Food Allergy Meal Ideas

I'm sorry, L.! I won't be too much help, but I have a couple of ideas. While breastfeeding my newborn son we found that he had dairy and soy intolerances (through my diet). I too was a "cheese-aholic". We've used bananas part-for-part as a butter replacement in baking. I've grown to appreciate Rice Dream "icecream". And carob chips smell a little like sweat but tht don't taste too bad--sounds tempting now doesn't it???

I'd be interested in hearing how he was diagnosed (test, symptoms, ...) as I'm worried my little man might not grow out of these issues.

so many of you seem to have forgotten the child has a nut allergy! It is not just peanuts most of the time, its many different nuts, almonds and even chick peas sometimes (hummus) so be careful.

My son loves the Amy's Pizza and they come with soy chesse and several other varieties for people with allergies. I have even seen them in pizza bites. And I believe the Annie's Mac and Cheese comes in a sot as well.

www.wholefoods.com has a recipe section for simple recipes. We use thier recipes and ideas a lot but we have been able to find several of the "speciality" products at Meijer and Kroger at a much better price. Both stores are even starting to make things in thier own brands.

My daughter is allergic to dairy as well. There is a brand of hot-dogs that is dairy free. It is called Hebrew National - you'd have to read the label to ensure it is free of egg/peanut, but I think it is. Giant Eagle carries it. They are kosher hotdogs, and any meat that is kosher is dairy free.

The healthfood section at Giant Eagle also carries some cookie, cake, brownie, and pancake mix by Cherry Hill farms that is dairy, egg, gluten, and peanut free. I've tried the pancake mix - it's pretty good. (No egg required to make it).

If he like's soup, Progresso makes a few soups that are fee of the allergens you mentioned and they clearly label all their soups in regards to allergens.

There are "ice cream" sandwiches called Cutie Pies, made by the Tofetti people, carried at Giant Eagle that are also dairy free (not sure about the other allegens you mentioned).

Fleicshman's unsalted margerine is dairy free. (Also carried at Giant Eagle) It's not tasty to eat straight, but works well when baking/cooking. You'd have to double check the label on the egg, peanut ingredients, put I don't think it has any of those in it.

Some health food stores do carry soy cheeses that are dairy free - but don't assume - you need to check the label. My daughter eats a lot of pasta for lunch and dinner. Tyson chicken nuggets are dairy free (you'd have to double check on the egg though) and Van De Kamps Fish Sticks are dairy free (again, double check the egg though). I'm pretty sure those both only identify wheat as being an allergen.

My husband used to make "mac & cheese" for our daughter using the Tofetti cheese and she loved it. Of course, at that time, she had never tasted real cheese (she was diagnosed with the allergy at 10 months.)

Hope this helps. Good Luck

ham turkey rollups or sandwhiches and ole stand by chicken nuggets! Try trader joes fish stick too they are actually healthy more fish then breading and kids LOVE them.

It is rough when there are that many things to avoid. When we were first trying to decide what my daughter was allergic to we had to take a way all of the allergens and work up from there. If you like meatloaf, you can substitute a banana or applesauce for the egg. It really does taste pretty good. It gives it a much sweeter taste. I was pretty much cooking from scratch at that point. Check the label on the veggie slices, I believe that they still have a dairy based preservative in them. I am not positive on that. I know that hotdogs have a dairy based preservative in them also. McDonalds french fries have a dairy based preservative in the seasoning that they put on them. Go to godairyfree.com, they have a lot of info on the dairy based preservatives and a list of some substitutes. It was very overwhelming at first, but we found out she was only allergic to dairy. It gets so much easier after you figure out the hidden allergens in some things. Meijer has a healthy section in each of their isles and they have boxed foods that are allergen free. It made my life a lot easier when shopping and trying to find some quick lunch ideas. If you think about it this way, your child is going to be a lot healthier by not eating all of the dairy and the prepared boxed foods anyway. I never did find a cheese substitute that was very good. My daughter is 3 and she can eat a lot of the dairy products now and it doesn't seem to bother her. I still can't give her a glass of milk, but I think the soy milk is better anyway. The doctors told me that kids with dairy sensitivities can usually handle hard cheese like real cheddar as opposed to the cheese food products (slices). My son had a milk allergy also and he could eat anything except for a glass of milk. I put him on lactose free milk and he did fine with that. There is also a butter that is pretty good called earth balance I think. That is one that I found in the dairy free section, but there is one butter with the rest of the butter that should work (atleast with the dairy allergy, I am not sure about the peanuts and eggs) It was called....I can't quite remember the name but it was in a yellow container and it was one of the heart healthy butters and it was only the light because the regular had dairy based preservatives in it. The website I gave you was a great resource for me. It will even give you a list of the fastfood places and what contains the allergens there. That is how I found out about the milk based preservative in McDonalds french fries seasoning. If you need someone to bounce ideas off of or just to vent I would be glad to listen because I know how overwhelming it can be at first. good luck

I use the tofutti cheese slices for my son. Those of us who have eaten dairy don't like the taste of the non-dairy cheese. Be careful as rice and soy cheese contain casein, a milk protein. The tofutti cream cheese and sour cream are very good. Everyone in our house likes those.
Some good resources are FAAN, Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, and The Food Allergy Kitchen, a yahoo group. You can search for recipes and ask questions of other members.
I love the cook book What's To Eat? The egg-free, dairy-free, peanut-free cookbook.
Good Luck!

Try N.A.E.T, it is an alternative allergy elimaination treatment. My daughter is allergic to 19 different things and we have gone the elimination route. I am so much happier eliminating allergins for 25 hours than forever,that is so hard. Itis not covered by insurance, and there are only 2 naet providers in ths city. We use Karen Marshall, she is great with kids!!

There are some cheese substitutes out there if you can find a good health food store. Also, look for vegan recipes and vegan products. www.followyourheart.com makes a good cheese substitute. I had to order it on the site, but I was pleased with their shipping and packaging and it really does taste and melt like real cheese. Just make sure it doesn't contain casein...this is a dairy product that some substitutes still have in them, so be sure you read the label.

Amy's brand does make a soy cheese pizza...you can add your own toppings.

Good luck!!

I have a cousin whose son has lots of allergies (same ones as your son plus wheat). She goes to the health food store and buys things so she can make him little treats now and then. It's rather expensive, but worth it according to her. Thre are tons of recipes on the net, just google it! Good luck!

Dear L.,
You can use carob powder and sweetened carob chips just make sure there is no dairy in them. You can use almond butter and almond milk. A great place to look for groceries is Trader Joes. Check the internet to see if there is one in your area. They are usually found in metro areas. They carry a variety of canned and frozen foods that are healthy. I think you'll be able to find something there.

L. J

Carob powder is a good chocolate substitute. Have you tried tofu for a meat substitute? I think it is made out of soybeans. They carry chunks of tofu at Marc's and the grocery stores. It is a chilled product and it may be found at the veggie section. Check the health food stores and the Mustard Seed Market in Solon and Montrose. Good Luck.

We have the same dairy and egg allergy in our house with our 18 month old son. Although we don't have peanut allergies, we are tackling tree nut anaphylaxis reactions! I am so curious as to the late diagnosis... was he fine until now? I love hearing everyone's stories, as I learn so much by hearing of experiences!

We have found Ians Foods (http://www.iansnaturalfoods.com) at Mustard Seed, and Whole Foods (best selection). My son loves that he can have pizza like his sisters, and chicken nuggets and fish sticks, and tator tots, etc.... And the girls will actually eat them too, even though they don't have allergies like him - so I think that speaks volumes as for how "normal" they are able to make their products taste!

I haven't had much luck with cheese substitutes (other than that on Ian's pizza) so if you hear of a good mac and cheese or such, please share with me! I have tried several boxes of dairy free mac and cheese, my son won't touch it. But there are many dried pastas out there that are safe, so we just keep pasta and a jar of sauce in the fridge, for quick spaghetti lunches.

Also we belong to BJ's and they sell a huge box of chicken nuggets shaped as dinosaurs - those are egg and dairy free, and very low in sodium, unlike other nuggets.

Another hit is mashed potatoes with soy milk (Silk Plain is our fave) and soy butter(Earth Balance). I make a huge batch and then the following day, I add a little flour and seasoning and turn leftovers into mashed potato pancakes that we serve with tofutti soy sour cream - tastes like the real thing amazingly!

Best of luck! You will get creative with time. We have also contacted local restaurants and obtained menus, either online or via phone calls that I keep in the car. This way if we are ever out during lunch, or traveling, I always have on hand safe food options for my son. Of course I verify when ordering, but funny how exciting a McDonald's hamburger can get when you have been living on rice and chicken for weeks!

This site may be helpful--they have recipes, etc.
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/

Eat the breakfast and dinner stuff at lunch-time.

We see Dr. Cheryl at Integrative Wellcare she specializes in Allergy Elimination. It can help get rid of the allergies at least to the point that he is able to eat small amounts of those foods. You can also try digestive enzymes that can help breakdown those foods in case he ingests them. Our son can now eat pretty much anything and his allergy list was VERY long!

We do still shop at the Mustard Seed, Trader Joes or Vital Choice for specialty foods to ensure he is eating healthy. Giant Eagle even has a good selection of things that are dairy free (we had to do wheat free as well) we still get a lot of that stuff but he can eat a little bit of anything now.
Good Luck!

I don't know much about it but my nephew was allergic to several things including dairy, carrots, eggs, honey who knows what else (He has out grow them all so there is hope)My sister use to buy veggie slices they look like kraft singles and we found them right with the other cheese. but that was awhile ago (he is now 12) so I am not sure but hope that helps you some. Also you could keep eye ut for goat cheese or try goats milk my boss makes both you can get the goat milk at the store it is VERY expensive and is sold warm. ours is near the condensed milk.hopefully you could find a farmer in your area that has goats and has extra milk and makes cheese. As with the other allergies if there is a snack or food he really enjoys look at other brands or generic versions, for example i know my nephew could not have oreos but the store brand did not contain dairy and were not to bad. I don't know all the other things but I know she did that with oreos and gram crackers. sorry not more info hope you have luck!! I just thought is he allergic to chocolate or cocoa beans maybe white chocolate if it is the cocoa beans. Just start reading everything and depending on the severaty of his allery you may have to be careful of things made in places that handle any of his allergans!
another thing I want to throw out to you to check on is many places are switching to peanut oil to deep fry things please ask before serving to you son. My Brother is very allergic to peanuts/peanut butter and we found this out the hard way. I don't know of any subs for this we just never ate it I also have a mild allergy to peanuts ( I vomit if eat more than a bite or two my bro swells and his throat and lips swell first causing breathing issues.

you might want to check out about.com dairy free cooking section, they seem to have a lot of recipes.

Books to get from the library, then buy if you really like them: The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook by Marjorie Hurt Jones; Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Kid Pleasing Recipes & Tips
by Theresa Kingma; Kid Friendly Allergy Cookbook
by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger; What's to Eat? by Linda Marienhoff Coss; 8 Degrees of Ingredients
by Melissa Priem
What might help: Many Kosher products contain no dairy ingredients when the word "parve" is on the packaging, or have a kosher mark [such as a "U" with a circle around it, for supervision and approval by Rabbis for the OU/UO] without a "D" for dairy. Also, cCheck with your local supermarkets for a selection of products that may also be listed as 'nut-free', etc. Note that this does NOT mean organic. Good luck.

I'd also go see Dr. Karen Marshall in the Fishers/Noblesville area if you are even remotely close! She is an allergy & asthma specialist. I know several people who've been to her and say that she has been right on target w/ helping w/ these issues.

You have to understand that many times these symptoms are indications of deficiencies or toxicities in the body. Once you change that balance/chemistry, the problems take care of themselves.

Unfortunately, many of the things we use or don't use in some cases..today prevent our bodies from building its own natural immunity and/or defense. i.e. I'm NOT a fan of antibacterial soap. It makes sense, like other things, if you use it all the time, your body will become immune to the antibacterial agent in the soap. As smart as we think we are, we are destroying our own bodies defenses and balances by the chemicals we use.

Cheese "substitues".......NO. That is a chemically altered product! You probably couldn't even pronouce half of what the ingredients are. Even if you can.......do you really KNOW what they are? What about soy or organic? There are more nutrients in organic and they don't have the chemicals that are in other products. Did you ever consider that maybe he's allergic to the chemicals and NOT the food itself?

I do understand the "cheee-aholic" thing. I have a sister whose family is the same way. We even put the word "cheesy" before their last name many times. Maybe its a TOXICITY to a chemical in the cheese.

What about almond or cashew (YUM!!!) butter? Organic vs. store or national brand?

When a child is outside and comes into contact with dirt and common things, your body knows what to use from that to build an immune system, etc. (This is the easiest way I know to explain it) If a child is "protected" - or so one thinks they are protecting them - from getting dirty, playing in & with things we grew up with......their bodies have no idea how to respond because they've not been given the opportunity to develop the immunity.

I think EVERY child should have to spend time on the farm. Yeah, there's a lot of dirt & manure there, etc but there are ALSO very VALUABLE life lessons and opportunities to become exposed to things that help the body develop a good defense system.

I have NO idea how your child is being raised, so please don't get defensive here. I'm an educator and just trying to help you understand what may be going on here, at least in part.

Again, make an effort to see Dr. Marshall if you can. I can even give you names of moms who've used her services. If you don't live close, it still would be worth the trip. I have her phone number.

Also pay attention to the cleaners you use around the house. If I were in YOUR shoes, I'd be using enzyme based cleaning products vs. chemical.

Do your homework and try to stay AWAY from drugs & meds. They only create more problems and mask the symptoms. Take care of these from the root source for a much healthier, happier life!

My son has a dairy allergy. He likes the tofutti brand american style cheese slices, and will eat them prepared as grilled cheese. Tofutti also has a frozen pizza that he likes. He loves Silk brand soy yogurts and eats one of those just about every day. Also, tofutti brand has lots of frozen non-dairy treats that are delicious--Little Cuties are probably his favorite.

My friend has this same issue with her 3 year old. He is allergic to EVERYTHING. She has found a very nice health food store (claudia's - i think they have a website too) and is able to get him things there. Also our local grocery stores have organic sections and she is able to find him things there now. They also have a few places you can order dry products on line. She has bread receipes (he is allergic to wheat gluten, eggs, nuts, dairy, some soy...tons of stuff) and cookie recipes so he can be like the rest of the kids at daycare with lunch & snacks. He can eat 100% beef hot dogs & bologna (which what 3 doesn't love these things!) she is still in search of cheese that melts well. he eats rice cheese, but it is not a good melter for sandwhiches.

Some recipes that we love:

Sweet potato fries (baked) seasoned with lemon pepper seasoning. yum! recipe here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ts-Sweet-Potato-Fries/Detail...

Pasta with coconut milk- we really like this a lot! The recipe is here http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9483.0
I change it a little bit- more pasta, about half the lime juice. I usually just use the pasta, coconut milk, and seasonings. I leave out the veggies and peanuts, but sometimes add broccoli or something. It's good with black beans in it too.

Veggie pot pie. This is a favorite of my almost 4yo. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Veggie-Pot-Pie/Detail.aspx
I do a potato biscuit crust.

Black Bean chilaquile might be a stretch for a picky eater, but we love it so I thought I'd throw it out there.
http://www.recipesource.com/fgv/beans-grains/02/rec0269.html

I do butternut squash on pizza- pizza sauce, microwave butternut squash until it's slightly tender, then bake with shallots and chopped fresh sage leaves, tossed in a few tbsp of olive oil or margarine. I add some (1/4 c) white beans for more "creaminess" and protein. Then mash it up a bit. My ds and dp said they didn't even miss the cheese.

The soy cheeses take a little getting used to, but once your taste buds adjust they are a great substitute. The melted consistancy is not as smooth as regular cheese so Mac and Cheese may be hard to duplicate, but you could try.

I also use olive oil in lots of places that I would use butter, like grilling mac and cheese or cooking eggs.

Shaklee makes great meal shakes that are packed with nutrients and you can use rice milk with them. That would be a nice thing to have on hand for busy days or to change things up once and a while, and the kids love them.

My son has no allergies, but we try to cut down on dairy because of my past intestinal issues (which are now under control - thank God!)

www.shaklee.net/gemsoffire has info on meal shakes under the childrens nutrition section.