Ok….now that everybody’s story has been told I wanted to answer a few FAQs. But before I get to that I want to answer this question, “Why raise awareness?” The answer? Because it shouldn’t take 18 months to get a diagnosis for a failing child. Mom’s need to be aware that EOS could be the answer to their child’s issues. PLUS doctors need to be aware. Our first pediatrician did NOT deal with our situation in an acceptable manor. I think he froze under the pressure of “I don’t know what to do!” The doctors in Louisiana gave me a real hard time. I saw 5 doctors there 1 regular pediatrician, 1 ENT, 2 allergists, and 1 GI. Only the ENT said he would help me see things through no matter what. Spent many a day in his office in tears. Most doctors are familiar with EOS and that’s about it. So get educated. We as moms cannot rely on the doctors to figure everything out in a timely manner. When I go see a doctor (other than Dr. Ashley) I take a file folder of all the doctor records I have. I’ve taken the time to get every record that is available to me….you can get them free most of the time. Most of the time the doctor has not “read up” on your chart. There is TONS of information out there. Get educated and don’t be afraid to request testing or get a second opinion.
Ok…on to my FAQs. I get asked all the time, “How do you do that?” “Do you cook 2 different meals? One allergy friendly and the other one regular?” “What do/can they eat?”
1. How do I do it?? I research and experiment. Here are just a few books that I like to use. There are NO “all inclusive” books. Some recipes I don’t have to change or manipulate and some I do. These are all great books.
I love these magazines too!! Living Without has TONS of ideas and articles and recipes!! Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food is NOT an allergy magazine but it is what I call a “fresh foods” magazine. The recipes here do not use a lot/if any prepacked or canned ingredients so they are really easy to manipulate. It’s got some GREAT recipes!!
Number 3: What can they eat? Below is a picture of just a few things. Recently the local supermarkets are stocking more and more allergy friendly food. Just because it says Gluten Free doesn’t mean we can eat it. We still have to watch for oats, barely, rye, eggs, fish and nuts.
For breakfast (if I don’t cook pancakes….which I normally don’t unless it’s the weekend) Tobin eats Cocoa Krispies. These are corn syrup free and GF…they do contain malt flavoring which is derived from barley but it’s such a trace amount that he can handle that. Lilly has YoBaby yogurt…$2.50 for 4 servings. She’ll also eat a GF frozen waffle sometime or cereal too.
For lunch: hotdogs are popular. We use Hebrew National. Mac and Cheese is also huge. A box of Annies GF mac-n-cheese is $3.99. We also do something called chocolate toast. This is my own invention. It’s a piece of brown rice bread (found in the freezer section for a little over $4 a loaf), topped with Sunflower Seed butter (our replacement for peanut butter. it’ll set you back about $7 a jar) and then topped with chocolate chips. Bake it in the oven till nice and melty. I started this when I couldn’t get Lilly to eat anything else and it worked like a charm. It’s full of protein and claories and she normally will eat it all up including the crust. They also like plain lays potato chips.
Afternoon snacks are tough. That box of Chewy Bars you see in the picture costs $3.99 for 6 (and that’s on sale). The cookies are a little over $4 for 12. The crackers are the most economical at around $2.50. Lilly is PICKY!! So finding a snack for her is tricky. Oh…and those GF ice cream cones up there….$8 on-line…not counting shipping. They do eat a lot of fruit and applesauce.
We don’t always buy these boxed treat but it is helpful and convenient. I try to always have something homemade on hand. Betty Crocker’s GF Mixes are very convenient but also very costly. The regular one you see below cost $1.95….GF $4.19 and $5.62 at Wal-Mart. Thankfully my mother-in-law helps us out and gets them cheaper from the commissary at Fort Rucker. The Barilla pasta- $1.79 for 16 oz. GF $2.39 for 8 oz.
Ok…what do we do for supper?? Tonight we’ll have hamburger steaks with mushroom gravy, fresh green beans and stewed squash. In place of breadcrumbs I use ground Chex cereal. In place of wheat flour to thicken the gravy, I use tapioca starch. I try and cook normal meals with acceptable ingredients. It CAN be done!!
Chick-fil-A is the easiest to follow!! What can they eat from there?? Waffle Fries, hash browns, and fruit cups.
, brownies (these just do not translate well into egg free), doughnuts, chicken nuggets, milk shakes, sandwiches with soft bread or mayo, peanut butter, scrambled eggs, Snicker’s bar, Recess’ pieces, M and Ms, ranch dressing, and the list goes on.
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