Starting over: cooking around allergies no chicken/fish
marinesKiwee
Posts: 31 Member
I fell of the band wagon and it but my in the butt! So I'm back and very committed this time around.
I think one of my issues with creating healthy meals at home is the dieters restrictions of my oldest daughter.
She is airborne reactive to fish and eggs. Meaning if I cook those things in the house she will have an anaphylactic reaction and need hospitalization. I can't open a can of tuna in the house.
She is also allergic to chicken. It's not as bad as fish/egg but we must maintain zero cross contamination. That means chicken cannot go on our grill, or in our oven/microwave (that we purchased new when we bought the house for this reason). And I'm hesitant to even purchase pre made grilled chicken :-/
It seems all the healthy diet suggestions involve chicken, eggs, or fish lol. I don't know what to make for breakfast in place of an omelette, I normally eat toast or a bagel.
She loves red meat though, and can get down on some ribs. But I realize that's not going to work for me (100lbs to lose)
In addition, my husband is super picky and I do all the cooking. He refuses to do meatless dinners. I plan on just not eating the meat as part of my dinner.
If I don't cook a meal that works for him he will just get take out and that kills our budget so I need to avoid that by making healthy meals for a guy raised on Dairy Queen
If you read alllllll that I appreciate it, and appreciate any advice you may have.
I think one of my issues with creating healthy meals at home is the dieters restrictions of my oldest daughter.
She is airborne reactive to fish and eggs. Meaning if I cook those things in the house she will have an anaphylactic reaction and need hospitalization. I can't open a can of tuna in the house.
She is also allergic to chicken. It's not as bad as fish/egg but we must maintain zero cross contamination. That means chicken cannot go on our grill, or in our oven/microwave (that we purchased new when we bought the house for this reason). And I'm hesitant to even purchase pre made grilled chicken :-/
It seems all the healthy diet suggestions involve chicken, eggs, or fish lol. I don't know what to make for breakfast in place of an omelette, I normally eat toast or a bagel.
She loves red meat though, and can get down on some ribs. But I realize that's not going to work for me (100lbs to lose)
In addition, my husband is super picky and I do all the cooking. He refuses to do meatless dinners. I plan on just not eating the meat as part of my dinner.
If I don't cook a meal that works for him he will just get take out and that kills our budget so I need to avoid that by making healthy meals for a guy raised on Dairy Queen
If you read alllllll that I appreciate it, and appreciate any advice you may have.
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Replies
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Pork loin and tenderloin are about as lean as chicken. I can get 93/7 ground beef and ground pork at Sprouts. Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in fat.3
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We have dealt with severe food allergies here so I totally get you on the cooking thing. You can use egg replacers in terms of baking things so look at things like bran muffins, pancakes, and bacon or sausage for breakfasts. If you make the muffins and pancakes homemade you can control the calorie content and use egg replacer for safety. For dinners, you just don't do chicken or fish. So that leaves beef, buffalo, lamb, turkey, wild game (this is a big helpful one with food allergies). For many years we couldn't do beef so I totally get you on the meat thing. One thing we did was visit our local wild game processor. We explained to him our son's food allergies and that wild game was one of the few things he could eat without fear. A lot of people will drop of game and pay a deposit but never come back for it. They cannot resell that meat. We asked the butcher/processor if they'd be willing to let our son have it. They graciously did so for YEARS. Sometimes we'd get a lot, sometimes not, but it was all helpful. So that might be one option for dinner meals.
You can lose weight eating beef and pork, you just have to eat less of it and be creative in how you cook it (low calories sauces, etc). I'm not a fan of pork just because of how they generally raise it (even when I get it direct from a farm), but it saved our sons life in terms of what he could eat (he was allergic to 43+ foods). So you thank God for it and eat it. :-)
We eventually healed our son's food allergies (and my husband's) so it can be done. He was becoming anaphylactic to a number of foods when we finally started down the healing road.
Best wishes. I know it's not easy, but you can do it.2 -
Oatmeal and Cheerios are low fat and pretty satisfying for breakfast. Fresh fruit and salads for you. Your husband...don't know but you have to take of you. Try having a bowl of fresh fruit on the table so the family can get used to grabbing that instead of junk. Can your daughter eat turkey? Good luck!0
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You can eat meat too, and even though you are trying to lose weight it is important to make sure you are getting adequate protein. So don't shy away from the meat...like with everything else make sure you portion it for yourself properly and count it. If I was trying to meet my protein goal daily without eggs, fish and chicken, steak and I would be best mates
The other thing I suggest is to have a go at meal planning. It does wonders for your grocery budget, and you're not left trying to figure out everyone's allergies/taste preferences/diet needs every single night. Tiring. By sitting down once a week and planning it all out you have your bases covered at least for a week and all of that thinking happens once.0 -
Have you heard of Vegan Egg? Lots of people love it and it cooks like a scrambled egg or or is great in an omelet. As far as chicken goes, can you get a toaster oven to cook chicken in? I could get rid of my oven and only cook in my toaster oven, I really like it! I have been an on and off vegetarian for years, it's really easy to make dinner for the family and cook the meat separately or on half of the dish, like lasagna. If you like meat though, there is no reason to avoid it. Just weigh it and make it fit into your calorie budget/macros.0
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Firefly0606 wrote: »The other thing I suggest is to have a go at meal planning. It does wonders for your grocery budget, and you're not left trying to figure out everyone's allergies/taste preferences/diet needs every single night. Tiring. By sitting down once a week and planning it all out you have your bases covered at least for a week and all of that thinking happens once.
This. I started meal planning three months ago. I use a spiral notebook and each page has my meal list/ingredients for every meal and shopping list at the bottom of the page. Now when I meal plan I'm not spending lots of time thinking about what to make, I just flip the pages to a few weeks ago, see what we haven't had in a while and add it to my current list. I go to the grocery store once or twice a week now instead of several times or daily.
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Lean pork chops. She can't chicken, what about other poultry, like turkey? Or is all poultry no-no?
Also, there are TONS of bean and lentil based recipes out there that you can make as a 'side dish' for your husband to go with his hamburger, that make a great main dish for you and your daughter. 1 -
Ham, pork, beef are all good options. Is it just fish or all seafood?
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To clarify, she is allergic to all poultry, all fish and shellfish. I don't even think I would be comfortable with a toaster oven, as I would have to buy paper plates and forks for it to go on.
I actually do meal plan, consistently, buts it's basically the same things over and over again lol. We aren't near the grocery stores I shop at so we only go to the store once every two weeks
We buy a whole cow and 2 pigs locally each year (and a deer or antelope if we get a tag)so I have plenty of meat on hand, I'm just afraid to eat it I guess, since everyone suggests chicken haha. I ordered a food scale so I'll be able to accurately portion out my dinners.
I'll look into the vegan egg, that sounds awesome!!!
I appreciate all the advice! We've been design with her sever allergies her whole life, but dieting makes them a challenge. I wanted to add that while my husband eats junk, we don't allow our kids to, the mostly snack on fruits and chopped veggies (clearly I need to be more like them
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I hear you on the beef/pork vs. chicken thing. I am a total beef person (and I don't really care for chicken) but I do find myself choosing chicken over beef b/c of the calories. You'll just have to make adjustments for that. And I LOVE steak. I just can't eat as much as I'd like to. ;-) If you're interested in ways of healing the food allergies, feel free to PM me. My boy had 48+ allergies and my husband had 93 of 96 foods tested that he was allergic to in varying degrees. They both eat totally whole diets now with no restrictions (including eggs which was a huge allergy for my boy). Took a couple of years, but we did it! I was never so happy to see beef and eggs again. LOL!0
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marinesKiwee wrote: »To clarify, she is allergic to all poultry, all fish and shellfish. I don't even think I would be comfortable with a toaster oven, as I would have to buy paper plates and forks for it to go on.
I actually do meal plan, consistently, buts it's basically the same things over and over again lol. We aren't near the grocery stores I shop at so we only go to the store once every two weeks
We buy a whole cow and 2 pigs locally each year (and a deer or antelope if we get a tag)so I have plenty of meat on hand, I'm just afraid to eat it I guess, since everyone suggests chicken haha. I ordered a food scale so I'll be able to accurately portion out my dinners.
I'll look into the vegan egg, that sounds awesome!!!
I appreciate all the advice! We've been design with her sever allergies her whole life, but dieting makes them a challenge. I wanted to add that while my husband eats junk, we don't allow our kids to, the mostly snack on fruits and chopped veggies (clearly I need to be more like them)
Don't be afraid to eat the beef and pork, just make sure you weigh it (raw).ronjsteele1 wrote: »I hear you on the beef/pork vs. chicken thing. I am a total beef person (and I don't really care for chicken) but I do find myself choosing chicken over beef b/c of the calories. You'll just have to make adjustments for that. And I LOVE steak. I just can't eat as much as I'd like to. ;-) If you're interested in ways of healing the food allergies, feel free to PM me. My boy had 48+ allergies and my husband had 93 of 96 foods tested that he was allergic to in varying degrees. They both eat totally whole diets now with no restrictions (including eggs which was a huge allergy for my boy). Took a couple of years, but we did it! I was never so happy to see beef and eggs again. LOL!
Please don't suggest that allergies can be healed. For those who suffer anaphylaxis (like the OPs child) even attempting to try the things they are allergic to can KILL them. I constantly have to tell well meaning relatives that while allergy shots may have worked for them, they can KILL (allergy shots work by exposing you to smal amounts of the allergen) and are not safe for me. Once allergic (especially anaphylaxis) you should treat it as ALWAYS allergic.3 -
ronjsteele1 wrote: »I hear you on the beef/pork vs. chicken thing. I am a total beef person (and I don't really care for chicken) but I do find myself choosing chicken over beef b/c of the calories. You'll just have to make adjustments for that. And I LOVE steak. I just can't eat as much as I'd like to. ;-) If you're interested in ways of healing the food allergies, feel free to PM me. My boy had 48+ allergies and my husband had 93 of 96 foods tested that he was allergic to in varying degrees. They both eat totally whole diets now with no restrictions (including eggs which was a huge allergy for my boy). Took a couple of years, but we did it! I was never so happy to see beef and eggs again. LOL!
Please don't suggest that allergies can be healed. For those who suffer anaphylaxis (like the OPs child) even attempting to try the things they are allergic to can KILL them. I constantly have to tell well meaning relatives that while allergy shots may have worked for them, they can KILL (allergy shots work by exposing you to smal amounts of the allergen) and are not safe for me. Once allergic (especially anaphylaxis) you should treat it as ALWAYS allergic. [/quote]
We get the same thing a lot from relatives so I am used to glazing over it.
Her allergies cannot be healed, they are just part of her genetic make up. It makes her terribly sad when well meaning, health conscious strangers tell her they healed their allergies and she can to, and I have to explain to her that it isn't possible, she can't change her allergies. Some have changed as she has grown (which is common) but true allergies cannot be healed.
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She has a rare genetic disorder responsible for her allergies, so it's like telling someone they can 'heal' cycstic fibrosis through diet.6
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[quote
Please don't suggest that allergies can be healed. For those who suffer anaphylaxis (like the OPs child) even attempting to try the things they are allergic to can KILL them. I constantly have to tell well meaning relatives that while allergy shots may have worked for them, they can KILL (allergy shots work by exposing you to smal amounts of the allergen) and are not safe for me. Once allergic (especially anaphylaxis) you should treat it as ALWAYS allergic. [/quote]
I'm not going to argue with you, but I am going to tell you this is untrue. I wasn't suggesting she try things she's allergic to right now and I wouldn't know about allergy shots, we never used them. My son was anaphylactic to several foods and my sister-n-law was anaphylactic to beef (she's retarded and I care for her). I know all about carrying epi pens, cross contamination, etc. Yes, even genetic food allergies can be healed (we have a genetic dairy allergy), but whatever. Not going to argue this one out with anyone. I have too many friends that accomplished the same thing we have. To each his own.
Good luck with cooking/weight loss. I know it can be a challenge.0 -
Okay then.1
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Lean cuts of beef: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Beef_Veal_Nutrition_Facts.pdf
Lean cuts of pork: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Pork_Lamb_Nutrition_Facts.pdf?redirecthttp=true1 -
MFP may very well be your ticket then because you can measure out your portion of beef knowing it is in your budget for the day. Imagine all foods as being on the table for weight loss.
For health, model after the Choose My Plate.
Your plate will have more vegetables and less pasta, that is all.2 -
For eggless breakfasts with lower carb, consider yogurt or Greek Yogurt. In the summer months I make overnight oats.
http://minimalistbaker.com/peanut-butter-overnight-oats/
In the recipe above if you love milk, feel free to substitute milk for the almond milk.1 -
Eggs and fish are often mentioned for a healthy diet because of the fat soluble vitamins and healthy fats. You can use flax oil for the same thing.0
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Dealing with food allergies suck. I can't eat Guar gum and get a reaction when I touch it. It is ofcourse in everything food, medicine, beauty products, scented bags. All under fun different names. My mother has an airborne reaction to cilantro. One nephew allergic to kiwi. And another to soy and dairy.
Pork and beef are your new friends. Just buy lean.
I'm not sure why you would need to buy paper plates. If you can not clean it well enough you could buy two plastic plates and forks that look completely different from the rest of your set so she will not accidently use them.
Curing allergies is possible but should never be done with out strict doctor supervision, as in the doctor is the only one doing it. This is not an at home experiment to try out. They have been doing this with peanut allergies. Starting out at microscopic amounts.
And it's less for being able to enjoy them and more so if they are exposed they're just less likely to die.1 -
First your daughter:
Take her to a proper specialist who can give her the proper treatment to cure her. I gather they give you minuscule amounts of whatever it is she's allergic to to build her immunity. No one need suffer from these pesky allergies any more.
In the mean time re-possess your kitchen. Give her a microwave in her bedroom and tell her she needs to start dealing with her own diet.
Your husband:
You need to weigh him (I bet he's overweight too?) and ask him to join you on your diet. Remind him (subtly) that when you are slim you will be much more attractive and you'd like him to look attractive too.
Instigate a new rule:
She who cooks gets to decide on supper. If he's hungry he can eat more bread to fill up. If he still goes out for take-away, then you need to down tools and go yourself to a really expensive health food store to make your point!
You are not your daughters or your husbands servant. It's time to take control of your life a bit more.-1 -
Vegplotter wrote: »First your daughter:
Take her to a proper specialist who can give her the proper treatment to cure her. I gather they give you minuscule amounts of whatever it is she's allergic to to build her immunity. No one need suffer from these pesky allergies any more.
In the mean time re-possess your kitchen. Give her a microwave in her bedroom and tell her she needs to start dealing with her own diet.
Your husband:
You need to weigh him (I bet he's overweight too?) and ask him to join you on your diet. Remind him (subtly) that when you are slim you will be much more attractive and you'd like him to look attractive too.
Instigate a new rule:
She who cooks gets to decide on supper. If he's hungry he can eat more bread to fill up. If he still goes out for take-away, then you need to down tools and go yourself to a really expensive health food store to make your point!
You are not your daughters or your husbands servant. It's time to take control of your life a bit more.
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Vegplotter wrote: »First your daughter:
Take her to a proper specialist who can give her the proper treatment to cure her. I gather they give you minuscule amounts of whatever it is she's allergic to to build her immunity. No one need suffer from these pesky allergies any more.
In the mean time re-possess your kitchen. Give her a microwave in her bedroom and tell her she needs to start dealing with her own diet.
Your husband:
You need to weigh him (I bet he's overweight too?) and ask him to join you on your diet. Remind him (subtly) that when you are slim you will be much more attractive and you'd like him to look attractive too.
Instigate a new rule:
She who cooks gets to decide on supper. If he's hungry he can eat more bread to fill up. If he still goes out for take-away, then you need to down tools and go yourself to a really expensive health food store to make your point!
You are not your daughters or your husbands servant. It's time to take control of your life a bit more.
What?!? No!!!!!!!
Cooking these items in the home can KILL her daughter.4 -
I am not putting a microwave in my 7yo's bedroom, I don't even cook our family good in a microwave.
and cooking these foods in my house can be deadly for her, not to mention the psychological effects of taking that kind of stance. She deals with being left out everywhere we go, I am not bringing that home. I want to be healthy, but not put my 7 yo, impressionable daughter through hell.
And FYI, she sees 3 specialist, one 500 miles away. These aren't a "pesky" nuisance that can go away through expired gal treatment. CFRMBS is a very serious genetic disorder and we are thankful that these allergies are one of the few effects that have manifested.
Another fun fact, husband is not overweight. He weighs exactly the same as when he was an active duty Marine
I appreciate everyone's positive advice on lean cuts of the meats we can cook in our home (that everyone can eat)
I did not intend this thread to turn into a debate on a 7 year olds allergies and diet.5 -
For anyone curious, this website has great information about food allergies, and any current (clinical) research on immunotherapy
https://www.foodallergy.org/facts-and-stats1 -
marinesKiwee wrote: »I am not putting a microwave in my 7yo's bedroom, I don't even cook our family good in a microwave.
and cooking these foods in my house can be deadly for her, not to mention the psychological effects of taking that kind of stance. She deals with being left out everywhere we go, I am not bringing that home. I want to be healthy, but not put my 7 yo, impressionable daughter through hell.
And FYI, she sees 3 specialist, one 500 miles away. These aren't a "pesky" nuisance that can go away through expired gal treatment. CFRMBS is a very serious genetic disorder and we are thankful that these allergies are one of the few effects that have manifested.
Another fun fact, husband is not overweight. He weighs exactly the same as when he was an active duty Marine
I appreciate everyone's positive advice on lean cuts of the meats we can cook in our home (that everyone can eat)
I did not intend this thread to turn into a debate on a 7 year olds allergies and diet.
Unfortunately everyone thinks they are an expert in allergies because they either saw a special on tv about it or they know some mine who knew someone who was "cured" etc. only those who have first hand experience with them truly realize how dangerous and deadly they can be.
I understand the "being left out". I'm 28 and can't eat out with my family/always have to bring my own food to family functions. It sucks. You feel like the "weird" one. Best thing I have found for my psyche in dealing with this, is realizing I am not the only one. Do any of her specialist offer support groups for families dealing with the same thing? My allergist did and I went for almost a year. It was extremely helpful and encouraging. I also got some awesome recipes from others who share similar allergies.
You could also experiment with more "exotic" meats. Things like bison, venison, buffalo etc. you might find something else you all like.1 -
We eat venison a lot in the fall (hunting season) but I will try picking up some bison in the city, we would enjoy that and it's fairly lean, correct? She and her siblings eat a tong of fruit, but I try to limit my fruit so I don't typically snack on fruit.
Unfortunately we're pretty rural so she doesn't have a lot of support here but her local family makes a big effort to be super inclusive. Family gatherings are always made safe for her.
We homeschool so she hasn't death with being left out at school.
And we try to go to Disneyland 2x a year, she can eat in some of the restaurants there and it makes her whole year.0 -
marinesKiwee wrote: »We eat venison a lot in the fall (hunting season) but I will try picking up some bison in the city, we would enjoy that and it's fairly lean, correct?
Yes. Bison is very lean. When you cook it, it takes less time and will dry out faster so cooking with liquid is a help. We LOVED bison. And it was a huge help with the allergies. Expensive, but we were thankful for the alternative. If you're willing to try lamb, cooking it with marinades works well. We used maple syrup and brown sugar with it too but guessing you don't want to try that. ;-) I didn't really like lamb, but my family did.
Just graduated our first homeschooler this year (2 more to go). Enjoy the time with her, it goes so fast!
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marinesKiwee wrote: »For anyone curious, this website has great information about food allergies, and any current (clinical) research on immunotherapy
https://www.foodallergy.org/facts-and-stats
Thank you for posting this. I have a couple things to talk to my doctor about when i go tomorrow. Two family nights in a row, tonight and two weeks ago. And I'm the only one throwing my guts up. Looking at that and comparing with my familys history it just may be EGD.1 -
Vegplotter wrote: »First your daughter:
Take her to a proper specialist who can give her the proper treatment to cure her. I gather they give you minuscule amounts of whatever it is she's allergic to to build her immunity. No one need suffer from these pesky allergies any more.
In the mean time re-possess your kitchen. Give her a microwave in her bedroom and tell her she needs to start dealing with her own diet.
Your husband:
You need to weigh him (I bet he's overweight too?) and ask him to join you on your diet. Remind him (subtly) that when you are slim you will be much more attractive and you'd like him to look attractive too.
Instigate a new rule:
She who cooks gets to decide on supper. If he's hungry he can eat more bread to fill up. If he still goes out for take-away, then you need to down tools and go yourself to a really expensive health food store to make your point!
You are not your daughters or your husbands servant. It's time to take control of your life a bit more.
.... i seriously can't even with this post.4
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