Figure friendly?

When we first learned our little one had food allergies, it was an immediate diet. Great way to lose weight is to eliminate most foods you regularly eat. However, over time we learned what she could eat, and gradually incorporated more and more foods that I tried to avoid, such as potato chips and added margarine to cooked vegetables. While she couldn't eat fattening foods such as dairy and carbohydrate loaded wheat breads, we had to find a way to put some weight on her. She could eat meat, was not allergic to most cooking oils and margarine, and I had learned how to bake gluten-free. Suddenly we were eating chicken or beef every night, and I was baking several days a week. And of course, as any parent of a toddler knows, they generally don't eat what or when we want them to, so we finish whatever is left on their plates.

Alas, that amazing weight loss is no more, and the scale has become less of a friend. So now the question is how do I cook to entice my toddler, help her continue to gain weight, without her parents filling in alongside her? The less practical answer is I make separate meals for her and us. The mother who bakes and cooks daily, with the accompanying dirty dishes, pots and pans, is screaming inside "NO" to that idea. So, I'm looking for some inspiration. In the meantime, I just found canned pumpkin is back in the stores, so pumpkin bread will be made sometime this week....with chocolate chips, of course.

Entertaining a Toddler

With a food allergic child, one needs to keep exploring options for things to do to entertain him or her that are in food-free or food-safe locales. Now that we've moved, our former playdate friends are too far away, and we haven't made any new little friends yet. We do have a few cousins within driving distance, but school and the current bout of colds have deterred getting together. However, I am happy to share that we do have options.

We now live near two major metropolitan areas, with museums, zoos, and lakefront vistas. We have already gone to walk along the lake and look at the boats and ducks. We are just getting into going to the library for story-time at our local library, and plan to check out another nearby library for an additional day. We have yet to go to the botanical gardens, the two large zoos that are within 20 minutes of our home, the children's museums, and other area museums, as well as the jump zones, but know that they are out there waiting for our visit. And more wonderful things to do keep popping up, like the pumpkin farms and apple orchards nearby.

And the other benefit of where we currently live and the wonderful company my husband works for is their fitness center. They offer child care three mornings a week for a nominal fee, and have been amazingly accommodating for us- taking all children to a different room that is completely food free when we show up. While I might not have considered working out as something I have time to regularly do, it gives her an opportunity to color and play with other children in a safe place. And she is loving it. So it looks like I will be getting healthy while my child socializes in a wonderfully safe, food-free environment. Yippee!

Latest Published News

Maybe I should just avoid reading the news, but that won't solve the problem. The latest news report that I found disturbing was regarding bullying of food allergic children. Yesterday on msnbc.com, they published an article about this. The existence of bullying a child based on his/her allergy was not news to me, unfortuantely, but rather that it was significant enough of a problem that someone was able to quantify it and provide statistics.

While I presume my child is too young to be exposed to such bullies, its something I have to keep in the back of my mind for the future. And here I'm hoping she can be mainstreamed and not homeschooled due to the severity of her allergies...

Gluten Free is not a "Lifestyle" choice

Our local paper ran an article today from the Associated Press entitled, "The 'it' diet: Gluten-free has gone big time, but why so popular?". It speculated about the popularity of people opting to go Gluten-free, and not for any diagnosed medical problem. I found it sorely neglected the insight of people who go gluten free due to necessity.

I adopted this "lifestyle" for the love and well-being of my daughter. While she has more severe allergies to other food items, which may result in anaphylaxis, wheat and other foods with gluten cause her to suffer from eczema, hives, and stomach ailments. Why would I choose to feed my daughter a food that results in constant irritation and sometimes sores requiring steroid creams?

Furthermore, living a gluten-free life is not the most affordable "lifestyle". In fact, a box of gluten-free pasta is generally at least 4 times the cost of wheat-based pasta priced per ounce. And of course, if I want dessert, it requires me to bake like a scientist.

So to Michael Hill, author of the aforesaid article, I invite him to investigate this lifestyle from the perspective of those who do this to make a better, healthier, safer life for themselves and their loved ones, and not because some A-lister is doing it.

Moving

After our recent experiences with ERs, I was worried that our move could bring on some new environmental allergies. As if her new diagnosis of asthma wasn't enough! We've been in our new house, which is in another state, for about a week now. Thankfully all is well. If anything, it just shows us how resilient and resourceful little ones can be. Our precocious toddler has mastered the stairs and found many new hiding places. She's even been eating better. Now its time to go explore the area.

Highs and Lows of Travel

We've always traveled a certain amount with the Allergy Babe. As she gets older, it becomes more challenging. She's curious, and loves to run. This does not make for a fun time in an airport when there are so many places to explore with food. We wait for our flights watching those around us innocently snacking on foods that could in moments send us to an ER. Once on the plane, I wipe the seat and snack tray down, and we're off for an adventure.

In May we went to Las Vegas for a family trip. We stayed in a time share property just off the strip that had a full kitchen. We tried to stay as close to her schedule as possible, and I continued to cook her every meal. While I wasn't so thrilled to start my trip re-washing a full kitchen's supply of cookware and dishes, the rest of the trip went fairly smooth. By remaining flexible, and not having any major expectations of the trip other than to relax, we had a good time.

Our next trip was a weekend get-away with friends to St. Louis. It was the Babe's first visit to a zoo, and she loved it. She either rode in her stroller or walked/ran through the park. She was oblivious to food around us, only fascinated by the animals. At our hotel we had a small kitchen with only a stove top, no oven. For the first time I made a stove top brisket, and it was excellent. Despite the limited working conditions, it was easy to make, and a new favorite cooking method.

Our last trip didn't go as well. We had not one, but two, ER visits. We needed childcare for a few days. The facility we went to is well respected, and I can only say positive things about it, despite the Babe's reaction. Prior to our arrival we had conversations with the director, discussed needs and issues, and their policies and procedures. When we arrived, it was evident that they took great care of the facility and children. The Babe attended two days, but on the third day we got the call. She had started to rub her left eye, it swelled shut, and she had hives around it. We've never seen this before, so a dose of Benadryl, and we were off to the ER. After a round of steroids, she was fine. A few days later though she developed a virus with bronchial cough. When the inhaler didn't kick in fast enough, and she was clearly having trouble breathing, we were off again to the ER. Now we believe she also has asthma, which is common in children with multiple food allergies and eczema.

If anything, we know we can travel, with limitations. We have moments that are unpleasant or scary, but thankfully keep going.

Riddle Without an Answer

It gets better. I know that. I’ve been told that. I’ve read that. But right now, we’re trying to solve a riddle with no answer at the back of a puzzle book. Over the past month, the Allergy Babe has had an increase in her eczema, worse diapers, and is more difficult at meals. She now refuses to eat foods that she would a month ago, or chews a mouthful and then spit it out.

Today we saw her pediatrician, who recommended we cut out soy for 7-10 days, and see if her symptoms improve. If we have to add soy to the list of allergens, that means extreme limits on any baked goods and other menu options. Soy milk is a milk substitute, and margarine, our butter substitute, is also usually soy based. I’ll have to invest in palm fruit oil to bake with, which is about double or triple the price of butter. In addition, the greatest source of calcium in her diet comes from soy milk. This means even more research and creativity in the kitchen.

Up until now, I’ve tried to remain positive and treat this as an adventure. However, if the list continues to grow, we worry that she will not outgrow her allergies. Despite this worry, some reports indicate that up until the age of two there may be an increase of allergies before they start to lessen. So, while it is very frustrating to be coping with a picky eater with major food limitations due to allergies, we just have to keep pushing past this. Hopefully the latest riddle gets solved, fast, and we can continue to move forward.