The parents should definitely talk to the doctor and allergist and a registered dietician to find out what foods are allowed then you can get back to us with that list. I’m guessing that there might be other no-no’s on the list that were not mentioned, such as peanuts (most kids that have severe food allergies are also allergic to peanuts) I’m guessing that the child is not a vegetarian or vegan, is that correct? If not, then meat, fish and fowl should be OK, right? Just let us know so we can hone in our suggestions.
In the meantime, there are lots of pretty tasty milk substitutes on the market right now. One that I tasted recently is coconut milk (which is made from coconut, but is not the same thing as canned coconut milk that is used in Thai cooking that is super thick and sweet, this stuff is more like soy milk, but is completely soy and dairy free and tastes fantastic. I tried the unsweetened kind) There is also rice milk (which I think tastes the most like dairy milk and doesn’t have any after taste or other flavors, which the others kind of do, which is fine, but just a note) and almond milk and hazelnut milk (which is really luscious on cereal or with coffee and tea, just so the parents know) and hemp milk (which is very good for you, but I found to have a really weird flavor, but some people like it). Most of these milk substites come in plain flavor, which is the most milk-like, or in flavors mostly vanilla and chocolate or sometimes strawberry or coffee flavors. And most of the companies that make the milk substitutes, also make ice cream substitutes as well.
Your list didn’t include any fruit, but again, lots of kids with severe allergies are allergic to citrus, so I won’t even bother with that. But other fruits (fresh, dried, dehydrated, cooked and juiced) would probably be OK. There is a company that makes these nifty dehydrated fruits that are crispy, rather than chewy, and have no added sugar or anything else that kids seem to love. Here’s a picture of the just strawberries. The same company also does this with some veggies. I found them at Whole Foods.
There are also lots of fruit items that are similar to applesauce (which should be OK). Maybe mom and dad can make their own fruit sauces rather than trying to find jarred sauces that may have additives. Here’s a recipe for Apple Peach Sauce. And here’s one for Strawberry Apple Sauce
Most kids like apples, pears, grapes, berries, bananas, pineapple, apricots, mangoes and even coconut (the unsweetened kind) once they get used to it. So mom and dad might want to consider buying a dehydrator, but remind them that fruit can be prepared in all sorts of ways, including grilling, pureeing for popsicles, juicing, freezing (which is especially nice with grapes) and made into ice cream using the milk substitutes. An ice cream machine would be another good kitchen gadget to buy. And a good food processor or blender. Here’s a neat recipe for Grilled Fruit Skewers (Note: they now make non-dairy sour cream substitutes) but you can also use non dairy, non soy Yogurt such as this brand made with coconut milk, or this Yogurt made with rice.
There are plenty of bread (and tortilla and chips and crackers and pasta) made from non wheat, non soy ingredients. Whole Foods usually carries them and so do most other health food-style stores. Even Trader Joe’s has some products (especially chips) that are made from other ingredients like beans and sweet potatoes. Just make sure the parents check the ingredients lists carefully.
And of course there’s always vegetables. If you introduce lots of new vegetables (multiple times) and let the kids help in deciding which ones to choose, kids can and do learn to love veggies, especially when they grow veggies in their yard or when they go often to the Farmer’s Market or even the regular grocery store. And take the kids to a trip to an organic farm so they can see where food comes from. When kids are involved in the growing, shopping for, and preparing of food, it becomes a lot easier to convince them to eat certain foods that are good for them and to avoid foods that are bad for them (for whatever reason).
Most kids seem to like carrots, celery, lettuce, sweet potatoes and corn (which we have yet to determine if that’s OK) but when you let kids become involved with the planting, shopping and food prep, and you regularly introduce kids to new foods, they’ll acquire a taste for all kinds of things. If the parents have a well stocked Asian market near their house, they should check out the produce section. They tend to have much better prices and lots of delicious items that you don’t see in regular grocery stores. I went into one a few months back and found the mother lode of mushrooms. I think a lot of American kids think that mushrooms are icky, simply because they’ve only had the squishy canned kind, but most kids in Asian countries (or Asian kids who’ve grown up with Asian cuisine in the US) love mushrooms, because they’re simply a staple in Asian cooking. Mushrooms are one of the most nutritious foods in the world, so a trip the Asian grocery store should be in this family’s future. There are so many nifty shrooms it will make your head spin and shrooms can be put in all sorts of dishes from pizza, to pasta, grilled, fresh, put in soups and put on salads. These King Trumpet Mushrooms are very mild tasting and they’re huge! Usually about 8 inches tall and can be used in anywhere that schrooms are called for, and they’re simply hilarious to look at. Then there’s the little bitty Enoki Mushrooms that are super cute, very delicate and best eaten raw in a salad or floated on top of a soup. Then there’s the super versatile and extremely meaty tasting (umami is the term for that flavor) Shiitake Mushrooms which are great on pizza, stir fried, baked in with Italian pasta dishes, grilled on the barbecue and made into soup. And of course, don’t forget those big ol’ Portobello Mushrooms which make great burger substitutes when grilled on the barbecue, and they can be stuffed and chopped up for soups. Here’s an easy Clear Broth Mushroom Soup and here is a non-dairy Cream of Mushroom Soup and here is a recipe with variations for Thai-syle chicken, mushroom and coconut milk soup called Tom Kha Gai (once the kiddies develop a taste for this soup, they’ll be hooked on it)
The next item on the list should be beans. Beans of all kinds from black beans to kidney beans, to Great Northern beans, to lentils, to garbanzo beans, to pinto beans, to black eyed peas and butter beans. Most kids like beans in burritos and they like baked beans and beans with weiners. And beans can be made into all sorts of soups and chili and thrown into salads and sandwich spreads. Here’s a recipe for White Bean and Chicken Chili and here’s’ one for Black Bean and Turkey Chili and here’s one for Beef, Kidney Bean and Pumpkin Chili Here’s an easy recipe for Hummus And if the parents are looking for a super-healthy yummy snack idea here is a recipe with 15 different flavor combinations for Roasted Chickpeas and here’s a crock pot recipe for Vegetarian Baked Beans
Of course there are a bunch of different grains available for baking or using in other recipes such as soups and salads such as quinoa, oats, barley, rice, wild rice which is actually a different thing than regular rice, amaranth, spelt and buckwheat (which is unrelated to wheat) Here is a site that describes the multitudes of Non Wheat Flours
Here’s a few grain recipes. I just found a recipe for Tabouli that uses rice instead of bulgur wheat. Here’s one for Garden Rice Salad or this Fried Rice Salad with Sesame Dressing or this Barley Vegetable Salad or this Spicy Quinoa with Cucumbers and Tomatoes or this Southwest Brown Rice and Black Bean Salad
Don’t forget about nuts (but find out if nuts of any kind are on the OK list). Some kids with peanut allergies forgo all nuts because most of them are processed in facilities where peanuts are also processed.
Here are a few products that I like that have no dairy. I’ve checked on a few websites to determine that Smart Balance Light Buttery Spreads do not contain any dairy. A reply from the company is below .
*All Smart Balance Light spreads are vegan along with Smart Balance Organic
Whipped Spread and Earth Balance Non-GMO All Natural Buttery Spread.
Joan Dippolito
Consumer Relations
GFA Brands Inc.*
_________________
I was not able to find a jarred vegan mayonaise substitute that didn’t contain soy. But this recipe for Vegan Mayo is made with white beans and can be used on sandwiches, mixed in with other ingredients for a dip, and added to potato salad (and would probably taste good on baked potatoes or sweet potatoes). Oh guess what, it turns out that Vegenaise actually makes a soy free vegan mayo!
Tahini (which is similar to peanutbutter in texture, but made with pureed sesame seeds) is a great flavoring agent for all sorts of things. It is one of the main ingredients in hummus, but it can also be used to make salad dressings and other kinds of dips.
I have not tasted this, but I’ve heard it’s quite tasty, Galaxy Brand Rice Cheese that is both dairy free and soy free.
And here is a recipe for Flaxseed Egg Replacement to use in baking. This site also talks about eggless cooking in general, and vegan baking and talks about the virtues of flaxseeds, which are loaded with Omega 3 Fatty acids that everybody needs.
There’s a bunch of websites dedicated to helping parents cook for children with food allergies like This One so just go online until you find one or a few that the parents like.
And don’t forget, just because it’s morning, doesn’t mean you have to eat traditional breakfast foods. Howzabout a baked sweet potato with a dollop of rice or soy yogurt and a handful of those freeze dried strawberries? Or maybe a rice-cheese quesadilla (on a rice flour tortilla) with a dollop of home made guacamole and fresh salsa. Or maybe a steaming bowl of white bean soup with a crunchy toasted piece of non wheat bread. Or a crunchy rice cake spread with hummus and and a side of garlic marinated carrots or other pickled veggies. Or a rice cake spread with spicy black bean dip and a side of crispy sweet potato chips. Of course there’s always cream of rice cereal and oatmeal and Chinese Rice Congee (which is a traditional Chinese breakfast porridge) And if we determine that corn is OK, then a big breakfast with hot corn bread smothered with jam with a side of butter beans or refried beans and a side of Breakfast Potatoes or Potatoes O’Brien or even mashed potatoes with Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread or even gravy.
Sorry this post is so long, but I just love looking up recipes and I’ve tried quite a few vegetarian/vegan products so I just wanted to share what I knew. Hopefully something here will be of use. Please check back in if you can get a list of foods that are OK and foods that we might have discussed that are on the Banned List and then we’ll go from there. : )
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