Category: food allergies

Oh Trader Joe, how I love thee,
You make your rice milk gluten free.

You stock your shelves with rice flour shells,
And if a checker needs help, he rings a bell.

Your prices are fair, more fair than most,
Which really makes your store the ultimate trading post.

So that’s the deal–some rice milk contains gluten, others contain soy. Why would the rice-drink makers do that? Do people drink rice-drink by choice or due to allergies? If it’s due to allergies, wouldn’t it make sense to make it as non-allergenic as possible?!?

On the plus side, TJ’s rice-drink is totally free of our “no-no” list, and it’s the best price I’ve found. And I LOVE shopping at Trader Joe’s–it smells good, there are always beautiful flowers, free samples and nice clerks. And they enter you in a drawing if you bring your own bags.

And in case you’re thinking, “Um, Michelle, is this food allergy thing really all about you??”…it’s not, but I’m the one having to do the hunting and gathering of foods free of the “no-no” list. And who, exactly, is going to have to make a dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free birthday cake? That’d be me. Either that or we’ll do a big “frozen sorbet” sort of “cake”. Good think I have a year to figure that part out.

As far as MAM goes, she’s a champ. Drinking rice-drink, calling it “my ba-ba”, eating rice pasta like it tastes good, munching on corn cereal at snack time.

AND HER NOSE HAS STOPPED RUNNING. FINALLY.

I got a depressing call from the allergist today–the results of MAM’s allergy testing. Since she’s been congested since she was about 3 months old, resulting in a multitude of ear infections and misery, we thought allergy testing was in order the minute she was old enough.

And knowing is better than not knowing, but damn.

She is severely allergic to milk, and “somewhat” allergic to soy. And wheat. And gluten. And eggs.

The milk test came back a “3” (the highest) and the rest came back a “1”. Remember when I switched her to soy milk? It didn’t do anything because she’s also allergic to soy, and it wasn’t a complete elimination experiment (she still had dairy milk in other things, like baked goods), along with the fact that she was exposed to all the other allergens in unspecified quantities.

Conveniently, we go for our 2 year old check up today. I also have some time to remove offending snacks and yogurt and cheese and milk and go stock up on
things like rice milk and …..well, I’m not sure what else.

So…food-allergy moms, any advice? Favorite foods? Places to shop for favorite foods? Tips on telling your toddler that no, she can’t have ice cream? Or goldfish. Or honey bee crackers. Or drinkable yogurt. Or string cheese. Or scrambled eggs.

Obviously, I’m not going to point all this out while BgK and I gorge ourselves on blizzards or anything, BUT we are going to have to do a MAJOR diet overhaul.