elimination diet

Options
abbyph311
abbyph311 Posts: 45 Member
in Motivation and Support
Let's try this again. Yes, I have consulted a pediatrician and the diet is perfectly healthy. Please ONLY comment if you have personal experience with the topic.

FOOD SENSITIVITIES

I'm a breastfeeding mom on day 2 of the elimination diet. I am cutting out dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, shellfish, peanuts, eggs, beef, corn and gassy foods (beans, broccoli, onions, cabbage, tomato). I'm doing this in hopes of fixing my son's tummy troubles. He is gassy, constipated and cries non-stop. I've been dairy free for 4 months and it helped a little but now my last resort is to cut out all common allergen foods. I would like to hear from anyone on a similar diet, you don't have to be a mom. Just no negative comments. Thanks

Replies

  • dramaqueen45
    dramaqueen45 Posts: 1,009 Member
    Options
    I feel you- my babies were a bit colicky, especially in the evening. It was suggested to give herbal tea to help soothe the stomach because the breast milk- if too much or often can upset their stomach. I tried it and it seemed to help some. There's also something out called Ayr (?) and it's supposed to help babies with painful gas. My breast feeding counselor from WIC also told me that she tried really diluted coffee once with her newborn and it cleaned him out quick and he didn't have a tummy ache anymore (and she said that was his only bout with colic). I think it's kind of trial and error and seeing what worked for others. Good luck- it will get better. :) My babies are now grown up- I miss that time!!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Options
    My SIL had to cut out a ton of foods because my nephew had allergies too. I don't have any real suggestions but I know that it is hard so you have my sympathies. We went out to eat with them once and the only thing on the menu that she could have was a baked potato and I think she had to take her own spread along since she needed something dairy free.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
    Options
    I have a legit question...

    Do you eliminate everything in question all at once? Or do you eliminate by process of one-by-one elimination? B/c if you cut out "dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, shellfish, peanuts, eggs, beef, corn and gassy foods (beans, broccoli, onions, cabbage, tomato)" on days 1 and 2, how do you know what the real culprit is???
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,953 Member
    Options
    Calliope610 wrote: »
    I have a legit question...

    Do you eliminate everything in question all at once? Or do you eliminate by process of one-by-one elimination? B/c if you cut out "dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, shellfish, peanuts, eggs, beef, corn and gassy foods (beans, broccoli, onions, cabbage, tomato)" on days 1 and 2, how do you know what the real culprit is???

    You add them back in one by one and watch for a reaction.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Options
    Been there. OMG those were horrible days trying to figure out what was making my BF baby so miserable. I'm sending hugs to you. It almost drove me crazy.

    For me it ended up not being my diet at all, he had reflux. No matter what I ate or didn't eat, he had issues. The only thing I could do was feed him small amounts, burp often, and hold him in burping position for minimum 20 minutes after a feeding. Given he ate ever 2-3 hours and took an hour to eat, there was very little sleep in my house.

    I wish you all the best of luck. I hope you solve the mystery soon.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
    Options
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Calliope610 wrote: »
    I have a legit question...

    Do you eliminate everything in question all at once? Or do you eliminate by process of one-by-one elimination? B/c if you cut out "dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, shellfish, peanuts, eggs, beef, corn and gassy foods (beans, broccoli, onions, cabbage, tomato)" on days 1 and 2, how do you know what the real culprit is???

    You add them back in one by one and watch for a reaction.

    ok, thanks
  • abbyph311
    abbyph311 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    Calliope610 wrote: »
    I have a legit question...

    Do you eliminate everything in question all at once? Or do you eliminate by process of one-by-one elimination? B/c if you cut out "dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, shellfish, peanuts, eggs, beef, corn and gassy foods (beans, broccoli, onions, cabbage, tomato)" on days 1 and 2, how do you know what the real culprit is???

    I have to stick with the strict diet for 2-3 weeks then I can slowly add things back. Most likely I will stay dairy, soy and gluten free for the next year.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    Options
    Why not get the blood test instead?
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Options
    chivalryder wrote: »
    Why not get the blood test instead?
    That's not going to tell her what her breastfed baby might be reacting to.
  • abbyph311
    abbyph311 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    chivalryder wrote: »
    Why not get the blood test instead?

    Blood test only works for true allergies, not sensitive stomachs.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
    Options
    I have no advice, but I send virtual hugs. Sick babies are bad to deal with because they can't tell you why/how they're sick.

    Is your son only BF, or does he drink formula/other milk?
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Options
    Have you noticed any changes in your son over the last 2 days? Has protein sensitivity been ruled out?
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    edited November 2014
    Options
    I've only had experience with reactions outside of breastfeeding, but I wish you luck.

    You might want to look into the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) and its resources. It cuts out pretty much the same foods you're trying to cut out, so it would provide a good framework to work off of.

    Beef's a weird one to me on that list, though. Could that have more to do with commercial sources being grain fed/finished? That might be another thing to try, if you find him reacting to beef -- try grass fed/finished beef and see if he has the same reaction. If not, it might be a reaction to the animal's food and not the meat itself (I know, yet another thing to try, but it's useful in the long run), and could point more toward issues with one or more grains.

    In the same vein, keep an eye out for different produce families, too. Onions and garlic, for example, are the same family, and often if someone's sensitive to one, they're sensitive to the other, too (especially if the confirmed one is onion, as garlic only could be the enzyme that garlic makes that onion doesn't). Likewise, tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, which also includes white potatoes, eggplant, and peppers. This can be helpful if he's still having issues and you're including other members of the family of a particular food item.

    You might want to also include bone broth (in this case, probably from chicken or pork) for you and/or him. It's full of nutrients and can help with tummy issues.

    You might want to also consider adding in coconut oil to your diet to increase the lauric acid content of your milk (and no, just because you're eliminating peanuts, it doesn't necessarily mean you need to eliminate coconuts; neither are actually nuts -- peanuts are a type of legume, and coconuts are a type of fruit). Your intake of coconut oil will greatly boost the amount of lauric acid in your milk, which will make your milk more easily digested by your baby (lauric acid is a medium chain fat, which is the most easily used fat for humans).
  • abbyph311
    abbyph311 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    Dragonwolf wrote: »
    I've only had experience with reactions outside of breastfeeding, but I wish you luck.

    You might want to look into the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) and its resources. It cuts out pretty much the same foods you're trying to cut out, so it would provide a good framework to work off of.

    Beef's a weird one to me on that list, though. Could that have more to do with commercial sources being grain fed/finished? That might be another thing to try, if you find him reacting to beef -- try grass fed/finished beef and see if he has the same reaction. If not, it might be a reaction to the animal's food and not the meat itself (I know, yet another thing to try, but it's useful in the long run), and could point more toward issues with one or more grains.

    In the same vein, keep an eye out for different produce families, too. Onions and garlic, for example, are the same family, and often if someone's sensitive to one, they're sensitive to the other, too (especially if the confirmed one is onion, as garlic only could be the enzyme that garlic makes that onion doesn't). Likewise, tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, which also includes white potatoes, eggplant, and peppers. This can be helpful if he's still having issues and you're including other members of the family of a particular food item.

    You might want to also include bone broth (in this case, probably from chicken or pork) for you and/or him. It's full of nutrients and can help with tummy issues.

    You might want to also consider adding in coconut oil to your diet to increase the lauric acid content of your milk (and no, just because you're eliminating peanuts, it doesn't necessarily mean you need to eliminate coconuts; neither are actually nuts -- peanuts are a type of legume, and coconuts are a type of fruit). Your intake of coconut oil will greatly boost the amount of lauric acid in your milk, which will make your milk more easily digested by your baby (lauric acid is a medium chain fat, which is the most easily used fat for humans).

    Thanks for the info. I would guess beef is a no-no because of the proteins? same thing with milk. I have been tracking my calories and surprisingly it hasn't been too difficult yet. I made a hearty chicken stew and I drink fruit smoothies everyday. Adding coconut and olive oil definitely boosts the healthy fat content.

Categories