The past week has been a bit trying for me. I have a 1 month old son in addition to two toddlers. Sure, that's usually enough for any mom to admit to a "trying" week. However, what I have noticed in my newborn is something I had hoped against hope that I wouldn't see, namely, reactions to dairy and egg products in my diet. Because breast milk is the best food for my baby, I'm totally committed to nursing him for at least the first year. Given my "experiments" for the past week, it probably means my coffee will be cream-free for the next 11 months.
A little over a week ago, my son started crying ALL the time. Now I know that most of the time with a newborn it seems like they are either sleeping or crying. In his case, he was crying and spitting up like you would not believe. I started eliminating things from my diet. Peppers and caffeine were the first to go. I think it helped a little, but he still kept spewing. Next, went chocolate. Since our family does not eat many eggs, it was very obvious he reacted to the Caesar dressing I had eaten - eggs were out. I waited a while before taking anything else out hoping that milk could stay. You see, though I realize that there are some strong opinions about whether or not dairy products are a necessary part of our diets, the bottom line for me is: I like milk. I love cheese. A cup of coffee without creamer is missing something. Don't even get me started on ice cream. However, after I had eaten a meal consisting cheese-stuffed pasta shells, I knew that milk was going to be shelved.
Since I have cut out the dairy and cheese the difference in my son is amazing. He still spits up a little, but it is nothing compared to the flow from last week. He seems much happier and is even starting to smile a little. The decision to tweak my diet isn't really that much of a sacrifice. Since we're already adjusted to having one allergic person in the house, it won't be hard for me to eat the same things I feed her. Keeping my baby on breast milk is so good for him, I'm happy to do it, even if I was a little disappointed at first.
If you are wondering if you are seeing some signs of allergies in your breastfed baby, kellymom has a great article which sums up many of the potential signs of food allergy. Recently the American Association of Pediatrics published an article in its official journal detailing how the AAP is changing its position on the best ways to prevent food allergies in children. Bottom line? Breastfeed. (You're welcome to read the entire clinical report from AAP, but if you'd rather get the quick and easy version, CNN published a much more readable summary of the article.)
Changing my diet gives me fresh incentive for finding some new allergen-free recipes and making our spring and summer menu. Menu planning has been one of the best helps I've found for saving money and dealing with allergies in the kitchen.
Showing posts with label living with food allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label living with food allergies. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
so much to write about...
so little time! I'm really excited about this blog and am thinking of new posts and topics all the time. I've learned so much over the past year and a half about living with food allergies that I am happy to share. However, with the limited time I have I've promised myself and my DH that in most cases I will only write one post per day. I feel like my posts so far have been woefully inadequate. Like the milk substitutes post from yesterday, there's so much more to be said! I have yummy recipes for "cream" soup and "cheese" sauce, great alternate sources of calcium (brown sugar!?) and more ideas for dairy-free alternatives. Alas, sitting down with a nice cup of coffee and writing away the hours of the day just isn't an option.
As my daughter (and whole family for that matter) have been having pretty bad flare-ups of eczema recently I'm wondering in the back of my mind if it's just the weather (likely) or if we are facing the onslaught of another allergy. We go back for a checkup mid-February, so I'll be interested to see what her numbers are. The last time she was tested, the allergist ordered as RAST test. It showed that her allergy to milk did not even really make the charts, while egg and peanut and tree nut was off the charts. Though she had never really consumed eggs or peanuts, I was very surprised that her milk numbers were so low. Though thankfully we have never faced anaphylaxis (we always carry our trusty Epi-Pen, though), her reactions to milk and dairy were pretty quick and severe. The doctor informed me that the testing is not really, in her words, "scientific" and that high numbers do not necessarily indicate an allergy while low numbers do not necessarily indicate absence of allergy. Great. So, why did we pay to have the test done? Why did I put my toddler (and myself) through the whole drawing-blood thing? Ah, the wonders of modern medicine! I used to think that some doctors knew everything and it was simply a matter of have-this-symptom-take-this-medicine-to-fix-it. It turns out that Mom might not be so bad a judge of her children's medical issues. I notice that she's reacting to milk, don't give her milk. This kind of method, the "elimination diet" method works well, though it does take time and perseverance. This is where you would eliminate a food or group of foods for several days to see if the symptoms stop or decrease. Then, if the symptoms are not life-threatening, re-introduce the food to see if the reaction occurs. We did this with our first-born son when he started having major hives one summer. It took a couple of months of going through different foods, but we finally figured out that eggs and tomatoes were the culprits. Interestingly enough, he had never been crazy about tomato products. Still (about 2 1/2 years later), though he seems to have outgrown these allergies, he still does not like tomato products. I notice this in my daughter as well. When we have given her foods in the past that we did not think contained her allergens, she would often refuse to eat it. This would be a shock because it was usually something she loved, like crackers. Come to find out, we'd double-check the ingredients and there would be milk or eggs present. We've come to learn - especially when eating out or away from home - not to insist that she eat any food. Many times, we've learned later that she's been right to avoid an offending food.
For more information about allergy testing, FAAN has produced this helpful document.
As my daughter (and whole family for that matter) have been having pretty bad flare-ups of eczema recently I'm wondering in the back of my mind if it's just the weather (likely) or if we are facing the onslaught of another allergy. We go back for a checkup mid-February, so I'll be interested to see what her numbers are. The last time she was tested, the allergist ordered as RAST test. It showed that her allergy to milk did not even really make the charts, while egg and peanut and tree nut was off the charts. Though she had never really consumed eggs or peanuts, I was very surprised that her milk numbers were so low. Though thankfully we have never faced anaphylaxis (we always carry our trusty Epi-Pen, though), her reactions to milk and dairy were pretty quick and severe. The doctor informed me that the testing is not really, in her words, "scientific" and that high numbers do not necessarily indicate an allergy while low numbers do not necessarily indicate absence of allergy. Great. So, why did we pay to have the test done? Why did I put my toddler (and myself) through the whole drawing-blood thing? Ah, the wonders of modern medicine! I used to think that some doctors knew everything and it was simply a matter of have-this-symptom-take-this-medicine-to-fix-it. It turns out that Mom might not be so bad a judge of her children's medical issues. I notice that she's reacting to milk, don't give her milk. This kind of method, the "elimination diet" method works well, though it does take time and perseverance. This is where you would eliminate a food or group of foods for several days to see if the symptoms stop or decrease. Then, if the symptoms are not life-threatening, re-introduce the food to see if the reaction occurs. We did this with our first-born son when he started having major hives one summer. It took a couple of months of going through different foods, but we finally figured out that eggs and tomatoes were the culprits. Interestingly enough, he had never been crazy about tomato products. Still (about 2 1/2 years later), though he seems to have outgrown these allergies, he still does not like tomato products. I notice this in my daughter as well. When we have given her foods in the past that we did not think contained her allergens, she would often refuse to eat it. This would be a shock because it was usually something she loved, like crackers. Come to find out, we'd double-check the ingredients and there would be milk or eggs present. We've come to learn - especially when eating out or away from home - not to insist that she eat any food. Many times, we've learned later that she's been right to avoid an offending food.
For more information about allergy testing, FAAN has produced this helpful document.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
reading labels
The first thing I had to learn when dealing with food allergies is how to read labels. I never realized there were so many ways to say "egg" and that "non-dairy" does not mean "dairy-free". My daughter's allergist told me that manufacturers were soon to be required to provide product labeling that was simpler for the average person to read. This guideline was first established by industry groups several years ago and in 2006 the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act took effect which required the plain-language labeling of the eight major allergic foods (milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish). I have seen this on most of the products I purchase. The most helpful of labels has an allergy statement near the list of ingredients which says something like "Contains: Milk, Egg and Soy". Other labels, still within the FDA guidelines, identifies the allergens within the ingredient list...for example, "whey (milk)".
Just to be on the safe side though, I've familiarized myself with many of the "alternate" names of the foods to which my daughter is allergic. Lists of these ingredients for each of the main foods can be found in the PDF document How to Read a Food Label provided by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). This knowledge is helpful to have so that you can ascertain how much of the potential allergen the product has. Ingredients on food labels are listed starting out with the most used ingredient first going in order to the least used ingredient. My daughter's allergy testing showed that she had a relatively low milk allergy while egg and peanut was off the charts. Therefore, I might every once in a while use a product where milk is listed toward the end of the ingredient list (like Carlini's Homestyle Spread Margarine available at Aldi where milk is the last ingredient listed). However, I wouldn't think about using any product containing even the slightest bit of peanut or egg. Be your own judge and proceed carefully!!
A friend that is a veteran of dealing with food allergies also told me that she had never had any problems using products where allergens were listed under the "may contain" clause. I've used many of these products with no problems, but have always exercised the age-old adage "if in doubt, don't!" For instance, if a snack cake label indicated it was processed in a facility that also processed peanuts - I'd pass it on by. Again, be your own judge and proceed carefully!!
While I appreciate the hard work that FAAN has done to lobby for these types of label changes, I'd love to see more manufacturers get on the band-wagon to produce kid-friendly allergen-free products. My friend tells me that dealing with food allergies is so much easier today than it was when she started more than 20 years ago, so maybe the trend is moving in the right direction.
Just to be on the safe side though, I've familiarized myself with many of the "alternate" names of the foods to which my daughter is allergic. Lists of these ingredients for each of the main foods can be found in the PDF document How to Read a Food Label provided by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). This knowledge is helpful to have so that you can ascertain how much of the potential allergen the product has. Ingredients on food labels are listed starting out with the most used ingredient first going in order to the least used ingredient. My daughter's allergy testing showed that she had a relatively low milk allergy while egg and peanut was off the charts. Therefore, I might every once in a while use a product where milk is listed toward the end of the ingredient list (like Carlini's Homestyle Spread Margarine available at Aldi where milk is the last ingredient listed). However, I wouldn't think about using any product containing even the slightest bit of peanut or egg. Be your own judge and proceed carefully!!
A friend that is a veteran of dealing with food allergies also told me that she had never had any problems using products where allergens were listed under the "may contain" clause. I've used many of these products with no problems, but have always exercised the age-old adage "if in doubt, don't!" For instance, if a snack cake label indicated it was processed in a facility that also processed peanuts - I'd pass it on by. Again, be your own judge and proceed carefully!!
While I appreciate the hard work that FAAN has done to lobby for these types of label changes, I'd love to see more manufacturers get on the band-wagon to produce kid-friendly allergen-free products. My friend tells me that dealing with food allergies is so much easier today than it was when she started more than 20 years ago, so maybe the trend is moving in the right direction.
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