Dairy/egg allergy, testing and diet question

[Clarity]

DD2 has eczema and has had allergic reactions to egg/milk and possibly berry. She's scheduled for allergy scratch tests tomorrow and I think I'd like to talk about adding almonds to the list of things that we test for. Mostly b/c I wanted to consider what milk substitute that I can offer her. I thought perhaps Almond milk is an option if she is not allergic to almonds.
I was wondering how they could get an accurate scratch test to almonds if she has never eaten almonds before? She's bfed, and I'm sure I've had almonds in the last 11 months. Is that exposure enough to induce a reaction in a scratch test? If she has an allergy, of course.

Also, my dd attends a kosher daycare. It is meat free. I'm a little concerned about trying to get her enough protein once she is weaned. She can't have eggs or dairy at this point. No meat at all, and not sure about nuts. That leaves beans. The school correctly insists that we pack a balanced lunch for the kids, but I honestly do not know how to ensure she gets a protein each day. I imagine beans every day might get old after awhile. Are there any other protein suggestions for what I guess will be a vegan lunch?

[rebeccaravit]

DD2 has eczema and has had allergic reactions to egg/milk and possibly berry. She's scheduled for allergy scratch tests tomorrow and I think I'd like to talk about adding almonds to the list of things that we test for. Mostly b/c I wanted to consider what milk substitute that I can offer her. I thought perhaps Almond milk is an option if she is not allergic to almonds.
I was wondering how they could get an accurate scratch test to almonds if she has never eaten almonds before? She's bfed, and I'm sure I've had almonds in the last 11 months. Is that exposure enough to induce a reaction in a scratch test? If she has an allergy, of course.

Also, my dd attends a kosher daycare. It is meat free. I'm a little concerned about trying to get her enough protein once she is weaned. She can't have eggs or dairy at this point. No meat at all, and not sure about nuts. That leaves beans. The school correctly insists that we pack a balanced lunch for the kids, but I honestly do not know how to ensure she gets a protein each day. I imagine beans every day might get old after awhile. Are there any other protein suggestions for what I guess will be a vegan lunch?

There are a number of vegan cheeses out there, you just have to look carefully at labels and see what your market carries. My son eats Tofutti cream cheese or American slices almost everyday for lunch. There are also soy yogurts. Just be careful to read labels since many "soy" products do contain casein which is a milk protein.

[s_gosney]

That's a toughie. We are dealing with a dairy allergy here too and getting enough protein in ds is a challenge even with meat every meal. If it were me, I would have to consider how much I valued this daycare setup becuase I don't think that a vegetarian DC + milk allergy would work *for me*, though I'm not at all saying it can't work.
Some ideas:
avocado
quinoa
olives
soy yogurt, cheese, etc (as mentioned by pp--def keep an eye out for casein, we learned that lesson the hard way)

You might also consider a toddler formula of some sort. I am going to ask our ped about this the next time we're in. I'm not sure that even with the soy milk, meat, etc that ds is getting all the fat and protein he needs.

Good luck!

ETA: sorry, my list is a mix of protein/fat because I've been thinking of this issue with both of those in mind. I'll just leave it as is in case it's helpful at all.

[brittone2]

I'm seeing coconut milk yogurt and coconut milk ice cream pretty often now at WFs and my local co-op grocery. Nice for those who want to avoid so much soy. I'm not sure if you want to go the coconut route or not but it might be something to check out.

eta:
http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/purely_decadent_Coconut_Milk.html
http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/yogurt.html

certified vegan, and labeled "dairy free" so there shouldn't be any casein, etc....at least, I would assume not.

[marie]

what about hummus? or other bean dips?

we had a dairy-free, soy-free friend visiting this weekend (due to her bf'd little one) and so I got Coconut Bliss Dark Chocolate ice cream for us. OMG!! it was fan-freakin'-tastic. If I had that option 6 years ago when DD1 was a no dairy, no soy babe, I probably wouldn't have lost all the weight I did!

good luck!

marie
mama to
DD1 9/03
DD2 12/07

[Clarity]

Ooh, thanks for the suggestion. I actually would go the coconut route...I'd prefer to keep her soy intake a bit lower, she gets the occasional supplementation of soy formula now and ita that it's just too pervasive to be relying heavily on that as more than one part of her diet.

[Clarity]

That's a toughie. We are dealing with a dairy allergy here too and getting enough protein in ds is a challenge even with meat every meal. If it were me, I would have to consider how much I valued this daycare setup becuase I don't think that a vegetarian DC + milk allergy would work *for me*, though I'm not at all saying it can't work.

This is where I'm at. But I have the best daycare director...I'm *that mom* in a respectful way...and she has always gone the distance for me. Before bailing on the program, I might sit down with her and see what we can work out, if anything.

[s_gosney]

This is where I'm at. But I have the best daycare director...I'm *that mom* in a respectful way...and she has always gone the distance for me. Before bailing on the program, I might sit down with her and see what we can work out, if anything.

I'm sorry. I really feel for you. Last week after ds had a second cold in 3 weeks settle into his lungs, I was really questioning whether group care is for him. I feel bad thinking about pulling him though because his teacher (who is also the co-director) has been great responding to the food allergy stuff (well, after the casein incident). If you lived close to me, we could totally split cost for a dairy free nanny!

Honestly, I'm still really drowning in the whole process of trying to figure this out so I don't have much knowledge to share, but I know that some here have been doing this for longer and should be able to give more help. If you haven't already, you might want to check out the kidswithfoodallergies.org boards. They were recommended to me by someone here and have been quite helpful.

Best of luck to you!