Help, so many forbidden foods!

[caralee]

;) Hi my daughter has been dairy free for the majority of her 18 months but since an upper endoscopy last week we have been advised to completely avoid egg, gluten and soya. We had got the hang of dairy free but this is hard has anyone got any recipies or books etc they can recommend?

I know its only a case of getting the hang of it but after having a small toddler begging for porridge in the morning followed by all the other pleading for various other now forbidden foods im in desperate need of some help. I was given a chocolate cake recipe which is great but at the mo its the only accepted replacement product!

I you have any ideas please let me know!!!!!!!!!!:unsure:

[Pam]

Gosh! that's a lot of stuff to learn to avoid. Learning to avoid milk is bad enough but to lose all those other things out of your diet too will be difficult. I would imagine that you will have to avoid most manufactured foods and make most things from scratch as they generally have gluten, soya or milk in them. Matt may be more help as he is wheat and dairy free. Have you got a good dietician?

[lyndamc]

Matt has advised me to try to get gluten free food prescribed which would work out a lot cheaper for you too. I've only just found out that I've got an allergy to wheat and eggs and I'm fumbling around looking for something suitable to eat. You've got an even harder job ahead as your daughter will have to avoid all grains.
I suggest you visit a celiac web site as they have to avoid gluten.
Good luck

[Copper]

Oh dear I feel really sorry for you - with your daughter so young you just can't explain why so many foods are off the menu. I can't really help as I am just lactose intolerant and allergic to eggs, except when they are in cakes!

The NHS is not joined up is it!!! Somebody should have been able to give you more advise at the time. I think you that you should see your GP ASAP and try and get some of the food alternatives on prescription.

[matt]

first, go see your gp and if necessary see another gp if they are not helpfull. try to get as much as possible on prescription as it's cheaper!

make friends with your local health food shop. they are a great source of stuff, flours, biscuits and so on.

there are several different books out there for gluten,dairy etc etc free diets. they contain alot of bloody obvious stuff but will also contain some really good tips. held by most health food shops but firstly try the library, ask they'll order books in for you.

caeliacs society will be helpfull. worth checking their site.

you'll need to read all ingredients. easier to just make stuff from fresh. just be aware that cooked ham,chicken etc will often contain wheat,dairy or soya always take the time to check.

it is daunting to start but becomes easier. get the groundwork done so you have the basics and can produce safe food. then you can ttake the time to make more interesting stuff later.

[Mac]

see my thread under Dairyfree Recipes, I think its called Gluten, dairy, wheat free cooking........for details of an excellent cook book for children with allergies.

[Bet]

My daughter also has a soya allergy. First Glaze ice cream is also soya free (not to be confused with swedish glaze which has soya in) Can be obtained from health food shops - my local one will order it in specially for me. Can get vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla fudge swirl - my daughter loves them all!

Cant remember if anyone else has already said this but can you get any items on prescription? - it can be very expensive living on a diet when so many things are excluded

[matt]

your local health food shop will be one of the best locations to visit. they are bending over backwards to help people at the moment. don't forget from july they will not be able to sell lots of suppliments and lots are going to find keeping their heads above water very hard. so they will be trying to get as many other customers as possible.if you don't ask you won't get.

[ellsie]

I don't understand why you have been advised to avoid these foods. How can they tell that from an endoscopy? Are they basing this diagnosis on the endoscopy alone or other tests too. What happens if you give her these foods or if you try them one at a time to see if they are all responsible or if only one is.

Sorry but I don't understand why this is.