Talking Allergies

Hi!

My little man (13 months old) is allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, barley and navy beans (so we're steering clear of all legumes for the moment)... well, at least those are the confirmed allergens so far!

He WAS eating meat in simple stews and mixed in with his mashed sweet potato (chopped up really fine) but started protesting these meals about 2 weeks ago. I'm really worried he just isn't getting enough protein, especially considering he is allergic to the other big sources of protein (dairy, eggs, soy, beans), so I need to try and get him to eat meat again. He only drinks rice milk and water, so he doesn't get any protein there either.

I tried making him some little hamburger patties but he only plays with them! If I manage to get a piece into his mouth he just spits it right back out, so I think he has a problem with the texture.

If anyone knows any tricks or recipes that worked for them, I would LOVE to hear it!

Thanks!
Dana.

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Son (1 year old): wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, barley, navy beans (so we are staying away from all legumes), mould.
Husband: slight seasonal allergies.
Me: peanuts.

Blender the meat with a Quesinart or Magic Bullett. I had the same problem as the OP with my now 18 mth old DD.

previous to the mechanical approach, I tried fine chop manual and grating the cooked meat but both methods were unsucessful at getting down the throat rather than thrown onto the floor (or worse spit out onto my work shirt).

The Quesinart and Magic Bullet were both acquired by way of wedding presents, so there was no cash outlay for the adventures in meat blender. My recommendation would be to ask a friend for these items.

Also the Magic Bullet or Quesinart is great way to get rid of excess fruit. Blender the fruit with ice and a cheap liqour (rum, vodka, etc) for late night adult treat with spouse.

Thanks, Cage. I have tried pureeing meat (to some degree in my mini blender) and mixing it in with his sweet potatoes, squash etc but it's still a bit of a fight these days. Maybe he's gone off the taste?
Thanks so much for the suggestion... I will keep trying!

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Son (1 year old): wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, barley, navy beans (so we are staying away from all legumes), mould.
Husband: slight seasonal allergies.
Me: peanuts.

My kids are allergic to several alternative protein sources so we rely on meat quite a bit. However, I'm wondering if you have tried others like salmon and other fish, whole grains like brown rice/quinoa and seeds like sunflower which all also contain protein. Hope you find something that works.

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

Shape meat into balls, cut into cubes or sticks, serve with dipping sauce...

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

What about gravy? If a gravy is made from the meat (as opposed to a packet) would it still provide a decent amount of protein?

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

You will laugh but I admit to pureeing chicken /beef and when DS was very young (refusing all meat also) and I would bake the puree into chocolate zuchinni muffins. I even at one point put a dab of the puree into ice cream to se try see if it really was the meat or just the smell /taste etc. that made him so adamantly refuse it. = -))))) Needless to say my family was terrified of any muffin , cookie or food in our freezer.

I still am baffled by meat as it seems to one time cause him awful stomach issues but then say turkey bacon he loves with no stomach issues.

Danak The one thing I relied on almost 100% for his protein (especially when fish/egg and shellfish were still allergies) was Sunbutter. 2 tbsps has 7 grams of protein.

DS could eat so little his first year as we kept discovering new allergies (as I imagine have also gone through) that he was still in the 4th %ile by age 3. It has just been the last year he's started to grow more and catch up. I'm sure you worry (as we all do) about a balanced diet etc. but it began to make me frantic daily worrying about how little and how few foods he was eating. Finally my dr. said if he only eats 5 foods let him. His relationship with food right from infancy has not been good so she told me not to worry and to just stick with the foods that were safe, as being reaction free meant a more trusting (of food and of me) little guy.
Wish there was better advice I could give. It is hard as we are all avoiding a different combination of foods.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

Thank you all so much for the tips!!

I have finally had success pureeing beef and mixing it with pureed avocado as a sauce with his rice pasta. He loves avocado so much and the beef/avocado mix has passed the test! In fact, he even eats it without the pasta!!

Hopefully as he gets older he will overcome his dislike of the normal texture of meat but for now, if I have to puree it, so be it!

BC2007, that's hilarious that your little guy happily ate meat/chocolate/zuchinni muffins! Talk about creative!! The things kids eat... did you ever try one yourself? Maybe they aren't actually that bad! Hehe!

I do worry a lot about my little man getting a balanced diet... it drives my husband mad. I wish I could be as relaxed as he is about all this. But I think things are going to get easier now that I have found this WONDERFUL forum!

I'm going to look into the Sunbutter thing... I have the Earth Balance soy-free margerine here at home, which I have used to make banana bread (which he loves) but I haven't tried smearing it on anything and giving it to him yet... am a bit worried about the pea protein in it as I'm not convinced he's OK with peas...

Anyway, thanks again everyone!!

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Son (1 year old): wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, barley, navy beans (so we are staying away from all legumes), mould.
Husband: slight seasonal allergies.
Me: peanuts.

Sunbutter is great. My DD loves it. It's not a butter/margarine replacement, it's a peanut butter replacement. It's a little difficult to find. None of the stores around here carry it but I can find it in Quebec when we go to visit and then I stock up.

Just to let you know, Earth Balance has a whipped variety that doesn't have pea protein in it. I've been using the whipped one because it was the only one available at the time. When I was buying a new container, I saw the other type and was surprised that pea protein was in it.

Tina are you in Ottawa? Our Superstore used to carry Sunbutter then stopped. I single handedly drove store management crazy until they finally ordered again. The IRONY...I was in the isle the day they were stocking the shelf and that section of the stores' manager (who knew me by this time) saw me and just said...um how many would you like. I loaded up my basket and then gave him a HUGE hug.

If you are close to Ottawa there are I think 3 stores which sell it now.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

Our Walmart (South/West Ottawa) carries Sunbutter and WOW butter!!

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

WOW butter is made from soy - just an FYI.

I have seen Sunbutter at a specialty foods store here, although I cannot remember which one now.

Oats are loaded with protein, although finding wheat-free ones can be challenging. Brown rice also has good protein. Quinoa is another good choice. Seeds are great too if you can find nut-free ones.

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anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals

Persistance works!

No, I'm in New Brunswick. I haven't found a single store here that carries it. But my mom lives in Quebec so we go there fairly often and I get to stock up.

Hi! I've been having some troubles with my little one eating as well, and I asked some doctors on their advice on HealthTap- https://www.healthtap.com/#how_it_works/for_members it allows you to ask questions for free to real doctors. This isn't some generic question and answer website... it personalizes your questions by asking your age, current conditions, and medications. I've been asking questions for a while now, and I highly recommend this if you're looking for fast and reliable answers on health issues like your itchiness!!