I have a 6 year old grandson that is one of a set of triplets. He was just diagnosed with allergies to eggs, milk and wheat. He is developmentally delayed with many symptoms of autism. With this in mind, his mother is in a little bit of a panic wondering how she will keep enough calories into an already under weight child and cook for the rest of the family as well. Any good ideas? We are just starting to research the new dietary needs, so we are open to any and all ideas.
By Dotyk from Rochester, MN
Visit your local health food store and ask about products for people with the allergies you mentioned. I have celiac disease and cannot eat wheat. Many of the products I buy are also egg-free and milk-free. You can get noodles, cereals, breads and many other items made from other grains. They are more expensive, but will give you a good start until you learn to cook more things from scratch. Remember, he can have all meats, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, etc. for plenty of calories.
Also, there is a law now requiring certain allergens to be listed at the bottom of the ingredients list on all products. I think the allergens listed include eggs. I know that they include milk and wheat.
I sympathize. my son has Aspergers syndrome plus many allergies. Eggs are easy to replace with soy yogurt or applesauce in baking. Corn cereal is easily available for breakfast. Stewed fruit with soya yogurt for desserts. You can buy or bake wheat free bread using other types of flour and also make and freeze meals for him. Just make sure that if he is eating with his siblings, at least something is the same as theirs so he won't feel so different, like dessert or the same veggie.
In addition to the books, I would also ask his pediatrician and maybe even enlist the help of a nutritionist.
Try your local library or bookstore for Jenny McCarthy's books about her son who has Autism as well as many allergies.
Thank you I will do that, and will share it with the rest of the family.
I have celiac so am on a gluten free diet which excludes wheat (also barley and rye). I buy rice, potato (or garbanzo bean) and tapioca flour and mix it 6 parts rice, 2 parts potato, 1 part tapioca. You can use it in pancakes, waffles, muffin and quick bread recipes. It is from The Gluten-Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman.
I have adapted one of her pizza crusts using this flour and it works well.
I also have use masa (corn flour) in corn bread and pancakes and they taste very good.
When making spaghetti and meatballs, I made the meatballs, added the sauce and served it letting people put it on the spaghetti. That way I could cook the rice or corn spaghetti for myself and regular for the rest of the family.
Check Natural food stores and Health food stores for wheat free pasta of many kinds. I believe there is an egg substitute you can buy. Soy milk, rice milk, applesauce, and yogurt (thinned) can be substituted in receipes for milk. You may have to try them.
I often make my own soups (turkey rice, taco soup, etc) because most canned have wheat or barley in them.
Xanthan gum which can be purchased in health food stores can be added to recipes to help hold them together.
Try celiac.com for recipes that are wheat free also. You will have to experiment to find out what works best as the substitute for the milk and eggs in the recipes.
I hope this helps. If you need more suggestions or specific recipes such as the corn bread or pancakes or pizza crust, send me a note at harrietschipper AT hotmail.com
The books are on hold for me now. Thank you. We have a ways to go to get educated.
My son has been on a Gluten Free Casein Free diet (GFCF=wheat free/dairy free and then some) for over 4 years now with pretty fantastic success.
My daughter was allergic to milk, wheat, sugar and chocolate. There is a wonderful book/cookbook written by a mom whose child is autistic and needs the gluten free casein free diet. It's called "Special Diets for Special Kids". You can find it on ebay or half.com pretty cheap.
Recipes are very kid-friendly.My daughter and her friends say the chicken nuggets are better than McDonald's!
Also, Angelfood Ministries is a great way to save $. They have an allergen free box. You can check them out online to see what's in this month's box and find a participating site near you. It's overwhelming at first, but I know your family will get the hang of it! Blessings! Holly S.
The GAPs Diet and the Gluten Free Casein Free diet are excellent. Most children with autism and other disorders have problems with digesting the proteins in milk and wheat. As a matter of fact, these and other things contribute to what is called a leaky gut which is somewhat a case of the intestine poisoning the child. Read more about it in the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome...it is an excellent book.
Now I have blended the milk free bread free diet with the wonderful healing diet of GAPs.
I have kind of blended them. Almond milk is a favorite, and I do lots of meats which are cooked in the crock pot and vegetables, although starchy vegetables cause problms for some they don't for my daughter. I have found that there are so many pathways to healing of the whole child...and diet is but one of them. Here is a link to the GAPs book and also to a wonderful site I like to go to called TACA now.
GAPS DIET
www.amazon.com/
GFCF diet
en.wikipedia.org/
TACA NOW
www.tacanow.org/
You can get a parent mentor here, who can help with lots of questions. Also there are tons of wonderful things we can do to help heal our kids and make their days better. It all starts in the Gut believe it or not.
