Kids-diagnosed as dairy and egg intolerant!

We just took my daughter and son (5 and 2) to the dr yesterday. The Dr seems to think that the milk and egg in thier diets is causing some unpleasant reactions...stomach upset, weezing, fluid build up in the ears, congestion, ect. We now have to omit all dairy and egg products from thier diet. :grumble: This seems like a huge task and I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I have to go through all the food in the house and get rid of all "nono" foods, but what do I replace them with? There seems to be no easy answer. Is any one else going through the same thing? Does anyone else have any suggestions? It seems like everything has either egg or a dairy product in it!

Replies

  • We just took my daughter and son (5 and 2) to the dr yesterday. The Dr seems to think that the milk and egg in thier diets is causing some unpleasant reactions...stomach upset, weezing, fluid build up in the ears, congestion, ect. We now have to omit all dairy and egg products from thier diet. :grumble: This seems like a huge task and I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I have to go through all the food in the house and get rid of all "nono" foods, but what do I replace them with? There seems to be no easy answer. Is any one else going through the same thing? Does anyone else have any suggestions? It seems like everything has either egg or a dairy product in it!
  • Cassia
    Cassia Posts: 467 Member
    i would go to a health food store or a Kroger's They normally have a LOT of things that are made with soy or rice instead of milk and eggs. Things like milk, cheese, ice cream, smoothies, yogurt. And other things
  • AJCM
    AJCM Posts: 2,169 Member
    Hi Bre&Cj's Mom...

    I know it seems overwhelming right now, but in a few months, you will never even remember you ate that stuff!

    My son (3 yrs) is anaphylactic to eggs, tree nuts, barley, malt, and sesame. My daughter (1 yr) is anaphlactic to dairy and even "modified milk ingredients" (she touched a cookie made with Becel, and her face swelled up in seconds). Both have had the scratch test, and IgE and IgG blood tests.

    Please mail and ask any questions, and hopefully I can help. We don't keep any of that in the house, and life is quite easy now that we have alternatives. You pretty much need to say good-bye to all packaged and convenience foods, which sucks when you are in a rush, but is really good for all involved!
  • abbychelle07
    abbychelle07 Posts: 656 Member
    I drink rice milk and almond milk. Try the sweetened vanilla or chocolate varieties to get your kids used to the taste if you want, but I drink the vanilla unsweetened now, and think it is really good. They are both at health food stores, or in the health food section of the grocery store. Both are good sources of calcium and vitamin D, and I have used them instead of regular milk in many recipes with good results.

    To substitute eggs in any baking recipe, just use any of these instead of one egg:

    1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (flaxmeal-found in any grocery's health food section) + 3 Tbsp water OR
    2-4 Tbsp soft tofu OR
    1/4 cup mashed, very ripe banana OR
    1 tsp starch-based egg substitute (or follow package directions) OR
    1/8 tsp baking powder added to dry ingredients to replace the leavening action of each egg or egg white

    You have to try it out to see which works best in each recipe.

    Also, I would recommend going to the library to see if they have any vegan cookbooks. Granted, you are not looking to be vegan, but all of those books will have egg and dairy free meals that you could easily add meat to. I just got this book from the library: "Raising Vegetarian Children" by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina. It describes a "total vegetarian" as a vegan and has a ton of recipes. Don't read the whole book, just skip to the back to see the recipes for egg-free and dairy-free muffins, shakes, cookies, pizza, noodles, tacos, etc that are really kid friendly.

    Otherwise, if you go into a health food store and explain your dilemma they will be more than happy to help you find snacks, meal ideas, etc. that will work for you.
  • AJCM
    AJCM Posts: 2,169 Member
    Food Ideas...

    DRINKS
    Herbal iced tea sweetened with Stevia
    Rice milk
    Almond milk
    Pure Fruit juices (also mixed with Perrier or Club Soda to make "pop)
    Juice boxes (for when you are on the go)

    SNACKS
    Veggies and hummus / "dip" (homemade salad dressings made with soy mayo)
    Corn chips / flax chips / rice chips with salsa or on their own
    Potato chips (Lays "low salt" brand - ingredients: potatoes, sunflower oil, salt)
    Organic pretzels
    Apples with cinnamon
    any fresh fruit
    Smoothies: brown rice protein powder, rice milk or almond milk, berries, lecithin (to smooth it out)
    Rice Krispie Squares (I make this for a treat)
    Eggless muffins (I can send you some recipes) You can buy a great egg substitute by "Pano Riso"
    Cupcakes (one box of cake mix with 12oz of diet soda or club soda)

    BREAKFAST
    Oatmeal with rice milk/almond milk and berries
    Oatmeal with rice milk & nuts, or seeds, or honey, or brown sugar
    Cereal with rice milk and fruit
    Toast, Bagels, etc with fruit preserves (St. Dalfour make a great one without sugar)

    LUNCH/DINNER
    Any grilled, broiled, baked meats (I avoid most packaged sauces, but herbs, spices, seasonings are good, and I make marinades with juices, Worchestershire, lemons, limes, EVOO, etc)
    Starches: corn, rice, rice pilafs, potatoes, breads
    Veggies: all steamed, roasted, baked
    Curries - I make a pureed ginger and carrot soup to replace the cream based Kormas and curries

    This list is really pretty extensive once I type it out! Please ask for any other information!
    Take care!
    :flowerforyou:
  • Thanks so much. I went to Chuck's Natural Food Marketplace tonight and got a couple things. The girl there was vegan and recommended some "cheese" for the kids. She said some vegan dairy products are better than others and she would be glad to give me more suggestions as I need them. Thanks for all of your suggestions. I'm glad to know I have support and help out there if I need it! :flowerforyou:

    Oh and she gave me a website...accidentallyvegan.com...that had a lot of suggestions for dairy/egg free foods. just thought I'd share!
  • Tried almond milk this morning...THEY LOVED IT!!!! Tried vegan mozzarella...They thought it was great! Next we will try hummus. Hopefully that will go over just as well as the milk and cheese!