Author Topic: always suspected food intolerances in 3 year old...next step? (Read 7212 times)

*Becky* · « **on:** November 28, 2011, 10:03:45 am »

Henry is 3. I have always thought he has food intolerances but the doctors will not take it seriously...I guess because it is not serious enough.

H gets so many runny noses and always has done. I used to think it was teething related but he still has them and he has all his teeth now. He also gets dark circles under his eyes and his behaviour is all over the place.

I would like to see a naturopath but am having trouble finding one.

Just wondered if anyone had any ideas or had BTDT with their own children.

Thanks

Becky

Shiv52 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 28, 2011, 12:15:32 pm »

R is MPI and I suspect M is too to a lesser extent. We saw the paed and dietician a few months back for R and I asked about M as she gets terribly constipated if she has too much dairy and I do have to watch her intake. Their advice was that unless there was a severe allergy often intolerance testing can be unreliable and say there isn't an issue when there is. They said at this age the way to see if there is an issue to do eliminate the suspect foods (so usually 4 weeks for dairy and soy, 8-12 weeks for gluten) and see how symptoms fair and do they increase again.

Shiny, dark circles under eyes can be a big sign of allergy especially when linked to congestion. I can't remember exactly why but is something to do with blood flow being restricted because of the congestion.

Is there a particular food you think he is reacting to?

Buntybear · « **Reply #2 on:** November 28, 2011, 12:38:27 pm »

Hi Becky,

I would trust your mother's instinct if you think he has intolerances. When he was a baby did he have reflux, eczema or any of the other usual symptoms?

Do you have an inkling of what could be the root cause? I am not sure how conclusive testing for intolerances are. I would guess your best bet, as Shiv says, is to eliminate suspects.

x

*Becky* · « **Reply #3 on:** November 28, 2011, 12:54:16 pm »

I suppose dairy if anything but that would be very hard to eliminate as he loves it??

He was a very colicky baby maybe with a bit of reflux but we never had to medicate and he has no skin problems.

Buntybear · « **Reply #4 on:** November 28, 2011, 13:51:33 pm »

Might be worth taking it out his diet for a couple of weeks just so you know. If you found it was dairy would you be prepared for him not to have dairy again? If not and you are happy to continue with his symptoms then don't try it.

There are some good dairy alternatives - oat milk and cream, marg, alpro soy etc.

If he does love dairy then have lots of healthy treats as a replacement to get him through the trial!

~Emma~ · « **Reply #5 on:** November 28, 2011, 13:54:07 pm »

Same here with mine. As you know D is dairy intolerant and when she is having a reaction its now REALLY obvious. Dark circles,congestion, eczema, horrid nappies and painful gas.

Brodie was a reflux bub, we went on AR formula which helped the actual throwing up of milk and the refluxing but he was, and sometimes still is, a very congested, snotty wee man and his skin aint great either, he also gets dark circles now and again which I always had put down to OT.

I do think perhaps he had some intolerances although not the extent that D has.

I have seen a huge difference in him since we have cut most dairy out of our diet as a family. He only now has milk in his cereal, which I have now cut down to 1 bowl as he would some morning eat 3! He is offered fruit after instead. He will sometimes have a small cup of milk befire BT but rarely more that 3oz. He will also sometimes have a yohgurt after dinner. His behaviour is better and his BMs are better too. IN fact we are all alot healthier for it! No creamy pasta dishes covered in cheese for us!

clazzat · « **Reply #6 on:** November 28, 2011, 13:57:53 pm »

With e we switched to soy for a while, although she didn't like cheese so I didn't have to deal with taking that out of her diet, and that made a huge difference to her congestion. I used goats cheese for things like pizza and cheese scones which she would eat.

Do you think he is mpi or do you think it is lactose intolerance? Both e and x are, I think, lactose intolerant as they are both fine on the lactofree products - the milk and yoghurt taste just the same and the cheese is like Swiss cheese. That also means that we don't have to look for hidden dairy so it is not really that difficult to deal with.

Shiv52 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 28, 2011, 14:30:35 pm »

Quote from: *Becky* on November 28, 2011, 12:54:16 pm

I suppose dairy if anything but that would be very hard to eliminate as he loves it??

The way I look at it is although M LOVES dairy if she is adversely affected by it then it has to be cut down or eliminated. Its just the way it has to be. My friends LO is diabetic and you can imagine the dietary restrictions in terms of no sweets, chocolate, biscuts and the like and it is so hard but they do it for her health. I do think it the symptoms are so bad that you are questioning the intolerances and their effects then that will override getting H used to not having it. And if you see a difference then you'll be more determined. But it is one of those things that until you try the ED you will never know for sure. H is a good age now that you can reason with him. M knows she can only have yogurt once a day or it makes her tummy sore and is fine with it.

And the alternatives are great too xx

<Catherine> · « **Reply #8 on:** November 28, 2011, 14:37:05 pm »

Ugh, posted and it disappeared

My GP wouldn't take me seriously when I suspected DS had an intolerance to cow's milk either. I made the switch and the effect was amazing (I also think he had reflux as a baby, and was constantly snotty/congested - there's so much to be said for Mother's intuition). His nappies were horrendous from day one of switching to cow's milk at 12mos. He can handle a small amount - cheese isn't popular anyway so was never an issue, yogurt is fine, and a small amount of cow's milk on cereal seems to be fine. It's large amounts as a drink that bothered him.

Mom to M&M · « **Reply #9 on:** November 28, 2011, 15:26:46 pm »

The most common sources of the symptoms you listed are intolerances to dairy and/or gluten. Soy intolerance can also have similar symptoms though. For my DS, he has those symptoms (but not the dark circles under the eyes) from dairy - as well as stomach cramps and loose frequent stools. Once we eliminated dairy from his diet - ALL cow's and goat's milk dairy, even trace amounts - from his diet he was SO much better. If he gets a little by mistake or when we've trialed the symptoms come back - stomach discomfort, stuffy nose, rashes, horrible behavior...

Coconut milk (by itself or mixed with almond milk) is a super yummy and healthy alternative to cow's milk!

*Becky* · « **Reply #10 on:** November 29, 2011, 12:56:19 pm »

see he LOVES his milk am and pm. He only has half a cup each time but that is still a whole cup a day...not sure what to replace it with. He does not like juice? He has a yoghurt every day plus probably some cheese and milk on cereal so it does add up.

I have no idea of he is MSPI or just lactose or neither tbh but I guess a good start is to remove dairy as a main food group. We drink goats milk as a family so what would be good to have on cereal??? I am a bit clueless. Do we go to soy milk or rice milk or something else?

It feels a bit overwhelming. I took him to the doc yesterday just to check him over as he looks so tired and pale but she said he is fighting fit and that is the thing. He has never had antibiotics or medicines BUT he always has this runny nose and sort of tired look about him.

clazzat · « **Reply #11 on:** November 29, 2011, 13:25:09 pm »

If you drink goats milk then you can just put that on cereal too.

*Becky* · « **Reply #12 on:** November 29, 2011, 13:27:59 pm »

yes I do, he only has goats milk. If I was going to cut out dairy what should I use for milk on cereal etc?

clazzat · « **Reply #13 on:** November 29, 2011, 13:30:49 pm »

I would just be cutting out cows milk for the time being so I would replace it with goats milk on cereal and goats cheese and goats yoghurt.

*Becky* · « **Reply #14 on:** November 29, 2011, 13:33:51 pm »

but he has not ever really had cows milk...we have always used goats milk.

clazzat · « **Reply #15 on:** November 29, 2011, 13:41:06 pm »

You could try any of the alternative milks - they all work with cereal, it's just a question of finding one that he likes the taste of. We did soy milk for a long time with e which definitely helped us and you can get soy yoghurts too. If you do go for soy, just make sure that there isn't loads of sugar in it as a lot of them are sweetened.

*Becky* · « **Reply #16 on:** November 29, 2011, 13:43:37 pm »

thanks. Think I might try...how long do you think we should do it for - is 2 weeks enough?

*Becky* · « **Reply #17 on:** November 29, 2011, 14:18:23 pm »

you know what I think I might try something like Emma suggested. So cut out one milk cup a day and get some soy yoghurts and different cheese. That way we can get an idea as it should improve a bit if that is the issue.

~Emma~ · « **Reply #18 on:** November 29, 2011, 14:38:49 pm »

Thats what I'd do, just cut back and see if it helps.

So he has milk in his cereal, well keep that. Just a little mind and only one bowl. Then skip the AM milk if you can and just have the PM milk, just 2/3 oz. Thats next to nothing really. Keep all meals dairy free (which might fill you with dread but its actually ok!) and offer an alternative dessert to yohgurt. Personally I'd not offer soy because if he has a dairy and soy allergy you wont notice anything different kwim?

C&B&E · « **Reply #19 on:** November 29, 2011, 15:16:51 pm »

Ben has had a cold this week and I try and avoid dairy when he's congested - so he just ahd a bit of my rice milk on his cereal and didn't even notice. could you try some oat milk with H? (rice milk isn't recommended for lo's). You can also do smoothies with cocunut milk and fruit for dessert/drink alternatives. It is relatively easy to do dairy free for a short period of time - most supermarkets sell 'pure sunflower' spread which is dairy and soy free. And things like hummous, avocado, peanut butter are good for using instead of cheese on sandwiches/snack time. x

I could be wrong (it happens alot

), but i thought that some lo's who are CMPO are also intolerant of goats milk $:-\$ . I wonder if it's worth checing it out otherwise you might do a cows milk/soy elimination and not see any improvement if he also struggles with goats milk

just found this - a brief bit on the left hand side of the page
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/food-allergy/Pages/Causes.aspx

Mom to M&M · « **Reply #20 on:** November 29, 2011, 17:30:15 pm »

I can't use either cow's milk OR goat's milk - and even a tiny bit is too much for us. I'd totally eliminate for two weeks and see what happens!

*Becky* · « **Reply #21 on:** November 29, 2011, 19:10:17 pm »

ok will try oat milk.

claire - he is so fussy that is the problem. Will not eat peanut butter or avocado. He loves smoothies but actual fruit is hard work. I am not sure what to offer instead of yoghurt - he really loves it and will miss it loads. That is why I thought soy would be good as they do those alpro soy yoghurts/puddings. Umm, not sure. His diet seems quite limited these days as it is.

Mom to M&M · « **Reply #22 on:** November 29, 2011, 19:22:37 pm »

They make almond milk or coconut milk yogurt too! We are fine with soy yogurt here in limited amounts (I don't offer it more than twice a week).

Buntybear · « **Reply #23 on:** November 29, 2011, 19:28:42 pm »

Becky - you can buy Oatly cream - would he eat that over fruit as a pudding? Or you could try and make it into a rice pudding? Stirring it into mashed banana would be yoghurt like?

C&B&E · « **Reply #24 on:** November 29, 2011, 19:29:46 pm »

Yes, totally can relate

!

I suppose if you end up finding out that milk/soy *is* an issue then you'll really have to get your head around how to get calcium into him - BUT it may well be that the trial shows that he is fine with them and then it will have only been two weeks of not eating yoghurts etc. I've been giving Ben 2-3 smoothies a day this week - and I've snuck all sorts of fruits and veg in them that he wouldn't normally eat

- so maybe take advantage of that. I also made him a thick 'yoghurt' with the creamy part from a can of coconut milk, some frozen rasberries and a but of honey. He really enjoyed it.

Things like fish with soft bones (tinned salmon, sardines etc), sesame seeds (so if you can make homemade hummus with more tahini to bulk up the sesame content), and the fortified oat milks will provide calcium in the meantime - but I doubt two weeks of not eating the normal amount of dairy would make any long term impact.

x

*Becky* · « **Reply #25 on:** November 30, 2011, 09:52:22 am »

thanks

Well we got rid of morning milk today and I just gave him choice of apple or orange juice watered down. I don't like giving juice really but he needs an alternative and it is just once a day. He had a bit of a moment about it but am sure after a few days he will be fine. Tried oat milk on his cereal and he noticed straight away and only ate a bit but had toast too so that was fine. I made salmon dip for lunch which he loves and of course it has cream cheese in but I think by cutting back as much as we are we should get an idea if it is dairy linked and then we can go from there.

*Becky* · « **Reply #26 on:** December 05, 2011, 12:57:41 pm »

well since he stopped yoghurt his nose has been much better.....seems weird though as if it was dairy surely just stopping yoghurt would not do much?

Mom to M&M · « **Reply #27 on:** December 05, 2011, 13:12:41 pm »

Not really weird TBH - even decreasing it at first can lead to a big difference. When we first stopped Matthew's bottles at around 17 months he stopped drinking milk. Even though he was still eating yogurt and things cooked with cheese daily his BM's got better and his sleep improved (some) as well. But we didn't see FULL improvement until he was totally off dairy - that's when his sleep got much better, his immune system got stronger and his mood vastly improved as well as his sleep.

*Becky* · « **Reply #28 on:** December 05, 2011, 13:37:56 pm »

that makes sense. I have stopped cheese as a snack but if it is in food I am leaving it. Milk is tricky as I tried oat milk and he was not having any of it. He does not have morning milk but he does have a couple of ounces at bedtime - not sure what I could replace it with.

Mom to M&M · « **Reply #29 on:** December 05, 2011, 16:50:37 pm »

Did you try coconut milk? I think it's yummier than oat milk myself. It's also really good mixed with unsweetened vanilla almond milk!

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Author Topic: always suspected food intolerances in 3 year old...next step? (Read 7212 times)