Food intolerances

I'm posting this here, rather than Health or Pregnancy & Parenting in the hopes of reaching a wider group.

I am about to embark on the process of determining if my son, Sammy, has any food intolerances. This is after several rounds of medical tests to see if he has any GI conditions. I'll spare details here... I've posted about them enough in the P&P threads!

We may well have to try all the better known foods to see if we there are any changes for him. So, we're looking at eliminating dairy, nightshades, and corn (one at a time). I know soy is a common problem for some people but I can't think that Sammy gets any soy in his diet right now.

I'm not too worried about trying to eliminate dairy as I think he'll be happy to drink the dairy alternatives. He does love yogurt and ice cream, but again, there are readily available alternatives (suggestions welcome, though, for brands in the US!).

What I am worried about is trying to eliminate tomato. We actually do think he may have a problem with them. But right now, it's the only veg I can get into him! And it's the only thing I've been able to disguise other veg in. He loves pasta with tomato sauce and pizza (plain with a little cheese).

So, I'm looking for thoughts from other people about food intolerances and any ideas you may have about recipes we can try that cater to food intolerances.

Thanks so much!

 I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but both my sister and I had horrible reactions to any foods with red dye in then when we were younger. We both got blinding migraines whenever we would eat anything with it, and I've read many studies that suggest that it is a really horrific substance to give a child.

 That's my only real experience with food allergies. Sorry I couldn't really be a help!

Can you try a bit of pesto on pasta and as a 'sauce' on pizza? Does he like vegetables if he's able to dip them in ranch dressing?

My friend's kids in the US love the vanilla soy milk.

Are you certain that it's the tomatoes and not the onion? I had a friend who thought they were intolerant to tomatoes (pasta sauce, pizza sauce) but actually it turned out to be the onion.

fairly certain, though I have heard of people who can't eat onion or garlic. the pizza I just made the boys had a sauce with no onion in it he had the same issues as with other tomato-based sauces that might have had onion in them.

How about something that's made with roasted red pepper to use as a 'sauce'? At least it's red and could fool him!

Yeah, I thought about that. I've also thought about sweet potato. If he does end up with a nightshade intolerance, though, that will rule out all tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes.

I guess I just need to decide which food to start with and see where it goes. Right now though, he seems to have either another tummy bug or is reacting to something he's eaten pretty badly.

*sigh*

Sounds like maybe start with the tomatoes since that's the most recent thing he's eaten. I didn't know about the nightshade thing, so I looked it up. That would totally stink to have an intolerance to those things!

Sorry he's still poorly...I've been through a bit of dietary detective work myself and it's no fun. From my experience, it's probably easiest to not stress about a super-balanced diet whilst doing elimination. A few weeks without veg shouldn't do too much damage. It's a tough psychological battle, and having some "safe" treats to fall back on makes a big difference. (I ate a lot of almond cookies for the couple of weeks I was on a gluten-free diet - not the healthiest, but very comforting!)

My own issue is with sulfites, but my dad has a number of weird food allergies and I have several relatives with coeliac disease. Once you nail down the culprit, you can start the process of working around it and making sustainable changes. At first you can't seem to think of anything except things that are off-limits! But you learn to read labels and get a bit creative, and eventually it does become normal.

That said, will he eat mac and cheese? This comes out surprisingly similar to the "real" thing. What about carrot cake, zucchini bread, pumpkin muffins?

Sending speedy resolution vibes your way.

fairly certain, though I have heard of people who can't eat onion or garlic.

I can't have onion, garlic or jarred tomato sauce.  I have to make my own from scratch with fresh tomatoes. 

Hm. Don't the homoeopaths believe that you tend to crave foods you're allergic to? That would make me wonder about the tomatoes Not a homoeopath myself, but I hang around with bad company

Thanks, Elynor! Good stuff to know.

We have a whole list of questions for his specialist appt on Monday. If we aren't satisfied with her advice and suggestions, the pediatrician wants to refer him to Johns Hopkins. Meanwhile, we're holding tight!