Spoke to nutriologist about food intolerance... any suggestions for Wheat/diary/oat/soya/nut/potatoes/egg/onion/fruit free lunches????

[Chandra]

Basically that's it, he can't have all the above though he can eat pear, melon and apple. I'm stuck in carbohidraes as he may have rice, corn and buckwheat but only once a week. Any suggestions?

I'm feeling a bit disheartened by this, I was expecting to be told that testing at this age (almost 2.5) may produce many fake positives, instead we were told that they were so surprised by the results that asked for a second sample (I thought they have lost the first one). What the nutriologist said is that she suspects DS's guts are underdeveloped and asked to get some enzymes that increased the permeability of the gut (???), she also said that we needed to get him off diary and suggested something called Tiger White, what's that and where can I find it?

Anybody with a similar diagnosis? I really don't know what to expect and also I am a bit worried as she mentioned that DS placid behaviour (too placid for his age) may be related to food intolerances. I'm concerned about coeliac disease and feel particularly vulnerable at having such a sensitive kid but virtually no access (private or on the NHS) to a more specialised consultant. Sigh* (sad)

[GeorginaA]

Flipping eck Chandra - that's some list! Can they not provide a suggested menu plan that's still balanced but avoids that little lot?! They can't expect you to avoid all that can they?!

I'm afraid I have no experience of a similar diagnosis, but they must have some sort of resident dietician that can help you out with this, don't they?

[Chandra]

This was a private consultant but still waiting for an appointment withthe paediatic dietitian of the NHS, it may take a life time...though I'm grateful for the referal, if it had not been because Tatt told me what to ask for I would have been refered to the HV!!! Couldn't believe the GP suggested that after seeing the results of the test, specially when my HV's last suggestion included saying that it didn't matter if DS ended up eating fish fingers and no vegetables every day.

[tortoiseshell]

Wow, that's a daunting list! Do you ever shop at Waitrose? They have quite a range of 'free from' foods - things like wheat/gluten free bread etc. It might just increase your options a bit. Can he have vegetables for carbohydrate? Or things like avocado to give him some fats.

[lunachic]

i have a friend whose ds has severe allegies(has had anaphallactic reactions) he has to try new foods in hospital -has your ds had reactions to all the foods on the list or is she being cautious
think they should be helping you with a menu plan too
if i think of anything i post it but stuck for menu ideas right now poor you its a very long list

[lunachic]

i have a friend whose ds has severe allegies(has had anaphallactic reactions) he has to try new foods in hospital -has your ds had reactions to all the foods on the list or is she being cautious
think they should be helping you with a menu plan too
if i think of anything i post it but stuck for menu ideas right now poor you its a very long list

[lunachic]

try rice milk (if you havent already ) to cook with

[lunachic]

and look up salicilates on google salicylates in fruit and veg are often the cause of allergies theyre asprin like substances-naturally occuring it may be hes ok with fruit and veg thats not high in them -you should be able to get a list
what about beans ? quinoa (theres hundreds of different grains apart from wheat) brown rice /wild rice
go into your local health/wholefood store and ask them-imagine an independant one (not holland and barret ) would be most knowledgable
theres a grain called ebly too in super market but im not sure exactly what this is

[Chandra]

Thanks for the Waitrose suggestion, there's none at my city but at least opens the possibility, could not have imagined that wheat free bread was possible.

Lunachic, he has had an Elisa test and the results were clasified in things to avoid, rotate or where no reaction was present. Unfortunately the only vegetables he can have without a reaction are mushrooms and spinachs, so she asked us to use items from the Avoid list that cored a low reaction just to improve the possibilites . The ones I mentioned at the subject are those who he has the highest intolerance for ...


I'm particularly worried about removing dairy, this may be a daft question but... would that affect his growth?

[lunachic]

hi chandra what is that allergy test i havent heard of it (am interested)
can he eat fish?-tinned fish with bones mashed is good for calcium(oranges too though he prob cant have them??)
dont think not having dairy will affect his growth if he gets his calcium from other foods -
leafy green veg is good for calcium so plenty of spinach

if you dont mind me asking has he had severe reactions to any foods?

[Chandra]

He can have rice milk but only once a week (better than nothing though), where do you get it? any brand you may suggest?

Reg grains, he can have Barley, Millet without a reaction, what can I do with them?. He can also have beans but just once every 4 days (and then he is allergic to tomatoes so no baking beans).

Have you heard of something called Tiger White, she suggested it as a milk substitute but said it was not going ot be enough and I really don't know what I can add to make it "enough" GROOOAAAANNN (bumping my head against the wall)

Can anybody suggest a good paediatric dietitian that can see a child soon (seem the local one is booked until the end of time)

[Chandra]

Yeeeyyyy!!! He can have spinach!!! thanks for that.

About fish he can eat most fish as long as I don't reapeat them during the week, So the sardines may be OK. Fortunately he can also have all meats. So the difficult area is carbohidrates..


THe test is an Elisa test (blood tested for antibodies) still waiting for the RAST test to confirm allergy to nuts, tomatoes, eggs and potatoes (which are the things he has had reactions to, milk seems to make him bloated and puffy around the face)

[lunachic]

i have a fantastic health wholefood shop try and find one near you in yellow pages you could get a lot of help from them
they sell a lot of food made by this company
they would maybe help if you email them and ask for a wholefood store in your area-sure they would help advise on foods too

[lunachic]

ah ! i had that test by my gp and it was very accurate never knew the name of it
do email sume they re a lovely company (a coop) and i am sure they could help in some way am going to look at the site more now !

[lunachic]

noticed they sell books on special diets if you contact them theyll tell you your nearest local stockist
i live near them but have seen their food in scotland so they must supply nationwide !

[Chandra]

Thanks for the reference, actually they are not far from where I live so I will try to visit them (provided they have a store, will ring them for more info)

Did you see a big diferece after you remove the ofending items (after having the test)?

[edam]

I sympathise with your difficulty in accessing allergy specialists on the NHS - there just aren't enough to keep up with the explosion in allergies over the last 30 years.

But that's a very restricted diet. Don't want to worry you, but how confident are you in this 'nutriologist'?. I don't think there's any such formal qualification that is recognised by reputable organisations - you could call the British Dietetic Organisation (they are the organisation for dietitians, properly qualified people who can work in the NHS) and run it past them. I've put their contact details at the end. Sadly there are lots of plausible quacks out there making money giving bad advice to desperately worried people - and there's a market for them because NHS provision is so bad.

Really do suggest talking to BDA before trying to put ds on such a restricted diet so at least you know the person whose advice you are taking knows what she's talking about. If she does, she should be able to draw up a suggested diet plan for him - you really need some advice on this as diet is so restricted will be hard to ensure he gets everything he needs.
HTH

British Dietetic Association 5th Floor Charles House, 148/9 Great Charles Street, Queensway, Birmingham, B3 3HY Website: www.bda.uk.com

[Chandra]

Oh! snap? so we are not far Good to know that, do you mind if I come from time to time with questions about which doctors are worth seeing? it is difficult to get references to people located in the north of England.

[lunachic]

i have a book that lists the variuos allergy societies in britain(its a childrens food /recipe book) ive lent it to my friend but ill get it back and post or cat you the addreses if youd like chandra-im seeing her on saturday

[lunachic]

totally agree with edam too

[Chandra]

I don't think she was a quack as she was recommended by the laboratories that did the test, unfortunately she is totally booked for months). DS is in the NHS waiting list to see a dietitian but this may take quite a while. Have tried referals to private allergist but no luck (actually I have seen a document by the parliament specifying that delays in appointments were likely through out the country but getting an appointment was virtually impossible in my area )

However, I will contact the BDA, the better informed we are the better, thanks

[edam]

She may be absolutely fine Chandra, and I hope she is, just thought worth checking it out as I haven't heard of that qualification and work in a field where I might have done, IYSWIM (am not a doctor or dietitian though).

at lack of NHS care though - allergists just haven't existed as a specialty until very recently and there are only a handful around.

[lunachic]

agree with edam but there are some good alternative health practitioners out there too
just because someone works for the nhs doesnt mean they are knowledgable(even in their own field)
my friend whose ds has severe food allergies went to see a skin specialist about his eczema to be told that it was nothing to do with his diet [schock]
where abouts do you live chandra ?-i live in west yorkshire

[anorak]

Can he have rye crackers? They're good topped with all sorts: tuna, salmon, sardines, cucumber, ham or chicken, prawns, avocado, pear, lentil pate.

Stir-fry with lots of vegetables and prawns or chicken? Baked sweet potatoes? How about wild rice (it's isn't the same thing as rice)? Mushy peas with ham? Carrot, parsnip and swede all mashed up together is lovely. Someone on another thread yesterday mentioned using parsnips as chips for her child. You could cut them into fingers, toss them in sunflower oil and bake them in the oven.

How about sunflower and sesame seeds sprinkled on a green salad? Mashed broccoli and cauliflower in a corn tortilla wrap? Guacamole with carrot, cucumber and pepper strips? Garlic mushrooms? Can he have dried fruits?

If I had the restrictions you have I'd make a list of all the foods he could eat, and how often, and draw up a weekly menu plan so you'd never make a mistake with the things he can only have once a week. It would be relatively simple to shop for and prepare the food then.

[lunachic]

mmm lovely ideas anorak youve made me hungry !! id aviod sweet potatoes though as thyre from same family as normal spuds and tomatoes(deadly nightshade family) that is why the often cause reactions
what about butternut squash - butterbeans

[Chandra]

Edam, probably the word nutriologist is a synonime of dietitian, though may not be used widely in the UK. My brother's universiy used to offer a degree in nutriology which was offered by their medical school which also had a fantastic reputaion so I suppose is OK (I hope )

Lunachic, I'm in North Yorksire so not very far.

Anorak, he can have rye, thanks for the suggestion