It's not easy being a mom, especially one with a newborn who has an allergy to--or is suspected of having an allergy to--something in your diet that ends up in your breastmilk. Signs that your baby may exhibit include fussiness, crankiness, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the baby's stool, and/or a skin rash. Rather than give up the valuable act of breastfeeding, many mothers submit to a diet that can be bland, boring, and limited, in hopes of identifying the offending food that has been "tainting" their breastmilk for their sensitive babies.
The most common culprit is cow's milk proteins. Other offenders might be eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts. How do you pinpoint the allergen? Doctors usually recommend removing them all from the mother's diet, then introducing them gradually, one by one, while observing the baby's reaction. Sounds simple enough--until you try to go grocery shopping, make a meal, or go out to eat. Suddenly, you realize practically EVERYTHING has soy, dairy, and wheat. What are you supposed to live on? Plain meat, plain vegetables, plain fruit? Did I mention plain? No more pizza, lasagna, ice cream, cake, cookies . . .
To make matters worse, it seems no one else is going through the same thing. At least when you're on a diet to lose weight, you can cheat! In this case, however, if you cheat, you feel guilt that you're harming your baby. And since no one else is experiencing this, you feel no one truly understands just how difficult it is. Before you know it, you're spending time dreaming of ice-cream sundaes and fantasizing about dining at every restaurant in a ten mile radius, imagining you can actually order something besides a plain salad with no dressing.
Take a deep breath. Relief is near. Also, you deserve encouragement for the noble thing you are doing for your baby's sake, so that he or she can continue to enjoy the valuable benefits of your breastmilk. This restriction diet won't last forever, yet that is little consolation when it feels like forever.
Instead of focusing on food that are forbidden, the key is to find relief with delicious foods and recipes you can enjoy guilt-free to your heart's content. You may need to buy a few new ingredients, but you can once again indulge in some very tasty foods and still follow your restriction diet. The below food suggestions and recipes are allergen-free. To clarify, they are dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, and wheat-free. Enjoy!
First, visit your local natural foods store, or find one online-it will become your new favorite store. These days, your local supermarket may even be well-stocked with these food items:
Cereals*
Salsa*
Guacamole*
Tortilla chips*
Barbecue Sauce*
Oat flour
Rice flour
Barley flour
Rice milk*
Coconut milk
Wheat-free pasta, such as rice pasta or corn pasta
Wheat-free Vanilla
Egg replacer (a powdery substance such as Ener-G Egg Replacer, and not to be confused with Egg Beaters)
Coconut oil
Vegan chocolate chips
Rice Dream* (it's like ice cream!)
Coconut milk "ice cream"
Coconut milk "yogurt"
Rice "cheese"
* Please note: You still must check the ingredient labels, as some varieties of these items do have soy, etc. With a little persistence, you should be able to find ones that don't.
With a little practice, you'll find it's not too difficult to adapt some of your regular recipes to accommodate your restrictions. For instance, use rice milk or coconut milk in place of cow's milk. Use a blend of rice and oat flour for wheat or white flour. Canola oil or coconut oil works well in some recipes in place of butter or margarine (which does contain dairy and soy). The egg replacer speaks for itself.
The following great recipes need no adaption, though. They are already dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, and wheat-free, as well as tasty and easy to make:
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Miss creamy soups and other creamy dairy dishes? Try this!
1/4 cup water
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 medium head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup rice milk or coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon EACH salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Cook onion and garlic in the water in soup pot, stiffing occasionally, till tender. Stir in the nutmeg, broth and cauliflower. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer till tender, about 15-20 minutes. Ladle into a blender and blend till smooth. Return to pot and stir in the rice milk, salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer briefly before serving.
Note: Try this recipe with broccoli instead of the cauliflower if you like cream of broccoli soup.
Mustard Garlic Dressing
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/3 cup olive oil
Whisk all ingredients together.
Oatmeal Bread
This makes a dense but delicious loaf.
11/2 cups oat flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
3/4 teaspoons dry egg replacer mixed with 1 tablespoon warm water
1 cup rice milk
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Pour the wet into the dry. Stir together till just mixed. Shape into an oval loaf on a nonstick baking sheet. Sprinkle with oats, if desired.
Bake at 375 degrees for35-45 minutes.
Yield: 1 loaf
Banana "Ice Cream"
This has an unbelievably creamy texture, and can be flavored with vanilla, cocoa, or other fruits.
2 to 3 frozen ripe bananas
1/2 to 3/4 rice milk or coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
1/3 cup frozen strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries, optional
Place ingredients in a blender in the order listed. Secure lid. Turn blender on a medium speed. If ingredients stop moving, stop blender and use a rubber spatula or plastic tamper to mix them a bit, and add a little more rice milk, then replace lid and blend on medium-high till the mixture is creamy like soft-serve ice cream.
Yield: 2 servings
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yes, you can enjoy this classic favorite once more.
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup rice milk or coconut milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup rice flour
1 cup oat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
Mix the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl. Blend together. Add a little more rice milk if the dough seems too dry.
Drop dough by tablespoons onto nonstick baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Cool one minute on pan before removing with a spatula to wire racks to cool.
Yield: 2 dozen
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate or Vanilla "Buttercream" Frosting
One word to describe this cake: Bliss!
Chocolate Cake:
3/4 cup rice flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold water
Prepare a 9 or 8-inch cake pan by lining the bottom ONLY with a wax paper or parchment.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. Blend mixtures together, stirring well for about 1 minute. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake. Hold a cooling rack against the top of the cake in the pan and invert. Carefully peel off the wax paper. Let cake cool.
Yield: 1 cake layer
Note: You can also use this batter to make chocolate cupcakes.
"Buttercream" Frosting:
1/2 cup coconut oil (it comes solid, like a hard shortening), softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or flavoring of your choice)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/8 cup rice milk or coconut milk
Cream the oil with an electric hand mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Beat in the rice milk until light and fluffy.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups frosting
For Chocolate "Buttercream" Frosting, mix in 1/8 cup cocoa with the sugar.
Blueberry Muffins
1 cup oat flour
1 cup rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup rice milk or coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 cups rinsed fresh or frozen blueberries (pat dry)
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Blend together. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into 12 lined muffin cups of standard size. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar, if desired
Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-22 minutes, or till muffins test done.
Yield: 12 muffins
