My 23 regular readers will no doubt recall that we recently learned that Michael is allergic to both Dairy and Soy products.
Since then, we’ve been keeping a close eye on what little Mr. Mikey eats. And lest we ever let our guard down, Michael himself provides an abundant level of caution, asking whether or not any given food product is disallowed; e.g., hand him a glass of water, and before he takes a sip he’ll ask if it has soy in it. So he knows what to avoid.
While it is probably premature to say with confidence that this dietary shift has completely repaired Michael’s behavior problems, it is safe to say that we’ve noticed a very distinct change in his daily demeanor. The notes that come home from Ms S’s school are far more positive than they have been in weeks past, his patience level has increased quite a bit with everything from sisters to toys to being told “no,” and his disposition has taken a markedly happy turn.
And while we’re relieved to know we’ve nipped a potentially hazardous allergy in the bud and have given Michael’s poor, overworked immune system some much needed relief, our new situation is not entirely joyful.
For now we are faced with overwhelming restrictions.
You may also recall a couple of instances in which I discussed the difficulty we have in putting together Michael’s lunch. Up until recently, our biggest challenge was not having cheese or peanut-based foods as options.
Pfft. A trifle. Now we understand the real meaning of constraints.
I mean, what’s the kid supposed to eat? Where are we supposed to find food for him? Grocery stores cater to the largest percentage of the population, and pay little attention to those unlucky few who suffer from dietary restrictions such as this. Yeah, you can find a lot of gluten-free stuff nowadays, as well as sugar-free and even some non-dairy things like “Rice Dream”. Only, in most cases, the non-Dairy stuff contains soy.
Even things that shouldn’t be dairy or soy contain one or both, to add protein and build up the bulk in foods that would otherwise be flat and non-protein-ish.
In terms of categorization, here’s a rough analysis of what I’ve found at our favorite grocery store:
As we carefully searched the shelves at the store, we discovered that almost down to a one, each of Michael’s most favorite prepared foods were chock full of dairy, soy or both. He just plain old can’t have them any more. All of our former lunch options are gone:
No more Lunchables.
No more Spaghetti-Os.
No more Raviolis.
No more Kid’s Cuisine.
And worst of all, no more Campbell’s Chunky Sirloin Burger Soup!
The utter despair of it all!
Fortunately, over the last year or so we’ve been doing healthy eating in the house of Michael. So we’ll be applying the same strategy to Michael’s lunch menu that we’ve been doing for our dinner menu: making it ourselves, starting with fresh, whole foods that are as close to their raw, natural states as possible:
This is the surest way to avoid both dairy products and soy ingredients. And I’ll begrudgingly admit it dovetails with our healthy eating plan. This is how the plan is forced upon us, keeping us from falling prey to the temptation of serving Froot Loops and Ice Cream for dinner when inspiration fails. The urgency of cooking healthy is a bit greater now.
Over the next few weeks Michael’s mom and I will be scouring the markets for whole foods, and scanning the internet and other venues for recipes of things we can make, things he won’t be allergic to, things he might actually eat and enjoy.
I have no doubt that Michael will be very happy with his lunch from here on out.
The real fun will come when Michael wants to buy his lunch at school next year and the only thing he can eat is a salad. We were sooooo looking forward to him buying his lunch since we have been packing his lunch for the last 6 years. I looked over the lunch menu and I am pretty sure almost EVERYTHING has either MILK or SOY in it!!!
(Hubby) Probably so. I’m sure even the salad will come pre-loaded with edamame and blue cheese dressing. He’ll be sauntering into the lunchroom with a chicken tucked under one arm and a bale of hay in the other.
Luckily Michael really likes fresh fruit and PB&J!
(MD) Oh, yes! He is going to get so sick of that over the next 12 years.
This must be a grocery shopping nightmare! I hope that the benefits are much greater than the sacrifice.
(MD) It’s really not that bad… just a challenge, and a lot of extra work preparing food. Convenience is just not in the cards for us.
Shopping must be a nightmare, but since Michael is showing signs of improved behavior because of the dietary changes, I’m sure it is all worth it. But really, a lunchbox with a live chicken, hay and rocks is sure to be a conversation starter at school. The rocks may be hard on the digestive system, or so I’ve been told.
(MD) Well, we’ll probably start out with pumice and work our way up to the harder stuff like gneiss or basalt so it’s not such a shock.
A woman from Lakewood, NJ recently told me how she does it with 17 (!) children. She said that she thinks that one child with food allergies is more of an energy drain than 17 without any issues. (She wasn’t referring to only food allergies.) I think she is right. It is so much work to try to adapt the world while not conveying it as a hassle to your child.
The good news is cyberspace’s existence. I can’t even imagine how people did it before being able to order food on line and/or look up recipes.
You have inspired me to finally bring the “challenged” one with patience and impulse control to the allergist. I was told she has the “allergy eyes” but haven’t followed up. Thanks!
(MD) Glad to have inspired you! Hope you do find your answer and it’s as simple as ours is. Not that it’s easy…
I can’t even begin to imagine how to avoid soy on an ongoing basis for a child. It was hard enough to do it for my wife who is very open to eating whatever is put in front of her without fuss. I don’t know if this helps or not, but one of the snack bars I’ve been eating for myself (and my son absolutely loves) are called Pure Bars. They are vegan and our favorite is the cherry cashew bars. You can get them individually at places like Trader Joe’s, but I buy them in bulk on Amazon. A box of 12 is like $17ish. You can find out more about them on their website – thepurebar.com. They even have a “blogger request” form where you can ask for some sample size bars. If you tell them Michael’s story, they might be up for sending you some.
(MD) Thanks! That’s good info. We have a TJ’s right near by, too. I can check that out in the next day or two.
I am glad you are seeing an improvement in behavior. That is great news. The food situation looks like a very tough situation though. I hope you find some combinations that will make Michael happy. Good luck.
The rocks and hay bales cracked my up.
(MD) It’s tough, but it’s manageable. I just don’t like having lots of restrictions; makes things complicated. Michael’s being a good kid and going along with the program like a real trooper.