As many of you know J will go into anaphylactic shock when he eats or inhales wheat. He breaks out in hives if wheat touches his skin. We found out when he was 13 months old and it has been an intense journey protecting him from one of the most common foods. I feel surrounded by a silent enemy who lurks around every corner and hides behind children offering J a little taste of their cookie. It has been hard, but after all this time we have adapted and it's manageable. Unfortunately, J has continued to react to food that causes strange transient bruising on his face and eczema and lesions around his mouth and we have not been able to identify the culprit. We took him in for additional testing in January and learned he has food sensitivities to nine additional foods.
Almonds
Avocado
Bananas
Cabbage
Dairy
Cocoa
Egg whites
Pinto beans
Walnuts
As I sat with the doctor going over the results I was calm. I took removing dairy and egg in stride. Then on the back page I saw cocoa. J loves chocolate. He lives for the stuff. It is a treat that he has been able to eat and enjoy when everyone around him has cake. And now he can't even have that. After the appointment I strapped the boys in their car seats, drove around the corner, parked on the side of the road and sobbed while watching the rain pelt the windshield. It was a bad day.
Fast forward a few weeks and we are adapting yet again. We have switched to soy milk, removed eggs (flax seed is a great substitute), carob is palatable, coconut cream whips up into a sweet topping in no time, and we are experimenting with new foods. Turns out I make a mean chia seed pudding that the kids can't get enough of. And you should try my dairy free ice cream. Don't get me wrong, changing an entire food lifestyle is hard, but having a bad attitude is only going to make this challenge harder. And I need all my energy to figure out what's for dinner.
The following are pictures of pumpkin pie chia seed pudding. A true family event.
The strawberry coconut soy ice cream was pretty fabulous as well.
Almonds
Avocado
Bananas
Cabbage
Dairy
Cocoa
Egg whites
Pinto beans
Walnuts
As I sat with the doctor going over the results I was calm. I took removing dairy and egg in stride. Then on the back page I saw cocoa. J loves chocolate. He lives for the stuff. It is a treat that he has been able to eat and enjoy when everyone around him has cake. And now he can't even have that. After the appointment I strapped the boys in their car seats, drove around the corner, parked on the side of the road and sobbed while watching the rain pelt the windshield. It was a bad day.
Fast forward a few weeks and we are adapting yet again. We have switched to soy milk, removed eggs (flax seed is a great substitute), carob is palatable, coconut cream whips up into a sweet topping in no time, and we are experimenting with new foods. Turns out I make a mean chia seed pudding that the kids can't get enough of. And you should try my dairy free ice cream. Don't get me wrong, changing an entire food lifestyle is hard, but having a bad attitude is only going to make this challenge harder. And I need all my energy to figure out what's for dinner.
The following are pictures of pumpkin pie chia seed pudding. A true family event.
The strawberry coconut soy ice cream was pretty fabulous as well.
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