Adding wheat to the list of allergies... what can we eat??

[greenbananas]

DS is highly allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts, peanuts, peas, white beans and lentils, banana, melon, kiwi, sesame and other seeds. He can't eat onions or tomatoes either, and is not very good with soya.

He has tested positive for wheat allergy in the past, but has been able to tolerate wheat in his diet. However, he is not putting on any weight (none for past 8 months) and has been ill for some time, constantly feeling sick and tired, looking pale and pathetic and seeming very run down. He has started refusing foods which are wheat-based, and I think that we now need to cut wheat out of his diet.

What on earth can we eat?? Any ideas from those of you who are already dealing with wheat allergy?

(should also add that we are struggling for money, and I am a bit scared by how much this is going to add to our already sky-high food bills)

[cathan]

I don't eat wheat as I'm intolerant, but many of the foods I do eat are on your list of things your DS can't eat. Given his problems, perhaps you need to ask for a referral to a nutritional specialist who would be able to help. Also, as far as money goes, if your DS is properly diagnosed with a wheat allergy, he would be entitled to various wheat replacement products on the NHS. Your GP should be able to help, especially since your DS hasn't gained any weight for so long and does not seem to be thriving. Hope this helps.

[OHforDUCKScake]

Greenbananas do you know what the result was when he tested positive for wheat? How old is he now?

[MistyB]

I got some helpful breakfast suggestions on my wheat, corn, etc free thread and need to in the next few days, come up with a list of meal we can have as am a bit floored by our additional restrictions.

Rice and potatoes!

Roast chicken potatoes, carrots and broccoli.
Rice, fish and green beans. (Rice is great with coconut milk or some amazing coconut oil I have just found - I am not in the UK)
Rosti with meat and spinach.
Rice pasta, rice flour pancakes. (Have a look at Suma / Infinity Foods as you might find they have rice flour and other alternative foods at cheaper prices. They are really helpful and may be able to put you in touch with a local buyer who will allow you to order with them as their minimum orders are quite high, when we were in the UK this worked well for us)
If your DS is able to have oats, then flapjacks, porridge made with soya / almond / oat milk.

I will be looking at this thread with interest!

[greenbananas]

Thanks all. MistyB that's a great list!

DS is 4 now, and has an appointment with the hospital dietician in May. When I spoke to the dietician on the phone, she said she sometimes sees children with high RAST scores for milk, but who have no obvious allergic symptoms to eating or drinking milk - except that when it is excluded from their diets they start to gain weight and generally thrive again.

Ohfor DUCKScake I've just seen your other thread - so sorry you are going through this. No wonder you get overwhelmed sometimes - I know the feeling! 34 does seem very high... when DS was tested a year ago his 'score' for wheat was only about 6 or 7, and the paediatrician said that it was okay to feed him wheat if he seemed to be tolerating it, but also sensible to exclude it from his diet if he was unwell.

Yesterday, DS asked for a fishfinger sandwich for lunch, but a few bites in he said it was making him feel sick, then he started wheezing and said he felt tired. He lay down on the sofa, went very pale and looked like he was losing consciousness, which was rather scary. However, after 10 minutes and a fair few puffs of his inhaler, he recovered enough to carry on playing quietly with his lego.

Time to google some wheat-free bread recipes I think - although I have a nagging worry that if I do exclude wheat from DS's diet, he will have a full-on allergic reaction if he then encounters it accidentally. I'm not sure how that works... It's such a minefield, isn't it?

[MistyB]

I am also going to buy Gwyneth Palthrow's new book after seeing the discussion on here and have started to read the 'feeding the family on a Paleo diet threads', for some inspiration though I think they will include nuts and seeds in so will post back once I have it, it is not available until later this month.