Comments

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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  Johanna, I know just how you feel! My son also had allergies to tomato, corn and quite a few veggies from the time he was eighteen months old. One of our biggest challenges right off the bat was replacing tomato sauce, which I did with a puree of roasted red peppers, carrots and cauliflower. Of course, I then cooked the puree with some sauteed onion, garlic and the usual Italian herbs and spices. (I used the mix of veggies in that sauce because I needed to produce such a quantity of it that using all red pepper was really cost-prohibitive.) Anyway, it made for a really nice all-purpose tomato-sauce substitute, good for spaghetti, casseroles, or for doing any sort of parmigiana dish (is he okay with cheese?) Of course, you can tweak the texture for individual dishes, thinning with vegetable stock if you like. If you can't find a tomato-free stock, you can make a really tasty one from potato, onion, carrot, celery and herbs... One trick to that is to throw in the skins of the onion for extra color. :-)

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  If you wouldn't mind answering a few more questions, I'd have a better idea of what to suggest. Did your typical menu before involve a lot of tomato or corn-based dishes? Are there particular dishes you would like to replicate with substitutes? (For instance, I can think of a few different ways to replace the taco experience without using corn or tomato products...) Is he allergic to all legumes, or can he have anything like edamame, chick peas or lentils? Or green peas? How does your family feel about meat--what would generally have been the usual source of calories, protein and fat for your son? And last, does he take any sort of digestive enzyme to help his system digest and use the food he's eating? That was a huge difference for my little guy, who was always very lean and muscular, with a really high physical level. He began getting more solid and putting on weight once his digestive system was more efficient.

  about 1 year ago
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  Jason

  I've got a tomato free pasta sauce recipe that uses sweet potato, carrots, beets, red pepper, onions, garlic, and basil (primarily). I've made it a couple of different ways (swapped pumpkin puree for the sweet potato, forgot the red pepper) and it always comes out great. Here's the recipe: http://glutenfreedairyfreenj.blogspot.com/2011/07/tomato-free-pasta-sauce-recipe-gluten.html

  about 1 year ago
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  Johanna

  Thanks for the recipe, I hope it helps a lot of other folks, but son cannot have sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, pumpkin, beans, peas, and he doesn't care for the taste of red bell pepper. It was an acquired taste for me, too, so I understand his reluctance. Thanks for your suggestions.

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  Johanna, in addition to the other questions I'd posted, this just occurred to me: is your main question how to blend your son's food better with that of the rest of your family, so it seems everyone's eating the same thing, and find suitable replacements? Or at this point or you mostly concerned with keeping him on a healthy growth curve and making sure he's getting enough fats, proteins, fiber and just variety in general. How's he doing, now? (I see it's been quite a while since you first posted.)

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  @Jason, thanks for the recipe; I'll make sure it's added to our gluten-free section, too.

  about 1 year ago
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  S

  I have allergies to corn, tomatoes, celery, peppers, melons, citrus, cabbage just to name a few. I'm a mom of two and the primary cook in our family. To save my sanity, I only cook things that are "mom safe". Over the years, I've learned to adapt most recipes using substitutions and omissions. Of course you can guess from my allergy list that this means mostly from scratch whole food cooking. Anything out of a box or jar is off limits. I've also learned to cook and freeze in bulk for those times my husband has to pull a meal together. I'm new to this site (son signed me up!) but wouldn't mind talking to others with multiple allergies and how they adapt their cooking methods and recipe ingredients.

  about 1 year ago
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  Chef Heather (Food on the Table)

  Hi S. Welcome to Food on the Table! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am sure other users would love to hear any tips and suggestions you have as living with food allergies can be very overwhelming especially if you are newly diagnosed.

  about 1 year ago
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  Johanna

  Hello and apologies for my delay in replying. To Donna, we're learning to use this diet, and adding additional good bacteria with Miralax every night, plus daily bike rides and other exercise are making his condition bearable. Like S, I too cook from scratch, but I appreciate the comment about freezing in bulk. It's not normally a concern, except I'll be gone a couple of nights this month, and although hubs is a competent and wonderful cook (when I give him the chance!), I'll still worry about their eating habits in my absence, and I'm freezing recipes that can be reheated as needed. One helpful resource I recommend is a free membership to AllRecipes.com. you can type in your preferences by ingredient, and you can then see the results based on ranking. I use that site at least 10x per week, and I've been able to weed-out foods that won't work, leaving recipes that will. They also have a wonderful "Buzz" page where you can type in your questions or requests, and get instant answers to cooking challenges. To Donna, my concern is being able to cook for my family while including the dietary challenges, because I refuse to become a short-order cook. I was hoping to find alternative options to the ingredients he cannot eat. Sometimes I really miss a bowl of spaghetti or sloppy joes, but the only way I can eat tomatoes, corn, or anything not on my son's restricted list is either at a potluck or a rare night out, because I won't keep foods he cannot eat in our pantry. Thanks for your replies. For anyone interested, lentils are prohibited, as are carrots, and various foods containing fructose, as mentioned above.

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  I'll be looking through my files tonight to find info to post for you, and S, we'd love to hear form you, as well!

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  Johanna, sorry for the delay, but I've been researching quite a few things and will be back later tonight to post some results for you. Didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about you!

  about 1 year ago
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  Kathleen

  Hi Johanna,
  Best wishes for you and your son. He probably has fructose in tolerance, right? That means he is unable to digest fructose at all and it is a very severe problem. It's not an allergy. My son and I have fructose malabsorption which is not as severe as what your son has but causes all kinds of difficulties. My son has asthma attacks and severe bruising if he eats fructose and MAN, it's in everything! Watch out for honey and molasses, it's even in peanut butter. You should join the food intolerance network online. They have some excellent articles.

  about 1 year ago
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  Holly

  What do you do when you have egg allergies, seasme allergies, and lactose allergies.

  12 months ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  You know, I'm still collecting a set of recipes for Johanna, but really, when it comes to dealing with any allergies, the key is to focus on identifying the recipes you want to make and figuring out how to make substitutions that will make those recipes work for you, rather than trying to come up with a group of recipes that just naturally don't include your 'don't-haves'. The first time my son was tested for allergies (at 18 months) he was allergic to so many things... peas, carrots, chicken, certain fish, bananas, peaches, egg yolks, egg whites, whey, gliadin, barley, oats, spelt, tomato, and so many more... roughly 80 allergies between food and environmental ones. So while he couldn't have pasta or lasagna any more, I began making him gnocchi with a red pepper puree, and he was fine with that. If there's a specific recipe you want help in adjusting, please let us know!

  12 months ago