While I'm away at the beach, several guest bloggers will be taking my place here to share their thoughts, experiences and tips. Today's guest post comes from Becky at Boys Rule My Life.
First, let me say that I am honored to be a guest blogger here at The Great Walls of Baltimore! I love popping over here because I always feel like more of a grown up. Mature conversation is always nice for a SAHM of three boys!
MommyK asked me to discuss how we live with food allergies, so let me give you an update of our situation: Our youngest son, Witt (15 months old), has a severe allergy to cow's milk. And when I say severe, I mean it could kill him... just to get the point across. Upon contact with dairy products he will break out in hives. If he ingests dairy, he'll go into anaphylactic shock. We found this out the hard way when he was 5 months old. He has also tested highly allergic to egg white and egg yolk, but we don't know how his body reacts to those because he's never had either.
Out of all questions we had, the first thing we resolved was that our whole family would be dairy free because the boys are so young and can't understand the severity of the allergy. Being a dairy-free family has it's ups and downs. Some people think we're crazy. Some think we're right on. Either way, here are a few issues we deal with:
COOKING
Obviously no cheese, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. Oh, how I miss my comfort foods at times! However, my cholesterol has dropped back into the normal range without medication and the only thing that has changed is my diet. I also lost 5 pounds the first week (but must admit that once I found that Oreos and Original Pringles are DF, the 5 pounds came back! LOL!)
Suitable substitutes are generally more expensive than their dairy-filled counterparts and some are not locally available to us - pay extra to get them or do without. We've learned to do without in some cases, but still treat ourselves to vegan "cheese" in a casserole every now and then. I've also learned that many times a store brand will be DF when the name brand is not (Wal*mart or Kroger brand semi-sweet chocolate chips being a prime example). Sometimes DF is more expensive. Sometimes it's not.
I've also learned about a whole new world of ingredients! In my research about DF living, I've come across a few items I had never heard of: nutritional yeast, stevia, and quinoa. I've learned more about the health benefits of wheat germ, hemp seed and flax seed. I've also acquired a cupboard full of different types of flour and I get to have some fun experimenting in the kitchen! Not all of these are for dairy-free living, but they certainly are for healthier living! I've even become more organized and started a recipe blog to help keep up with our dairy-free recipe conversions.
EATING OUT
Eating anywhere else but our own home is stressful (for me). We don't eat at restaurants as a family at all. The possibility for cross-contamination is just too high and then of course there is the restaurant's high chair Witt would sit in... did the last child that sat in it have mac-n-cheese? How well was it cleaned? Did I double check for the Benadryl and and Epi-pen before we left? (We have had an occurrence where we found a piece of cheese in the corner of a high chair that resulted in hives.)
We will "order in" occasionally. This in itself beings on a whole new dynamic to the family supper. Witt is first placed in his high chair with something safe to eat (if at all possible, it's something similar to what we've ordered). His high chair is placed away from the table, but still facing us. If Witt needs something, I have to clean myself up before touching him or his food. After supper, the other two boys are brushed off, hands and faces washed immediately. If needed, clothes are changed. The table is cleared and the food put away extra carefully or thrown away. If thrown away, the trash goes out. The table and chairs are washed down completely. The floors are swept. Mopped if necessary. The towel used to wash the table is washed out thoroughly and put in our designated spot so that it won't be used again until after it's been through the washing machine. After all that, Jeff and I wash up. Witt can then be taken out of his chair and sent to play with his brothers. (After all that cleaning, he's lucky if he gets a rag wiped over his face - just kidding... sort of... LOL!)
But even after all that, there is still the constant checking to make sure we didn't miss anything and that he's not swelling up in any form or fashion.
Pot lucks with the church are stressful (for me), too. I am very diligent to keep Witt well supervised and in his personal highchair in the corner of our fellowship hall so no one touches him (with possible dairy residue on their hands) or say, tries to give him a cookie. (Our congregation is large and not everyone knows about his allergy, and he's just so cute, I can understand why someone would want to pinch his cheeks or give him a cookie!)
READING LABELS
Hidden milk products in unsuspecting places scares me. I am now an avid label reader. We've found or heard of milk products in toddler toothpaste, dog biscuits, shampoo, soy yogurt, and other places it really doesn't need to be (in my opinion). However, I know about everything that comes into my house. I may not know what it is or how to say it, but I know what's dairy related and what's not. I still buy my fair share of pre-packaged foods, but hope to find ways of cooking more from scratch.
BEING FAIR
Being fair to all of my children while being safe is probably the most difficult of all. Try explaining to a 5 year old that he can't have the treat his teacher gave him until his baby brother is down for a nap. And even then, he must sit at the table and then wash his hands and mouth (and maybe change his clothes, too) as soon as he's done. Will has gotten very good at asking me if something is dairy free and sometimes he's quite disappointed when I say no.
Will also won't drink soy milk unless I've flavored it with Nesquick chocolate powder (yes, DF!). He didn't mind the sweetened vanilla soy milk at first, but has since said that he misses "not dairy free milk". That makes me a little sad that he struggles with being dairy-free. Now that he's in school though, I send him money so he can get a carton of milk with his snack. That seems to please him enough. I also send yogurt covered raisins in his lunch box as a treat.
Nathan (age 2 1/2) doesn't have a thing to say about being dairy-free. He wasn't even 2 years old when we made the switch, so it's a non-issue with him... for now.
We are still hopeful and prayerful that Witt will outgrow his allergies. Last I heard, 80% of children will outgrow their milk allergy by age 4. Witt goes for his annual allergy test this December. Also, in case you start hearing more and more about milk allergies, just a heads up... it was reported to be the most common food allergy.
Please feel free to swing over my way and say hi sometime. I don't always talk about dairy-free living, sometimes I talk about how to make a superhero cape out of granny panties.
Becky was born in Wisconsin and has since lived in seven different states across the US. Now in Alabama, she has found the place to put down roots and call home with her best friend and husband, Jeff. Although she has a degree in Chemical Engineering, she has chosen to be a stay-at-home mom to their three boys, all under the age of six. Her blog, Boys Rule My Life , is a window into their world and a resource for capturing memories. She also records her family's favorite dishes at Must Follow Recipes and the beginings of their first gardening quest at Growing Green Thumbs. Above all else, she strives for what God wants of her.
First, let me say that I am honored to be a guest blogger here at The Great Walls of Baltimore! I love popping over here because I always feel like more of a grown up. Mature conversation is always nice for a SAHM of three boys!
MommyK asked me to discuss how we live with food allergies, so let me give you an update of our situation: Our youngest son, Witt (15 months old), has a severe allergy to cow's milk. And when I say severe, I mean it could kill him... just to get the point across. Upon contact with dairy products he will break out in hives. If he ingests dairy, he'll go into anaphylactic shock. We found this out the hard way when he was 5 months old. He has also tested highly allergic to egg white and egg yolk, but we don't know how his body reacts to those because he's never had either.
Out of all questions we had, the first thing we resolved was that our whole family would be dairy free because the boys are so young and can't understand the severity of the allergy. Being a dairy-free family has it's ups and downs. Some people think we're crazy. Some think we're right on. Either way, here are a few issues we deal with:
COOKING
Obviously no cheese, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. Oh, how I miss my comfort foods at times! However, my cholesterol has dropped back into the normal range without medication and the only thing that has changed is my diet. I also lost 5 pounds the first week (but must admit that once I found that Oreos and Original Pringles are DF, the 5 pounds came back! LOL!)
Suitable substitutes are generally more expensive than their dairy-filled counterparts and some are not locally available to us - pay extra to get them or do without. We've learned to do without in some cases, but still treat ourselves to vegan "cheese" in a casserole every now and then. I've also learned that many times a store brand will be DF when the name brand is not (Wal*mart or Kroger brand semi-sweet chocolate chips being a prime example). Sometimes DF is more expensive. Sometimes it's not.
I've also learned about a whole new world of ingredients! In my research about DF living, I've come across a few items I had never heard of: nutritional yeast, stevia, and quinoa. I've learned more about the health benefits of wheat germ, hemp seed and flax seed. I've also acquired a cupboard full of different types of flour and I get to have some fun experimenting in the kitchen! Not all of these are for dairy-free living, but they certainly are for healthier living! I've even become more organized and started a recipe blog to help keep up with our dairy-free recipe conversions.
EATING OUT
Eating anywhere else but our own home is stressful (for me). We don't eat at restaurants as a family at all. The possibility for cross-contamination is just too high and then of course there is the restaurant's high chair Witt would sit in... did the last child that sat in it have mac-n-cheese? How well was it cleaned? Did I double check for the Benadryl and and Epi-pen before we left? (We have had an occurrence where we found a piece of cheese in the corner of a high chair that resulted in hives.)
We will "order in" occasionally. This in itself beings on a whole new dynamic to the family supper. Witt is first placed in his high chair with something safe to eat (if at all possible, it's something similar to what we've ordered). His high chair is placed away from the table, but still facing us. If Witt needs something, I have to clean myself up before touching him or his food. After supper, the other two boys are brushed off, hands and faces washed immediately. If needed, clothes are changed. The table is cleared and the food put away extra carefully or thrown away. If thrown away, the trash goes out. The table and chairs are washed down completely. The floors are swept. Mopped if necessary. The towel used to wash the table is washed out thoroughly and put in our designated spot so that it won't be used again until after it's been through the washing machine. After all that, Jeff and I wash up. Witt can then be taken out of his chair and sent to play with his brothers. (After all that cleaning, he's lucky if he gets a rag wiped over his face - just kidding... sort of... LOL!)
But even after all that, there is still the constant checking to make sure we didn't miss anything and that he's not swelling up in any form or fashion.
Pot lucks with the church are stressful (for me), too. I am very diligent to keep Witt well supervised and in his personal highchair in the corner of our fellowship hall so no one touches him (with possible dairy residue on their hands) or say, tries to give him a cookie. (Our congregation is large and not everyone knows about his allergy, and he's just so cute, I can understand why someone would want to pinch his cheeks or give him a cookie!)
READING LABELS
Hidden milk products in unsuspecting places scares me. I am now an avid label reader. We've found or heard of milk products in toddler toothpaste, dog biscuits, shampoo, soy yogurt, and other places it really doesn't need to be (in my opinion). However, I know about everything that comes into my house. I may not know what it is or how to say it, but I know what's dairy related and what's not. I still buy my fair share of pre-packaged foods, but hope to find ways of cooking more from scratch.
BEING FAIR
Being fair to all of my children while being safe is probably the most difficult of all. Try explaining to a 5 year old that he can't have the treat his teacher gave him until his baby brother is down for a nap. And even then, he must sit at the table and then wash his hands and mouth (and maybe change his clothes, too) as soon as he's done. Will has gotten very good at asking me if something is dairy free and sometimes he's quite disappointed when I say no.
Will also won't drink soy milk unless I've flavored it with Nesquick chocolate powder (yes, DF!). He didn't mind the sweetened vanilla soy milk at first, but has since said that he misses "not dairy free milk". That makes me a little sad that he struggles with being dairy-free. Now that he's in school though, I send him money so he can get a carton of milk with his snack. That seems to please him enough. I also send yogurt covered raisins in his lunch box as a treat.
Nathan (age 2 1/2) doesn't have a thing to say about being dairy-free. He wasn't even 2 years old when we made the switch, so it's a non-issue with him... for now.
We are still hopeful and prayerful that Witt will outgrow his allergies. Last I heard, 80% of children will outgrow their milk allergy by age 4. Witt goes for his annual allergy test this December. Also, in case you start hearing more and more about milk allergies, just a heads up... it was reported to be the most common food allergy.
Please feel free to swing over my way and say hi sometime. I don't always talk about dairy-free living, sometimes I talk about how to make a superhero cape out of granny panties.
Becky was born in Wisconsin and has since lived in seven different states across the US. Now in Alabama, she has found the place to put down roots and call home with her best friend and husband, Jeff. Although she has a degree in Chemical Engineering, she has chosen to be a stay-at-home mom to their three boys, all under the age of six. Her blog, Boys Rule My Life , is a window into their world and a resource for capturing memories. She also records her family's favorite dishes at Must Follow Recipes and the beginings of their first gardening quest at Growing Green Thumbs. Above all else, she strives for what God wants of her.
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10 comments:
my BFs son has celiac and all of them are gluten free. she also has to worry about cross contamination. from what you are saying, you have a very similar life style. it takes so much work to live with a severe allergy. i feel lucky that we don't have anything severe and i am impressed with those moms that are able (mostly because you have to!!!) to do all the work required. (you must have a really really clean house with all the cleaning!!!!)
My oldest has the same allergy to cows milk and we also live dairy free. She is now 5 and has not outgrown the allery as we were told might happen. Thanks for the post!
Hey Becky-
I enjoyed hearing more about the ins and outs of living dairy free for your family.
Have you ever made nut milks? When I tried out raw veganism for a few months in the spring (grin), I made nut milk out of soaked almonds, water, and a little vanilla and it was really good! I was very surprised. The boys liked it too. Maybe Will would like it.
TJ - Oh, how I wish my house were really really clean! We rarely bring milk into the house so that is stays a "safe-zone" so I don't do mad-man cleaning all the time. LOL! In fact, I'm lucky to mop my kitchen floor once every two weeks, so maybe it's a "good thing" to bring in milk every once in awhile to MAKE me mop! LOL! jk.
Kenady - I added you to my DF blogroll... if that's ok? :) I like to keep up with the DF bloggers I "meet". It's nice to have a network of friends if anyone ever needs to vent or just needs some support. I hope your daughter will outgrow the allergy soon. Do her allergy tests indicate a decrease in the severity of her allergy at all? Just curious... thanks for any insight.
Laurel - I personally LOVE almond milk. Oh wow! It's like drinking melted vanilla ice cream... almost. I haven't tried it homemade, but have bought Almond Breeze. SO GOOD. It doesn't have as much of the B complex vitamins though, so we generally stick to soy. Although it has it's drawbacks, too, and that's a whole different post! Unfortunately, Will is just a picky picky child and he didn't want the almond milk either. I think he just likes to torment me when we try new things! :) LOL!
Great write-up. Can't wait for Will to get tested in December. I know what the anticipation is like. We are a full year from testing again, especially after our accident. I wish it weren't so. Glad you have you as an allergy/blog mommy friend.
Johnny had a milk protein allergy as a baby, which he outgrew, but we were DF for 9 months. His allergy was not so severe that we had to remove it from the house, thank goodness, but it took some time to get people to understand that he was not lactose intolerant, but allergic to the proteins in milk. The grocer at Whole Foods tried to sell me "Dairy free" cheese because it was lactose free, but it still contained whey. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for families with multiple food allergies. Thanks for posting Becky!
Thank you for writing this - my heart goes out to you for all the "watching" you have to do - I hope you'll have some relief in December with the new test.
It sounds like ordering in would be harder than just cooking.
My son has a congenital lactase deficiency, so we went through some measure of this when he was little. Thankfully, its not life threatening and we don't have to worry about cross contamination, it's just a matter of avoiding certain foods, and after 7 years its just a habit to buy soymilk for him and regular for my daughter.
Having been in the place where an unsuspicious looking chocolate bar or slice of bread meant 72 hours of diarrhea and an ER visit, I can only imagine how stressful it would be to worry about anaphlaxsis too.
It was nice to "meet" you and I enjoyed reading a little about your life here.
Blessings,
Jen
My first experience with any kind of allergy is my cousin's son with a peanut allergy. I quickly learned that it's not just peanuts. I applaude him Mom all the time about how cautious she is and has to be about it and how she never ceases to remind people no matter how well received it is...which sometimes it's not and well that's just a whole nother post!
I do think the "word" needs to be spread more so that people like me, who were otherwise very ignorant, of the severity and amount of work that living with an allergy like this takes. It takes all of us working together to make this a safe place for all and I really really wish there were more federal regulations regarding these things mostly for educating everyone.
Thanks for sharing all of this. I was truely enlightened and you have all my respect for everything you are doing to keep your child safe! You're a fantastic Mom!
Hi
My 19 month old son is allergic to soy,peanuts,eggs,wheat and dairy. I started a website that I thought you might be interested in www.spewdfree.com All of the recipes are free of soy,peanuts,eggs,wheat and dairy.
Thanks,
Heather
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