whole Foods both carry Ancient Harvest Quinoa and it is safe. It is also much higher in fiber and protein than most grains. I started eating it myself and then gave it to my own children and the kids in my daycare. I usually mix it with avocado and or hummus and some veggies and ground turkey. It even helped the little ones learn how to use a spoon because with the avocado it was an easy consistency to scoop and keep on the spoon. Whole Foods has a great section for food sensitivities and allergies and the people who work there are WONDERFUL!!!! They have always been super-helpful and the products are clearly labeled. You might also ask her Ped/GI doc about seed pastes; it might be a good source of fat/protein for her if you mix it in with other products (like Quinoa). A lot of people who are allergic to peanuts and/or tree nuts can still tolerate seed pastes. I also just found out about a company called Pitter Patties that has kid-friendly pre-cooked foods that are all-natural and they may have some that would be safe for your daughter. I met the co-owner, Susan, through my work on the board of the Orange County Child Care Association. She's incredibly sweet and I'm sure would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Her e-mail is ____@____.com. Their products are in Whole Foods Markets and Mother's Markets in Orange County. Good Luck!!!

Try beans. My son loves any type.

My son has multiple allergies too. My allergist suggested a see a nutritionist who can help you come up with alternatives. I went to Nicole at NutritionWise, www.nicolemeadow.com. Her phone is ###-###-####. Good luck.

Gosh! What a tough break! I would suggest soy yogurt and other soy products such as tofu, margarine, milk, etc. Just be sure that the nut allergy is looked for on these products as they sometimes contain nut oils or other.

For snacks I would say zucchini, celery or carrot sticks, broccoli or cauliflower with some soy milk or soy cheese. For dinner, any white fish with a little lemon is delicious and healthy. Also, incorporate avocado for some fat.

Good luck!

Hi N.,

What test did your doctor do for allergy, and was there reason to believe that your daughter was allergic to all of the foods you listed? Some of those food allergies are pretty rare, like peas, rice, and beef. If your doctor used skin prick testing, some of those results can be bleed-over false positives from the histamine response used to qualify which items a person is allergic to. If the doc used blood tests, these can generate false positives if they're used as a screen without the appropriate health history taken into consideration. Although they're most appropriately used as a last method of diagnosis, you might want to, in your daughter's case, consider an oral food challenge. Bear in mind though, that these are expensive, can be dangerous, and must be done at a facility (usually a hospital) with a doctor who specializes in administering and interpretting the challenge. Erring on the side of over-avoidance might be a better route, unless there is reason to be concerned about malnutrition.

Also, consider this. How severe is your baby's reaction to any of these items? The biggest concerns are generally from milk, peanuts, eggs, and fish, as these are most likely to cause anaphylaxis (not that hives and eczema are any fun, either). Also, consider that allergy is what we call a disease of titer. This means that exposure to one or two allergens that your daughter is weakly allergic to may not elicit a response, but exposure to a third allergen at the same time might. If you can cut out the primary culprits, you might find that
1. She's not really allergic to everything on your list or
2. She may be able to tolerate small amounts of some of the weaker allergens once in a while.

Now, I don't really advocate option #2, because in general, strict avoidance is the best policy for allergens in the hopes that the disease does not progress. The Allergy March describes the progression of allergy from food allergy to inhalant allergy, and potentially culminates in asthma. For reputable and accurate information on allergy, please go to aaaai.org, the website for the American Association of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

As for finger foods, I suggest a trip to your local health food store. Most of these carry products from manufactureres who are more aware of the allergic population and use ingredients not as common in our society, such as amaranth, quinoa, date syrup, and carob. You may find that you will need to bake a lot of things for your daughter yourself. Look for products and recipes online that can be substituted for "standard" products. For example, flax meal heated in juice or water makes a great binder and can be used in place of eggs. Tapioca flour can be used in place of wheat or rice flour, but you'll need to play with the measurements. Almond milk can be used instead of cow's, goat's, rice or soy milk (be wary of soy -- it can also be a significant allergen).

Finally, a word about NAET. This is not reputable science. It is based on principles that have no basis in scientifically established evidence-based medicine, nor is it grounded in proven physiology and biochemistry. One of the reasons that NAET successfully "cures" allergies is because it diagnoses them at a rate that is up to 60 times higher than their actual prevalence (existance) in most populations. It's easy to proclaim cure for what wasn't really there in the first place. I am a great believer in chiropractic for many ills, but this just isn't one of them.

Although there is still so much to learn, we know that the roots to allergy lay at the molecular level, and there is a genetic component involved (anyone in the rest of the family have allergies?). We have well substantiated knowledge about how the immune system functions and about its dysfunction (or hyperfunction, really) in the case of allergy. The practices of NAET do not fit into any part of this framework. Also, consider that, even though NAET trials have been registered on clinicaltrials.gov, as is required for FDA surveillance and publication in reputable medical journals, no articles on results from these trials have EVER been published in reputable, peer-reviewed journals -- even those that are open source and those that don't demand the highest standards for publication. All articles have been self-published, only. As a scientist, I find this practice highly suspicious. Should a NAET study ever be published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal (that is, a journal that asks other experts in the field to review and comment on the study before they will publish it), and should such a study follow the CONSORT guidelines for good evidence-based medicine that have been accepted by the worldwide scientific and medical communities, I will certainly reconsider my position.

Anyway, good luck! It can be hard to feed an allergic child, especially when they get to school age and want to share foods with their friends. Also, since your daughter is allergic to peanuts, you should be aware that she could react to peanuts in ways other than by eating them. My daughter is highly allergic to peanuts, peanut dust in the air, and peanut emolients found in many lotions and cosmetics. This can make school and airline travel a bit tricky. We've had to work with the school to get peanut products removed from campus and to educate her fellow students so that she can be safe in the one environment she can't avoid (and that's tough for a HS with 3000 kids!). We've learned to alert the airline when we travel and carry surgical masks, and she avoids sporting events and circuses, for obvious reasons.

If you ever need any more information, please feel free to contact me through Mamasource (I don't open email from addresses I don't recognize).

All the best,

R.

Hi N.!
Corn and beans equals as meat, also try the rest of the cereals. I always made my owm baby food. I used frozen vegetables from bird's eye and green giant but now we have other different brands an more variety cook them well. Use all other fruits se could eat in small pieces.
Also you could use olive oil to prepare her meals.
bean soup recipe: Cook beans One pound in 3-4 qts. water at med. heat for 2-3 hours. Cool ad separate in qt. portions freeze two for later use.put one in the fridge.Use one quart for the day and safe cooked vegetables. bring to a boil. 10 min. before turning the heat off add any spice that my be safe for your baby, like a pinch of crushed oregano. or italian seasoning. do observe if your baby likes it more liquid or more solid. and enjoy. DO delve into mexican food. It has many choices. Best to you and yours.

We found that giving our kids, even our baby Pb8 each day, helps heal the intestines and has lessened the allergies significantly. Our 11 month old doesn't have anymore allergies at all...and we give her 1/2 PB8 nearly every day. we just open the capsule and dump 1/2 into her mouth and then I breastfeed her. You could add it to the bottle for your baby. Our oldest has a significant, or HAD a significant peanut and dairy allergy, amoung others. He's 6 now and has no allergies to foods, and he can eve have something with peanut in it without any reaction, but we do give him the PB8 each night before bed.

Goat's milk doesn't seem to have the same allergy issues as cow's milk, but most peds freak...and most parents I know went against their pediatricians and the kids did very well on it.

There are wheat free, gluten free and dairy free cake mixes and cookbooks, so here's hoping the rice allergy fixes itself for your sake.

ALSO....vaccines are grown in egg bases, so be careful about those. Do your research. Here's some more info:
http://allergies.about.com/b/2007/12/18/food-allergies-an...