After a year, it's still sometimes odd to me to see an egg carton in the fridge. We had grown so accustom to not using eggs that I stopped buying them - for nearly 4 years. It took a while to crack them without dropping shell pieces too, that was frustrating but I laughed every time! We really don't have too many foods that we eat containing dairy that Killian can't have. Pizza is basically a staple in this house, for me. We've tried several pizzas for him - he just doesn't like any of them. I'm sure if he could have a regular dairy pizza he'd LOVE it. He'd have to, he's my son! I remember once in a blue moon Tony and I would have a PB&J sandwich around11pm, when we knew he was out for the night. We were like teenagers sneaking out - the thrill from it! Please understand, I grew up on pb&j. EVERY SINGLE DAY from kindergarten through high school it's all I ate. The older I got, the more sandwiches I ate - I was up to 3 a day during track season and that was just AT school. I ate just as much throughout my pregnancy. Naturally the diagnosis of peanut butter was tough to swallow. Since we knew it wasn't airborne we'd sneak it at night, and Tony would disinfect the entire kitchen, wash all the dishes. We hid the peanut butter on a top shelf, away from food and anything else. It was like our drug. Now I buy the giant, 2 jar set at Sam's Club and try to make it last a month. See - that's my son!
I really don't know how vegans do it. A vegan chooses to not eat any animal product including egg, dairy, honey even. Perhaps the slight difference is a vegan may have a reaction if accidentally ingesting an ingredient the body isn't used to, and Killian (and all severe food allergic people) can die. That's why I have an app on my phone just in case the label leaves something out. The number of times I've googled an ingredient is astonishing. Should we really eat something if we have to investigate what it is!? That's an easy one!
I was vegetarian for nearly 10 years. It was pretty easy and I felt much healthier than I do now, but vegan? - well you see how much I love pizza! Also, I wouldn't be into sprouts and hummus, tofu....other earthly things vegans enjoy eating. And since I won't eat it, I won't make it for my son either. But really, I know he wouldn't eat some of the things I've seen on the vegan menu either. Instead, I google the crap out of any recipe and add "dairy free". With the influx of food allergies comes a lot of great brands both allergy free and dairy free. Tofutti has become a bit of a savior in our home. This is something my former boss introduced me to. They make cheese slices, ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, "drumstick" ice cream cones, cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese - ALL DAIRY FREE, kosher parve. I <3 Tofutti 4--> As does Killian! This child has dipped everything into the cream cheese. Chips, peppers, carrots, crackers, Cap N' Crunch Crunchberries! Oh yeah - he's not so picky when it comes to cream cheese! Amazing, the "shrapnel" I find in his tubs of this stuff....
Tofutti also has some great recipes both on their website and on the packaging. It's how we made our very first dairy free Alfredo dish! Exciting, he liked it. He can learn to love it once I "doctor it up" a bit. :)
Kind of funny, funny like ironic not really ha ha, that I notice we're going back to the old ways in terms of food. I'm pretty sure many in the food allergy community are (probably vegans too). It's too risky or even not possible to buy the pre-made, already processed foods so we make our own. Killian never had a donut until I googled a recipe to find special ones. Wish I could take the credit for creating the recipe but I've made my own changes to make it mine. Good enough for me, for now. I make waffles from scratch, ice cream from scratch, nearly all baked goods from scratch, sauce, soon to try pasta! My husband maintains an awesome garden every year, that I start seedlings for. I often feel like I'm barely upgraded from my grandmother's upbringing. There's nothing wrong with it at all. All they had was organic produce and hormone free meats. Except back then it was just called meats and produce. The funny part, to me, is that Killian's diet requires a much healthier, more natural way of eating and making food....probably what's behind all these food allergies - the exact opposite. I'm sure my diet and environmental factors had a lot to do with the issues he has today. I can't prove that. I'm no scientist or Doctor - wish I was and that I could. My parents have told me meat tastes different from when they were kids. That's scary! Gross and scary. Before Killian was born I would buy organic if I had a little extra money to spend. Same with the hormone free meats...I was still hoping for big boobs like today's teens have....I digress. Now, I'm practically forced to buy it. I'm glad to, I'd always choose to if money wasn't an issue. But it is and we make do anyway. Having that garden REALLY helps in the summer! It's so great, I can't wait for the warmer months.
We found out last year - after Killian outgrew peanut and egg - that we can claim his foods on our taxes. That would have been awesome to know for the previous 3 years. That's when his mayo was nearly $6 a jar, soy nut butter $5, the egg replacer, I don't even remember all the stuff we were buying all the time. And naturally, it all ran out at the same time. I'd drop nearly $20 on 3 items for him. But that's what you do! As parents, you do whatever you need to feed your child and you figure it out after. I've been saving receipts for the past year - I'm curious to see what it totals to. Word to the wise - if it's a medical reason for food aversion, SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS!
Some other great brands are Daiya - shredded cheese, we use Silk soy milk (the boys LOVE Almond chocolate), and Enjoy Life is a brand that is free of all the Top 8 food allergens. Enjoy Life makes lots of cookies and snack bars, and my favorite - chocolate chips! I make all of his candy with it, so does the Easter Bunny! CherryBrook Kitchens is a great dry mix for cookies, cake and frostings. So Delicious makes soy milk, ice creams and yogurts. More and more foods are becoming available for the food allergy community. I'm not familiar with the gluten and soy allergies. I know many foods are naturally gluten free, some easier to find than dairy free in my opinion. However, I do remember saying when Killian was first diagnosed with the 3 foods allergies "Thank God he's not allergic to soy or wheat! I don't know what I'd do." I've learned a bit since then and if either of these are on your radar, I'll gladly help you maneuver around them the best I can!
Lastly, I would just like to thank all of you who have reached out to me in the past regarding your child's digestive issues. Whether it was related to dairy or not, I'm so glad to have offered you some form of help or even our allergist's number. There are so many food allergy families that prefer to stay in the dark, and I just don't understand why. I am here every day, educating myself in every way possible so the next "Killian's Mom" can hopefully go down a smoother road. We are a community, my "door" is always open for you or your loved ones. I'm certainly no expert but I can quickly point you to those that are.
This picture was taken the same day we rushed him to the hospital at 5 weeks. The color of his skin should've been an indication to us...
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