What The Heck Am I Going To Eat Now?

[horsegirl]

I decided to go ahead & have Enterolab do the tests for egg, yeast, & soy, since I'd recently had the tests for gluten & casein done there (all results are in my signature below).

I tested positive for both egg intolerance & soy intolerance (quite high on soy), & now I'm feeling even more overwhelmed by the dietary restrictions. I'm just getting the hang of being gluten free

& casein free, & now these too??

I know lots of you deal with these intolerances & more. I'm looking for support & advice right now,

because I'm not sure where even to start. If if was just me, OK, but I have a husband & a 3 year old, plus I work full time outside the home. HELP!!

Thanks!

[hathor]

The place to start is reading labels. But you already knew that, right

It helps to go through cookbooks and even get some more of them. Look at recipe sites online, too. Center on what you CAN have, and you will find there are lots of possibilities. The worst thing is probably restaurants. You will just have to work up a repetoire of places you can go & things you can order.

You might want to check out vegan recipes, at least for side dishes, desserts, etc. They won't have the dairy and egg.

Heck, I've got your intolerances & I'm vegetarian too. I have scads of recipes ... I think I'm adding them faster than I can make them.

You might want to check out Breads from Anna. They make mixes that are free of all the stuff we can't have!

EnerG makes an egg substitute product that works for baking, or you can use ground flax seed mixed with a little water.

If there is something else you wonder about converting/substituting, just ask.

Yes, it can seem overwhelming, and I went through a period of mourning what I couldn't have anymore. But that will eventually pass ... and you will realize that at least you can have corn, nightshades, most legumes, etc.

[burdee]

I was also Enterolab diagnosed positive reactions to gluten, casein and soy. I was ELISA (blood allergy) test diagnosed positive reactions to egg, cane sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. I STILL have many easy to prepare meal and snack choices. Here's some of what I eat:

Breakfasts: Hot cereals (Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty or gluten-free Oats) with almond milk, almond butter and fruit; or gluten-free muffins or bread with peanut butter and fruit;

Lunches (with fruit): gluten-free tortilla wraps with refried beans, guacomole, peppers; open faced sandwiches on rice cakes with canned fish or peanut butter; meat sandwiches on gluten-free bread; chicken apple sausage, apple and LARA bar; peanut butter and banana sandwich; peanut butter and peach tortilla wrap (brown rice tortilla); hot dog on gluten-free bun; or gluten-free pancakes with fruit, maple syrup and deli ham or turkey rolls; leftovers from dinner (esp. stir fried meat and vegies or soups).

Dinners: Entree salads with salmon, tuna or leftover meats; soups (beans, vegies, sausages); stir fried vegies and meats; meats, poultry, fish with vegies; pasta dishes with meats and vegies.

Desserts or snacks: LARA bars, fruit, nuts, vegan ice cream (from 'Vice Cream' book) or Coconut Bliss frozen dessert (gluten, dairy, soy, sugar free but most flavors include vanilla); homemade gluten-free fruit breads or cookies.

Essentially I eat all meats, fish, poultry, vegies, fruits, nongluten grains, nuts and healthy fats (like avocado and healthy oils). Instead of cane sugar I use agave, maple syrup, honey. Seven food allergies/restrictions is challenging, but doable, with some research and commitment. However my greatest motivation to avoid those foods is painful physical reactions to every food I showed positive reactions. When I abstain, no pain. When I indulge, I pay with days or weeks of painful reactions.

BURDEE

[Mango04]

Look at some raw vegan cookbooks, or do a search online for raw vegan recipes. Most of the recipes will be free of your offending ingredients, and they will at least give you some new ideas. Of course, you can add meat if you want to some of the dishes, which will give you lots to eat and lots to work with.

[horsegirl]

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions & support. I DO appreciate them so much!

I know that many people deal with these restrictions all the time, but when a person is

first diagnosed, it's overwhelming to think about them all at once.

I am grateful for all the ideas on meal planning - I will definitely check them out & try them!

Martha

[Arpita]

Great suggestions from everyone else. Also, try a Yahoo search for "Allergy Grocery" or "Miss Robens." They have a great online store with all ingredients listed. Also, maybe take it slow if you are already overwhelmed -- sticking with gluten and dairy free is great success!! IF you are feeling much better, then maybe just eliminate one food at a time, wait a month or two, and then see how you feel. It can take months for the elimination to show up in your symptoms, especially when dealing with additional foods.