Depressed Cause I Can't Eat Anything

[Sage122]

I'm 14 and just found out that I'll go into severe anaphylactic shock if I eat wheat or milk. I found this out on Sunday. I have no idea what to eat I've eaten like nothing since Sunday and lost like 8 pounds cause I'm scared to eat. A couple questions:

1) ok so I can't have wheat. I'd have to call 911 and go to the ER if I consumed it. Does that mean I should avoid rye, barley, and oats too (I've heard they can be cross contaminated)?

2) what can I eat for breakfast? No more honey bunches of oats cereal

3) school lunch ideas???? I have no idea whatsoever for this

4) if a product says: "made in a facility that produces milk an wheat products," should I still eat it?

5) how can I eat out at restaurants? Friends houses?

6) what can I put on pizza? I don't wanna try lactose free cheese...it's gross.

[Sage122]

So for the longest time I thought I was gluten and lactose intolerant. That all changed sunday when I consumed a granola bar with milk in it. I got into severe anaphylactic shock. Had to be rushed to the ER.

Turns out I'm severely allergic to milk and wheat now. I'm upset. I haven't eaten anything since Sunday cause there's nothing to eat. No more cereal or frozen yogurt or pizza. I'm crying right now. I've lose like 6 pounds since Sunday. I had a couple questions.

1) ok so I can't eat wheat. Should I avoid oats, barely, and rye now too (since they can be cross contaminated)?

2) if a product says "made in a facility that processes wheat and milk" should I still eat it or not? (cause my reaction is so severe)

3) what can I eat for breakfast? Coconut yogurt is good but expensive so my mom doesn't wanna buy it everyday. I don't like soy cheese or soy milk or soy yogurt

4) what can I put on top of pizza?? How can I make cheese less pizza taste good?

5) school lunch ideas??? I have no clue what to bring

6) can i still eat out at restaurants or friends houses? How can I explain to them????

Sorry for the rant. I'm 14 and kinda depressed right now

[mommida]

Hi kiddo,

We had to be on a gluten free, all top 8 allergen, and pea free diet for about 2 years.

This is frustrating, but managable.

Pricey but an awesome treat, www.lizlovely.com has gluten free vegan cookies

Enjoy Life specialty products (the Best chocolate chips!)

Namaste meal mixes

Craving place baking mixes (haven't been able to find these for a while)

Cherrybrook Farms also has an awesome pancake mix.

My favorite cookbook is The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook (How to Bake Without Gluten, Wheat, DAiry, Eggs, Soy Peanuts, Tree nuts, and Sesame by Cybele Pascal

Good substitues for a rich and creamy texture are hummus and avocados.

Sorbet is my favorite freezer snack

I found it was cheaper to replace butter with lard for cooking and baking. Honestly we needed to bump up some calories too.

Do a search for "crazy cake" or depression era chocolate and rplace the flour for gluten free flour mix.

You don't have any restrictions on fruits, vegetable or meats? Concentrate on what you can eat.

[Bubba's Mom]

So for the longest time I thought I was gluten and lactose intolerant. That all changed sunday when I consumed a granola bar with milk in it. I got into severe anaphylactic shock. Had to be rushed to the ER.

Turns out I'm severely allergic to milk and wheat now. I'm upset. I haven't eaten anything since Sunday cause there's nothing to eat. No more cereal or frozen yogurt or pizza. I'm crying right now. I've lose like 6 pounds since Sunday. I had a couple questions.

1) ok so I can't eat wheat. Should I avoid oats, barely, and rye now too (since they can be cross contaminated)?

2) if a product says "made in a facility that processes wheat and milk" should I still eat it or not? (cause my reaction is so severe)

3) what can I eat for breakfast? Coconut yogurt is good but expensive so my mom doesn't wanna buy it everyday. I don't like soy cheese or soy milk or soy yogurt

4) what can I put on top of pizza?? How can I make cheese less pizza taste good?

5) school lunch ideas??? I have no clue what to bring

6) can i still eat out at restaurants or friends houses? How can I explain to them????

Sorry for the rant. I'm 14 and kinda depressed right now

The anaphalactic shock is really scary! It would be best if you stay away from foods that can be cc and foods made on shared lines and factories *could* have enough of your allergens to cause you trouble. Be safe..and don't take the chance on eating them.

For breakfasts..there are gluten-free cereals available. I like to eat them with the vanilla flavored SO Delicious brand coconut milk. It's in a carton in the cooler of the store usually( Kroger's here has it in the special section set aside for organic and allergen-free foods, but some stores carry it on the shelf.

Bananas or other fruits are good..eggs, bacon!

I don't eat pizza. I don't eat any grains other than brown rice, so I'm no help there..so I hope others can give you some ideas on that?

Lunches..hummus or refried beans with corn chips, gluten-free lunch meat, tuna, or egg salad in romain lettuce wraps, left overs from last night's supper, fruits, veggies, how about celery with peanut butter? There are canned stews..Dinty Moore is one I believe? Read the labels though!

I make Salmon patties once a week or so, and they make a good lunch. They're good cold too.

Rice Krispy Treats made with a nice coconut oil( I love Nutivia and buy it online) and gluten free Rice Krispies, (I always have a pan of them in the house.)

Potato chips, Fritos(plain), hard boiled eggs. You can have popcorn(read the package to check for dairy butter).

There are gluten-free pretzels, muffins, cake mixes, etc. which you can have if they are free from your allegens. I don't use them because they often have soy added and I can't tolerate even traces of it.

Eating out at restaurants can be iffy. The higher end ones are usually a bit safer, but you must speak up about your allergies! Eating with friends can be done, but you're best off eating things right from the package, rather than eating things they've cooked. Even if they haven't used your allergens, there could be cc..just like eating foods from a shared facility.

I'm sure this is all a bit overwhelming at first? We've all had to adjust. You must read labels. You can do this!

[sora]

I'm 14 and just found out that I'll go into severe anaphylactic shock if I eat wheat or milk. I found this out on Sunday. I have no idea what to eat I've eaten like nothing since Sunday and lost like 8 pounds cause I'm scared to eat. A couple questions:

1) ok so I can't have wheat. I'd have to call 911 and go to the ER if I consumed it. Does that mean I should avoid rye, barley, and oats too (I've heard they can be cross contaminated)?

2) what can I eat for breakfast? No more honey bunches of oats cereal

3) school lunch ideas???? I have no idea whatsoever for this

4) if a product says: "made in a facility that produces milk an wheat products," should I still eat it?

5) how can I eat out at restaurants? Friends houses?

6) what can I put on pizza? I don't wanna try lactose free cheese...it's gross.

Hi Avid, welcome and a big hug to you. I am allergic to wheat too. I know it can be very hard at first. I had to quit my job in a bakery. I was pretty down for a while too but remember it is really not so bad once you get adjusted. You will be eating healthier than ever.

You came to the right place, there are a lot of helpful, knowledgeable people here.

I would suggest for now stick with whole foods, fruit, veg and meat. Take some time to read here on the forum.

1) Hopefully you have an EPI pen. It's very important. There are cc issues with oats and barley, not sure about rye though. I am 100% gluten free, it's easier

2) There are many breakfast/meal ideas on the board and also Gluten free cereals at grocery stores. I like hot cereals and eat Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal. Gluten free breads, muffins, bagels etc.

3) I think there is a thread on here for school lunch ideas too.

4) I would not eat it, too risky for me.

5) I am a super sensitive so I can never eat at a restaurant again unless it was 100% gluten free. Where I live there is only one and it is high end/expensive. I also do not eat at friends homes. Do a lot of reading here, there are many ideas for dealing with these situations, like bringing your own food.

I always carry a Kind bar with my Epi pen in my purse/bag in case I end up in a last minute situation where I can't eat.

6) I'll leave this to others on here who know more about this. There are some lactose free cheeses that are not so bad.

Hang in there

[RiceGuy]

No need to be depressed! Seriously, there are plenty of foods to eat and enjoy. You can make your own non-dairy milks too, which can save a lot of money. Homemade non-dairy yogurt is also relatively easy to make.

How careful you need to be with CC depends on your sensitivity. But also, if you are allergic to something in wheat which is also present in other gluten-containing grains, then you'd still have to avoid them. Were you tested for other grains?

As for cheese, there are non-dairy cheeses. Some are rice-based.

For school lunches, do you like peanut butter sandwiches? Meatloaf/meatball sandwiches? If you have access to a microwave, there are also a number of things which can be heated, such as soups, stews, casseroles, mashed potatoes, etc, etc.

Eating out may be a bit risky. Your friends may be able to grasp the severity if you compare it to peanut allergies.

HTH

[MitziG]

I'm sorry- it is hard! Since you have an anaphalactic reaction now, you should not take a chance on products that are processed alongside wheat. Too easy for a little bit to sneak in there. Anaphalaxis tends to increase in severity with repeated exposures- please be sure to carry an Epi Pen at all times!

Pizza is doable...but it is going to have to be homemade most likely. Avoid the packaged gluten free ones unless you are positive they are made in an allergen free facility.

Daiya cheese shreds make a decent pizza cheese. They aren't the real thing, but they melt and have identical texture to real cheese. Tastewise...they don't really have much taste at all..but you get the gooey mouth texture that is so important with pizza!

There are myriads of gluten and dairy free pizza crust recipes- you may have to experiment to find one you like.

Your life has changed, and it isn't going to be the same for you ever again. Its ok to be upset and grieve that! But you have a lot of things ahead of you to enjoy, so try to focus on the "cans" instead of the "cants."

You need to learn to cook and cook well. It will make your life much better if you do! Usually not high on a teenagers priorities I know, but I promise you can learn to enjoy it.

You aren't alone. Many kids and adults like you who have to deal with this, many on this board. We are here to help however we can!

[LauraB0927]

I'm not nearly as experienced as other folks on here but in terms of eating products produced in facilities that also produce wheat - DONT DO IT! I didn't think it was a big deal and two weeks ago got gummy bears that claimed to be gluten free but clearly said that its made in a facility that produces wheat. I thought "No big deal, I'm not that sensitive." Two hours later I felt like absolute crap and my stomach bloated like no other....I will NEVER do that again and I'm only moderately sensitive, so I would suggest that you stay away from it! Good luck!!

[Sage122]

Everyone is so so helpful!!! Thanks so much

I found a frozen wheat and dairy free pizza crust at whole foods. Would refried beans, mushrooms, and tomato sauce taste good together on it do you think??

Ah I love ya guys!! This forum might just be my life saver

[mamaw]

You got some good ideas coming your way.....

I have f riends who use the Daiya cheeses & they enjoy them... Since you ha whole foods near you it will be an easy find. Sandwich petals make a nice wrap for breakfast, lunches... For pizza you could do a veggie pizza since you found a crust you like... We use Pacific gluten-free cream of mushroom soup, frozen spinach ( drain very well) & real bacon bits, & cheese.. It makes an alternative to the classic pizza....Tacos, canned salmon & gluten-free crackers, Homemade chicken salad,hormel has chicken & rice in micro cups , dinty moore beef stew but not the chicken one gluten-free.....

Jerky, protein bars are good..

We use Almond vanilla Breeze for cereal....

The only bad thing is that much in gluten-free needs to be ordered online...

My grandkids are 11 1/2 & 14 1/2 both have been gluten-free for about nine years now... We match school lunches & the older one eats tons of salads daily...

Good Luck

[Bubba's Mom]

Everyone is so so helpful!!! Thanks so much

I found a frozen wheat and dairy free pizza crust at whole foods. Would refried beans, mushrooms, and tomato sauce taste good together on it do you think??

Ah I love ya guys!! This forum might just be my life saver

Mmmm..sounds like you have the start to a Mexican pizza? McCormick brand makes a gluten and dairy free taco seasoning..but read the package, as they make several and some have dairy ingredients. Brown some hamburger... add the taco seasoning and mix with those toppings and you'll have a great meal. I think it would be yummy even without cheese?

[mommida]

uh oh...

We have the almost same post running.

The other post is from sage, it was posted just before yours and has @5 replies already. Everyone's post is important but i have to run out for a family emergency ~ and don't have time to retype my reply.

[justlisa]

Why is this post almost exactly like the other one from a different OP... Very odd...

[kareng]

Not sure what is going on here. This person and Sage are the same person. I will try to combine them. Please respond on the Sage one. I'm having some computer issues with combining.

Edited: They are combined

[Gfreeatx]

Hi there,

There is a really good cookbook that I've found which is all gluten and dairy free, called Cooking for Isaiah, by Silvana Nardone. It was written for her son who has dairy and gluten intolerance. I've tried tons of her recipes and they are yummy! Best Chocolate chip cookie recipe I've found so far also the best doughnuts I've had gluten free. Also, she has a blog if you do not want to buy the book, In Silvana's Kitchen.

[Solandra]

I know how you feel! I have been so depressed lately because I'm vegetarian and then got the positive anti-body test for gluten. It's NOT always as bad as it seems, though. There is still a lot you can eat.. All the fruit, veggies, rice, Quinoa, gluten-free oats, all kinds of gluten free flours, you can learn to cook, and if you have a New Seasons or Whole Foods nearby, they have a big gluten free section, a lot of which is also vegan so you won't have to worry about milk. It IS depressing though, sometimes, I won't lie or sugar coat it.. But just think, it's not worth getting sick if you eat that stuff and there's more to life than food, anyway. There's vegan cheese, though, so you can still have pizza.