Need some hugs/BTDT advice - going gluten, casein, egg free, 2 yr old :(

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Hi Ladies,

My DS is 2 years old.  Yesterday, he was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, sensory processing disorder, truncal hypotonia, and dyspraxia (motor).  His prognosis is very good with intensive therapy and some supplementation/nutritional intervention.  As part of the evaluation, his Developmental Ped ran quite a bit of blood work to see if he had any food sensitivities.  I really did not think anything would come back positive; however, he has sensitivities to gluten, casein, and egg, as well as a deficiency in Vitamin D.  We are going to go gluten and casein free and gradually decrease egg since he has scrambled eggs almost every other day.  The gluten changes will be immediate and the only piece of the casein elimination that will be gradual will be a wean from Lactaid to Almond milk.  His doctor believes these changes will make a huge difference, so I am really glad that we found out.  With that said, DS is a picky eater to begin with (which she said may get better with the new diet) and what he eats usually has gluten, casein or egg in it. 

We went to Whole Foods yesterday afternoon and picked up a bunch of stuff.  The gluten free Cheerios we found seem to be good with him.  However, he eats chicken fingers and fries (organic and healthy) every night, so we bought gluten free alternatives.  He wouldn't even try them .  I was desperate for him to eat something so I made a gluten free waffle, he wouldn't eat it.  Then I took out the coconut milk yogurt we bought (he LOVES YoBaby yogurt) and he wouldn't have it either. So all he had for dinner was a mix of Lactaid and Almond Milk .  I know it was only the first try, but I am panicked that he isn't going to eat.  I really need some reassurance that he will adapt.  I am just so concerned because he is really picky to begin with and I was able to sneak vegetables in his pancakes, french toast, sandwiches etc.  If he won't eat any of the gluten free alternatives, what am I going to do? DH said he'll never let himself starve, but I just feel awful for him.

Feeling overwhelmed .  Any advice? Will it be okay?

Thanks for listening
xx

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

(((Hugs))). We have been egg and dairy free for most of Spencer's life, but we went GF last year (ASD diagnosis). It did suck at first -she kept asking for bread and none of the gf stuff was any good. Gradually we built up a good base of foods though!  I think it just took getting that gluten taste out of her system.

She was (and is) a very self limiting eater...that makes it harder but not impossible. She is really finally into trying new things, some foods we have offered on her plate for a year before she will taste it!

What type of gf chicken did you find?  Ian's is a brand we love (DH sneaks them!). I think given that he ate nuggets and fries every night that will be a tough one to replace.

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Thanks, Heidi! We're having some ok luck over here trying to change up the diet, but as you said - not easy! We bought the Ian's brand! The first night he wouldn't touch them, but he has now eaten (a lot) of them for the past two nights! He didn't eat the Ian's fries, but I'll keep trying.  Apparently, the Oreida fries are gluten free, but I need to make sure they don't have casein or egg, which I don't think they should.  I've been pulling lists to see what casein and gluten are listed as in ingredient lists etc.  I just have to get into the mindset of checking for all 3 because I had initially found a gluten free bread that looked ok, put it in the cart, then remembered to check it for the other things too. 

I'm finding the yogurt to be really difficult.  He takes two bites of the SO Coconut Milk brand and then clamps up.  I don't know if I should just keep trying or find another brand.  His doctor doesn't want him to do soy because apparently there is estrogen in it so it's not good for boys to have.  I had never heard about that, but then again, we have never had any dietary issues in my family. 

The milk switch is going pretty well, he likes the Cherrybrook Kitchen pancakes, he'll eat a few bites of his sandwich on the gf bread (it's pretty dense so maybe he gets full more quickly), and he likes Van's waffles.  Trying gfcf egg free french toast this morning, so we'll see how that goes.  I told DH that he and I are eating it too in an act of family solidarity LOL!  

Thanks so much for your support

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Oh, I'm glad he came around with the nuggets!!  I haven't used their fries as we have McCain's up here that are okay (and cheap!). Mostly it is the flavoured ones to look out for, Or restaurant fries that are coated. 

We never had luck with any yogurt, even the soy. Nothing like the original I guess!  Applesauce is a big hit here, and right now she is hooked on a pomegranite flavour.

So what type of recipe is it for the french toast?  I haven't tried that yet. I have a good pancake recipe, I will try to remember to post it for you. Van's waffles go over really well here! 

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Here is the french toast recipe:

3: ripe bananas
1 Cup : almond milk (or Dairy-free or dairy milk of choice)
2 tsp: cinnamon
1/2 tsp: pumpkin pie spice, optional but a nice touch during winter
1 Tbsp: vanilla
2 Tbsp: ground chia seeds or flax meal
6-8: slices of gluten free bread
2 Tbsp: Coconut or Organic Canola Oil for skillet (make sure to keep skillet well greased in between batches)

Blend ingredients (except oil) in a blender/food processor and then make like regular french toast.  I will warn you though, it made WAY more batter than for 6-8 pieces of bread.  I actually froze the remaining batter it because there was so much left over.  They were pretty good.  I ate them with DS - he loved them.

We are chugging along over here, some days are better than others, but I do think it's a combination of the diet change and the fact that he is 2 and sometimes too busy to want to eat.   Milk is something we have to figure out.  The wean was going okay, but the past few days he takes a few sips and then is done with it, even though there is still some Lactaid in it (very little though).  I think I'll just keep trying with the almond milk for now and give it a little time.

By the way -- we like the waffles too!!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I do think it's a combination of the diet change and the fact that he is 2 and sometimes too busy to want to eat.

Age would definitely be a factor! Too much to explore to bother sitting and eating. That french toast sounds yummy!

Say, would he drink a smoothie?  Some type of fruit blended with the Almond milk and maybe the coconut milk yogurt. It's a no go here, she is still stuck on warm milk...yuck!

[Buntybear]

Hi,

We are egg, wheat and dairy free with a 2 year old! He always has been though so is totally used to the alternatives.

Please continue to share any recipes you find as I am totally stuck in a rut for Olly at the moment 

x

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Heidi - that was a fantastic idea -- for the past two days, that has been the only way I can get him to drink more than a few sips of milk.  Thank you so much!!

Buntybear - I have been trying my hand at a few recipes over the past few days.  I'll post them later today.  I actually made him homemade chicken nuggets the other day that have gone over really well. (I will share that it has been my life's work to get him to eat chicken nuggets that are homemade.  Prior to finding out about the intolerances, DS would eat a few different brand of chicken nuggets, all restaurant chicken nuggets, but never the kinds I made.  I tried everything, baking, frying, making my own breadcrumbs, panko style, regular, etc etc etc and he never did.  I almost had to call 911 the other day because I thought I was going to have a heart attack.  After over a year of trying, he ate my gf, cf, egg free nuggets!!).  The Ian's brand is awesome too as Heidi suggested -- I just had to try .  I'll post more recipes later!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Heidi - that was a fantastic idea -- for the past two days, that has been the only way I can get him to drink more than a few sips of milk.  Thank you so much!!

Okay, I am so brain dead this am that I read that and I was like "huh? wonder what I suggested"...had to scroll up to read!  Oh dear, today might not be a good day at work!

Great that it worked! Oh, and awesome about the nuggets! Spencer ate my homemade ones at one time, but the last time I made them she was not too impressed as  I think we have been relying on the Ian's ones too much!

Oh, I still haven't posted the pancake recipe!

[Buntybear]

I put that pancake recipe on I've on a thread recently, maybe it needs it own sticky!

Heidi what snacks do you make/give?

[Mama2boys]

hugs nicole no ideas just warm hugs on your journey

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Snacks are such a pain!  We rely on a lot of fruit -apples, bananas, raisins, melon. Otherwise we have rice crackers, gf pretzels, quinoa crisps, and Enjoy Life cereal bars (which are more for on the go as they are pricey).  I have a good sugar cookie recipe for sweet treats, and I make gf rice krispie bars sometimes.

Oh, and there is a shredded cheese type product called Daiya...I know tapioca is a main ingredient.
Have some to try on pizza but just haven't gotten around to it yet. 

[Buntybear]

Thanks sounds similar to what we have but the UK versions  . It is my mission this weekend to get some more ideas and recipes together to experiment with.

It doesn't help that he is do fussy and when we try and do cooking together to make cakes he still won't try them then!

He is even going off his staples of porridge and toast. I have no idea how to fill him as he still begs for food!

Sorry to take over your thread samsmommy3312010 

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Thanks, mukta

Buntybear - you didn't! We're all in this journey together

Chix Nuggets:
cut up chicken breast
1/4 cup gf bread crumbs (I found some that looks just like cornmeal)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
1/8 tsp black pepper
egg replacement
coconut oil, melted (or other fat suitable for high heat. Use amount desired. About 1/4 cup should be enough.)
Method
1. Cut chicken into small chunks, about 1 – 1 1/2 inch chunks. Place in bowl.
2. Mix bread crumbs with seasonings.
3. Dip chicken chunks in prepared egg replacement
3. Coat chicken with bread crumb mixture
4. Melt coconut oil. Drizzle over chicken.
5. Bake in preheated oven (425 degrees for convection / 450 for conventional) until chicken’s internal temperature reaches 180 degrees (about 10 minutes for a convection oven and 14 for conventional).

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Oh, Heidi, by the way -- DS LOVES the Daiya! He has never eaten pizza before, but I am hoping that at some point he'll try it with the Daiya cheese.

[Buntybear]

Thanks Nicole - I will try them out as he is a bit hit and miss with chicken now where before he used to love it!

I have heard that you can make a pizza base/crust with polenta - I am going to try that too I think.

I made socca yesterday which is a chickpea flatbread - really easy and cheap - Olly refused it (seeing a trend here lol? ) but we liked it with achicken and greek slad on top.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Oh, Heidi, by the way -- DS LOVES the Daiya! He has never eaten pizza before, but I am hoping that at some point he'll try it with the Daiya cheese.

Oh, good!  Spencer used to eat pizza with just sauce on it, but she hasn't been into it lately, perhaps some "cheese" would help!

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

The socca sounds delicious! Can you buy it already made or did you make it from scratch? If so, can you post the recipe if you have a moment? I would totally try that with my DS and even if he didn't like it, DH and I would!

Polenta is also a good idea!

Heidi- I am thinking that if my DS won't eat gfcfef pizza with "cheese", then maybe I can try it with just sauce like Spencer used to like.  It's all baby steps around here. 

I've been trying to do some food chaining, but it's really only working with fruit!! We started with raspberries, then he started to eat strawberries, then blackberries, then we hit a wall.  Last week he tried blueberries and now really likes them which is awesome.  I am now trying to pass off black grapes as "big blueberries" LOL.  He ate a few in the same way that he eats blueberries -- he puts his little finger in the middle and presses down hard to squish it and then picks it up and eats it.  I'm hoping this new willingness to try fruit (with some innocent trickery on my part lol) will start to apply to other foods, but I'm really not that hopeful LOL.

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

By the way, Heidi, I have to thank you again for the smoothie idea.  He is really, really starting to enjoy drinking it.  I can even put his probiotic in it because I can feel confident that he'll drink the whole thing.  Plus, I'm getting the milk into him! You are a lifesaver!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

You're welcome...I wish that idea would fly around here, Masyn might be into to it though, which might catch Spencer's attention! Hmmm..will have to test that theory.

Love the black grapes = big blueberries!  We intially got Spencer to try ham by telling her it was new ham hotdogs     She is getting better with us using the if/then theory...ie if she wants more of a favourite food then she has to taste one bite of the one she doesn't really like. 

[Buntybear]

There are recipes if you google it but basically it is 1 cup chickpea flour (called gram flour here), 1 cup warn water, going glug olive oil, seasoning. Whisk to make thick batter then leave as long as possible (helps break down the proteins to make to more digestible apparently) but at least 30 mins, can be overnight. Fry in pancakes in olive oil.

[Mom to M&M]

Have to dash but wanted to offer hugs. I am gluten, dairy and soy free. DS is dairy free. DD and DH eat basically everything! I do have some recipes to share later - but also wanted to say that my DS really likes the O'Soy vanilla yogurt. He has one 6 ounce container of it 2-3 times a week. My holistic practitioner is totally fine with small amounts of soy, even with with young boys. She just prefers it be organic/non-GMO soy and no more than 8 ounces daily at most.

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Thanks, Karen.  I'm trying not to be too crazy about soy since things are so limited to begin with.  I've been giving him things with it in it a little bit here and have been only using organic/non-GMO like you suggested!

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Buntybear - I know I had posted a chix nuggets recipe for you a few weeks back. Just wanted to let you know that I adapted it to use ground turkey, so you can try that if you want to also.  I basically just put ground turkey, sprinkled some garlic powder, paprika, salt, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl, mixed it all together, formed little balls, dipped them in gf flour, then in prepared egg replacement, and then in the gf breadcrumbs (I added a little garlic powder and salt to the breadcrumbs as well but very little).  Drizzled the melted Earth Balance spread over them and baked them. I was shocked, but they were a big hit.  I know he probably thought they were chicken, but that's ok   My goal is to move on to normal turkey burgers with no bun from here   Baby steps

[Buntybear]

Oh yummy! They sound fab, thanks