Beginning Steps on How to Handle Food Allergy/Restrictions

Motherhood, it’s a small word that carries a lot of meaning. When my little girl started falling lower and lower on the growth charts the doctors became concerned that there may be an intolerance issue causing mal-absorption. They knew she was eating enough volume (based on weighted feeds and bottle feeding amount) and that she was getting enough calories (we started fortifying breast milk bottles with formula) so the next best guess was she had some kind of intolerance.  The most common allergy is dairy and/or soy, so our dietician suggested eliminating those from my diet, and switch formulas to a dairy/soy free option. We started immediately and within a few days, Ayla started showing signs that something was disagreeing with her, badly. The dietician noted that the new formula had corn listed as the first ingredient, and that may be the issue. So, in addition to eliminating dairy & soy, she wanted me to also eliminate corn. We switch formulas for a third time and hit the ground running. Within a few days we saw significant improvement in Ayla. However, it has been a learning curve on how to stay properly nourished, keeping balance within my macro goals (carbs, fats & proteins) and finding my ‘safe’ foods that are easy grab and go for snacks.

It has been a learning process, but as I have shared my tips and tricks with clients I found there is a need for this information. I will be releasing a blog series to help you keep it simple, to help eliminate being overwhelmed and show you that you can have your cake and eat it too (it may just be dairy and soy free). The series will focus on effective ways to handle ingredient elimination and food/meal suggestions (yes a holiday meal guide is coming!). I will also be going back through all my previous recipe posts and adding footnotes on if it is dairy free, soy free and/or corn free.

When having to eliminate from your diet it is important to learn what ingredients contain what you are trying to avoid. There are a lot of hidden ingredients out there!

• When going dairy free here is a list of ingredients I avoid:

  • Milk [in all forms, including condensed, derivative, dry, evaporated, goat’s milk and milk from other animals, low-fat, malted milk fat, nonfat, skimmed, powder, milk protein hydrolysate, and whole]
  • butter, butter fat, butter oil, butter acid, butter ester(s), buttermilk
  • casein
  • casein hydrolysate
  • caseinates (in all forms)
  • cheese
  • cottage cheese
  • cream
  • curds
  • custard
  • diacetyl
  • ghee
  • half-and-half
  • lactalbumin
  • lactalbumin
  • phosphate
  • lactoferrin
  • lactose
  • lactulose
  • pudding
  • Recaldent®
  • rennet casein
  • sour cream, sour cream
  • sour milk solids
  • tagatose
  • whey (in all forms) & whey protein
  • hydrolysate
  • yogurt

    • Milk is also sometimes found in the following:

      • artificial butter flavor
      • baked goods
      • caramel candies
      • chocolate
      • lactic acid starter
      • lunch meat
      • hot dogs
      • sausages
      • margarine
      • nisin
      • nondairy products
      • nougat

• When going soy free here is a list of ingredients I avoid:

  • Edamame
  • Miso
  • Natto
  • soy (soy albumin, soy cheese, soy fiber, soy flour, soy grits, soy ice cream, soy milk, soy nuts, soy sprouts, soy yogurt)
  • soya
  • soybean (curd, granules)
  • soy protein (concentrate, hydrolyzed, isolate)
  • shoyu
  • soy sauce
  • tamari
  • tempeh
  • textured vegetable protein (TVP)
  • tofu

    • Soy is sometimes also found in the following:

      • vegetable broth
      • vegetable gum
      • vegetable starch

    • Please note:

      • The FDA exempts highly refined soybean oil from being labeled as an allergen. Studies show most allergic individuals can safely eat soy oil that has been highly refined (not cold pressed, expeller pressed, or extruded soybean oil).
      • Most individuals allergic to soy can safely eat soy lecithin.

• When going corn free here is a list of ingredients I avoid:

  • Corn starch, vegetable starch
  • Corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup
  • Corn flour
  • Cornmeal
  • Corn gluten
  • Corn flakes
  • Maltodextrin, dextrin (when made from corn)
  • Fructose or crystalline fructose
  • Vegetable oil – best alternatives are olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil
  • Cellulose
  • Caramel
  • Corn oil
  • Ethanol (ingested such as alcoholic beverages)
  • Maize
  • Sorbitol
  • Baking powder

Here is what to be on the lookout for with future articles:

1. Holiday menu – appetizer, main course with sides and desserts.
2. How read a nutrition label and how to look for ingredients. How to choose which product is best suited for your nutrition goals [carbs, fats and protein & vitamins/minerals].
3. Product swaps, recommendations and what to avoid.
4. How to make a weekly meal plan, how to make your trip to the grocery store more efficient and how to do prep work to help alleviate feeling stressed and/or overwhelmed.
5. How to enjoy social activities/events, restaurants and other activities on the town when you don’t have your own food/drink.

Please note – when looking at ingredients, I am able to have soybean oil [even thought I am soy free] and vegetable glycerin [even though I am corn free], so if these are ingredients you are not able to have please keep those two in mind. It is important that you are doing what is best for your body and your needs, be sure to speak with your medical team for what is best for you.