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Allergies and intolerances

New regime and stuck already

21 replies

BreadmakerFan · 23/06/2015 12:40

Please can someone help me as I'm clueless.

My son has to avoid citrus, chocolate, caffeine and cheese. Just about to make lasagne and the tinned tomatoes have acidity regulator (citric acid) on the ingredients. Is that citrus ?

I'd also appreciate any ideas for good packed lunch items and food to avoid with hidden currently banned food in.

Thank you very much from a stressed out mum .

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BreadmakerFan · 23/06/2015 13:13

There's an awful lot of foods with citric acid in so I hope that is okay.

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Pagwatch · 23/06/2015 13:18

I think intolerance to citric acid is not the same thing and is extremely rare.

Can you not check with whoever diagnosed him?

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Pagwatch · 23/06/2015 13:20

The list of allergies doesn't have many lunch box staples on it.
I'm not being difficult but a sandwich/roll and fruit is pretty easy isn't it?

Does he have others beyond citrus chocolate and cheese?

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SleepIsOverrated · 23/06/2015 13:21

Minor point but lasagne also generally has cheese in it...

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addictedtosugar · 23/06/2015 13:41

How old is your son?

I agree citric acid is different to cirtus fruits, but check with the Dr.

Lunches: ham or tuna roll/wrap/pasta salad, some veg sticks, fruit (apple, pear, grapes, melon, berries). maybe a packet of crisps or a biscuit (not a chocolate or orange one!)

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OpenWindo · 23/06/2015 14:00

Breadmakerfan First of all, don't stress . Plenty of people have far more restrictive diets to deal with. It will just be a matter of making slight adjustments (unless of course you have others in the family you already have to adjust for, in which case juggling multiple different diets can be a pain!). Is he old enough to understand why he can't now have chocolate?

Is this an exclusion diet to prevent migraines by any chance? If so, I have had similar. I didn't exclude everything with citric acid in it - my understanding is that citric acid is far, far less concentrated than that found in citrus fruit.

Hope your DS is ok, and things improve for him soon.

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BreadmakerFan · 23/06/2015 17:45

Thanks.

I've made lasagne without cheese.

Obviously all simple to those that do this. I had a difficult morning, was worried about my son and just wanted some help.

It is for four months and tbh we don't think it is food related (stomach migraines is one of the potential diagnosis) but we have to show it isn't food related.

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Pagwatch · 23/06/2015 18:04

I wasn't being snippy with you. I was checking there wasn't something I was missing.

My son and daughter have both got allergies and the first few months getting to grips with them are very hard.

Who has told you he has those allergies and is there a reason you don't believe it - have you been through a lot of hoops without any answers. It's frustrating as hell.

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BreadmakerFan · 23/06/2015 18:52

I know he's not allergic as he's eaten most foods for eight years without problems and while there may be a sudden on set of issues it would be extremely surprising. His lunch is not a roll and fruit. That wouldn't fill him! He has a wrap with various fillings, fresh fruit, dried fruit, cheese item, hovis biscuit or cracker type food, olives and occasionally crisps.

This plan is purely to rule out the food element to see what the reason for his pain is.

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BreadmakerFan · 23/06/2015 18:53

Sorry, addictedtosugar. He is ten.

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addictedtosugar · 23/06/2015 20:57

If you take the cheese out of his lunch, and are careful with the wrap filling, his lunch sounds like it should be OK. Maybe a yogurt in place of cheese?

At 10, it might be worth asking him what he would like to substitute for things that are off the menu - so he can't have cheese in his lunch, but you can substitute for yoghurt or other deli item like olives (I love blush tomatoes atm)

for 4 months, can you all go chocolate free? It might be easier than having stuff in the house he can't have (that doesn't stop a sneeky chocolate bar while he's at school!)

Good luck with it.

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OpenWindo · 23/06/2015 21:54

It must be frustrating having to change your DS's diet if you don't actually believe it is the cause of whatever problems he is having, but as Pagwatch said, quite often you have to jump through hoops to eliminate things before you get to the heart of the matter.

What are your DS's symptoms btw? Why do you think is causing his problems?

Oh and yy to addictedtosugar's idea about all the family going chocolate-free - I'm sure most of us would benefit from that if we were made to

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Pagwatch · 23/06/2015 22:35

Can I just say my daughter ate all the foods that are now off limits without problem. She had a reaction too each which was not noticeable but the cumulative effect was chronic.
So she could eat milk and not react, or eat a bread roll and not react. But a cheese roll with ice cream afterward caused symptoms.
She had been variously diagnosed with asthma and abdominal migraine.

We changed her diet 1 year ago and having been hospitalised 6 times in the previous year, she is symptom free. It's amazing.
It's worth excluding just to trial.

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BreadmakerFan · 24/06/2015 08:03

None of us eat that much chocolate, though I bake with it once a week or so, so that isn't the difficult part. This morning he was disappointed not to be able to have banana malt loaf but was happy with croissants instead.

I have no idea what is causing his problems. I just can't believe it is food related but I will do as asked to prove it. There is no set pattern be it day/meal time/food item which is why I don't think it is caused by food.

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Pagwatch · 24/06/2015 08:18

It is difficult at 10 especially when it's not a definite confirmed allergy but a trial.

I know I sound like a nag but do give it ago. My DDs didn't present as a pattern and in fact was wrongly diagnosed as asthma for about 5 years.

Finding out we could remove all her breathing problems, her seemingly random bloating and stomach problems by taking out some food is life changing. She is now a regional standard swimmer .

Good luck.

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addictedtosugar · 24/06/2015 08:51

whats in banana malt loaf he can't have? I'm intrigued now!
I'm sure you could bake a version he could have.

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BreadmakerFan · 24/06/2015 13:21

I have said I am doing it. Spent hours reading ingredients lists today.

There is lemon juice in the banana malt loaf.

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Pagwatch · 24/06/2015 13:58

Okay.
I don't know why you are hostile to everything I post - I have just got to grips with some of this stuff so I was happy to try and help but you clearly have a handle on it and object to my posting so I shall leave you to it.
Good luck. It definitely gets easier.

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BreadmakerFan · 24/06/2015 19:40

I am not hostile. I felt you were being snippy with me. I appreciate all help

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Pagwatch · 25/06/2015 09:07

OK. Tone is hard to read some time but I really wasn't and I posted to you that I wasn't. If I was being snippy I would have said why.

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BreadmakerFan · 25/06/2015 20:31

I may have been a bit annoyed but I felt unheard, sorry.

Anyway I have heard from the hospital and we have to do the elimination plan for a month. It it doesn't help we stop, if it does we carry on until he sees the paediatrician again. He has had pain today but maybe it is too early to say it isn't food related yet, though of course I'm sure it isn't. I've never read so many ingredients lists and it makes me fed up at how many things I have no idea what they are.