Some stuff about allergies...

I was going to email some information to my friend Rachel, but I decided that I would post it to my blog as well in case there was anyone else out there who is just starting in the process of finding some allergy friendly foods. It is not much, but just a few things that my dietitian shared with me this week.

Some good websites to check out... (if you have ever searched for allergy info online, SO MANY websites come up and the dietitian pointed these three out as ones she really liked)

www.foodallergyinitiative.org

www.foodallergy.org/allergens/index.html (food allergy network site)

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodallergy.html


Food Selection for Wheat Free Diets

WHEAT may be listed on the label as:

Flour
Wheat Bran
Wheat Germ
Wheat Starch
Gluten (this is interesting since she told me that Connor didnt need to worry about gluten. I will have to do some more research on this.)
Graham Flour
Enriched Flour
Durum Flour
Vegetable Gums
Modified Food Starch
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protien
Vegetable Starches
Malted Cereal Syrup
Selmolina

Substitutes for Wheat:

Breads and other wheat free baked goods
Wheat free cereals, rice chex, cream of wheat
rice cakes and crackers
rye crackers
cornmeal coating
corn tortillas (this means corn chips are in! Although Connor has a mild allergy to corn, but I think we are ok to keep eating it)
Rice, corn pasta
Meat products without wheat added
Gravies and sauces thickened with cornstarch, potato starch, etc.
Homemade baked goods without wheat
Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Popcorn, corn chips (this is a good thing cause Connor loves popcorn. This will be a good snack.)


Food Selection for Egg Free Diets

Eggs may be listed on the label as:

Albumin
Egg White (these are all no brainers but I thought I might as well list them anyways.)
Egg White Solids
Egg Yolk
Yolks

Substitutions for Egg:

Egg free baked goods or specialty items
Pasta, rice, potatoes, egg free egg substitutes
Prepared meats and imitation seafood without egg products
Soups without egg products
Imitation mayonnaise, sauces, and salad dressing prepared without egg products
Cornstarch and tapioca puddings prepared without egg
Baked goods prepared without eggs
(this list is really not much help as all of these products come with eggs, so it is a given that you could eat them if you find a brand that doesnt contain eggs.)

Foods likely to contain eggs:

Eggnog (ha! this is funny!)
Root Beer
Many baked goods
Pancakes, waffles, and french toast
Egg noodles (really?...)
Egg (no kidding?! LOL)
Most egg substitutes
Many prepared meats (hot dogs, lunch meats, imitation seafood)
Many batter dipped foods
Noodle soups
mayonnaise
Hollandaise sauce
Many salad dressings
tarter sauce
Custards
Puddings
Some ice creams and sherbets
Boiled frostings
Meringues
Macaroons
Marshmallow products
Fondants and other candies

Food Selection for Milk free diets

Milk may be listed on the label as:

Milk solids
Buttermilk solids
Curds
Whey solids (note to Rachel..you really have to watch out for this in baby foods. This is when I caught Connors intolerance to milk at 6 months.)
Whey
Casein
Lactalbumin
Caseinate
Cream
Sodium Caseinate

Substitutes for milk:

Soy milk
Milk free shakes
Soy cheese
Kosher prepared meats
Products labeled at "parve" or "pareve"
Frozen tofu desserts (Yum yum!)
Cornstarch puddings with fruit juice
Jello

I thought that the peanut was pretty easy and self explanatory. This is by far the easiest allergy to avoid. She suggested the Sunbutter or Golden Pea Butter, but said that the Sunbutter was a better option because of taste and consistency. Since Connor has never been introduced to nuts I am not as worried about replacing it, but the Sunbutter would be a good base for wheat free bread, apples, etc.

I am on the look out for a new cookbook. I have one that avoids milk, egg, and nuts but not wheat and I looked at it and almost everything has flour or some kind of wheat product in it. When I find more info I will be glad to share!