i want to find out what my 14 month old is reacting to. she's still about 90% breastfed so have to eat the same as she does.
her reactions are sleep related, some skin exczema, constipation.
i've psyched myself up to try the elimination diet, just squash, potatoes, rice, pears and turkey to begin with.
but help me figure out how to eat just those things for 2 weeks.
can i use any spices? what oils can i use (if any) to cook with? what about lemon juice to flavor things with? i'm dying here, i love to eat spicy food but i can't do this no spice thing.
fwiw, i think my daughter reacts to wheat, and possibly dairy. but i know it could be a whole lot of other things... including my fave food: chocolate.
HELP!
thanks a ton in advance...
peace
rachael

I did turkey, carrots, rice, and pears b/c Evan reacts to potatos and squash. We now know he reacts to turkey too when HE eats it. :( He has lots of other things too. I used sea salt, sugar (raw sugar like turbinado or sucinat is best), canola and rice oil (most do olive and/or rice, but Evan reacts to that too), and pepper, but I think I only used that once. I didn't find it a bad diet after I got the hang of it and I actually missed it when it was over (I ended up weaning). Your dd obviously won't need everything fried and cooked in oil, but you will to make sure you're getting enough calories to not a ton of weight. I only lost 5# in a month (I'm too good w/ the oil obviously). :lol One of my favorites was ground turkey w/ cooked carrots mixed w/ rice pasta. Yum!
Meals:
1. hasbrowns mixed with ground turkey
rice mixed with ground turkey and oil
Rice pasta with or without ground turkey and oil
Turkey breast with baked potatoes and oil
Turkey cutlet and rice "stir fry"
Boiled potatoes with sea salt and oil
sliced potatoes baked with oil and sea salt
baked potato wedge fries
Rice, squash (or veggie) mixed with turkey breast chunks
Whole turkey (I heard if you cook in renyolds oven bag you should get enough drippings for gravy) served with mashed potatoes
Ground turkey burgers (using rice to hold it together)
Potato pancakes (grated potato w/mashed to hold and fry in safe oil)
Dessert: (see recipe for below)
rice cakes with sweet potato spread
sweet potato cookies
rice with oil and sugar (yes it is yummy)
pears w/ pear juice and ice cubes in blender
Recommended brands/types:[list]
Rice oil: California Rice Oil
Rice Flour - Bob's Red Mill (potential for x-contam)
Rice Pasta - Tinkyada
Rice Cakes - Lundberg Farms plain brown rice
Rice Milk - 365 Whole Foods (plain only, vanilla flavor contains corn. Rice Milk is risky but if using this is safest as far as ingredients go.)
salt - sea salt (iodonized contains dextrose)
sugar - 100% sugar, evaporated cane juice crystals, not one w/added corn-based ingredients, not regular sugar: Florida Crystals, Sucanat

if the reactions are that bad, a total elim diet is definitely an option.
but if things aren't that dire, why not just cut out ALL dairy and gluten for 2-3 wks?? that would be a good place to start, and it might also be worth cutting out soy since 50% of those that react to dairy react to soy.
if you do a ted, it isn't that bad. I've been on it a month and it's doable. we aren't doing potatoes - we had a reaction to sweet potatoes. and i think squash too. but rice turkey carrots and pears are doing well here :)

thanks for the ideas, a lot i hadn't thought of. i had no idea you could be allergic to the so-called safe foods too! yikes.
i might have to do the modified diet with just cutting out soy, dairy, chocolate and gluten, cuz katya is not liking the eating only rice thing. (and neither is her mama) and i'm only in day 2!!!
wow, that sucks that you had to wean early, the peach. i have joked that i'd have to wean if my daughter is truly allergic to chocolate. but what does your poor son eat? poor little guy.
thanks again... :thumb