The way I prepare, cook and eat food has changed a lot since we found out Micah has multiple food allergies. You would not believe how crazy meal planning becomes when dairy is out of the mix. Most of the recipes you find on sites like Campbell’s or Taste of Home contain some form of cheese, cream, milk, butter or other dairy product. Certain ingredients are easy to replace with olive oil, apple sauce, palm oil shortening, or even water. There is no replacement for cheese. (Well there is but we can’t eat that either. Plus it looks really gross.)

Micah is allergic to soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and a few other things that we don’t need to worry about too much (like green peas, very small allergy, nearly non-existent). What’s left? We eat a lot of homemade crackers, homemade bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as proteins like turkey, chicken and tuna. One of our favorite vegetables is steamed asparagus with lemon and tarragon. For breakfast, Micah loves homemade (egg-free, dairy-free) pancakes and bananas. Dessert can be tricky, but today I discovered a way to make ice cream out of frozen bananas, so that will be a nice cheap alternative to traditional ice cream.

In general, we eat a lot healthier now. We can’t have most pre-packaged foods, so that eliminates a lot of excess fat, sugar and sodium in our diet. We can’t eat cheese (holy moly, it has a lot of calories anyway, don’t you know?). We are eating a lot of fruits and tons of vegetables. We only eat poultry and fish. We don’t use butter anymore – that’s huge!

Micah’s eczema cleared up and his frequent diarrhea disappeared since we eliminated the problem foods. I have noticed a huge change in the way I feel as well, which makes me wonder if I really am the culprit for Micah’s allergies. We learned that many food allergies are passed down in families. Eric’s stomach is pretty much a steel tank. The only thing that upsets his stomach is soy. I can eat soy without issues, so I’m guessing Micah’s soy allergy is from Eric. The rest of the allergies however, I’m inclined to think are from me. The confirmation came last night after eating two slices of pizza. I haven’t eaten cheese in quite a while, but after eating this pizza, my stomach was really cramping up. Later on that night I started developing a lot of… well… AIR! Yeah, gross, I know. But I’m starting to think I might be allergic to the same foods as Micah and I have just become accustomed to always have digestive issues. I’m finally going to be getting health insurance (that’s another post) and I think I’ll be getting tested for food allergies. I would rather know and eliminate those foods so I can feel good!