Pregnancy and Food Allergies
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a scientist. I am only a mom, relating about my choices and experiences.
By the time my daughter was a year, we learned that she was sensitive to milk. If she had dairy a few days in a row, she would start to develop hives. The doctor wasn’t sure that this was conclusive of an allergy though, and by the time she was 18 months old, she had grown out of it.
So, when Joseph was born, I didn’t think anything about allergies until he started to get horrible eczema, and the doctor suggested that I could cut wheat out of my diet and see if it made an improvement. It did, with the eczema returning 24 hours after I ate wheat again. We also discovered that he got horrible hives when he drank cow’s milk formula. Once we found a formula that worked, I realized that the reason he had spit up so much when I was breastfeeding him was because he was reacting to the dairy in my milk. My daughter had spit up lots too, but I’d just thought it was normal.
So when doctors say that breastfeeding can help prevent allergies, I shake my head and say it sure didn’t help in my case.
Now, I’m expecting again. Baby #3 is due in October, and I’m thinking about what my plans are in case food allergies strike again. Due to lack of any evidence that limiting or ingesting food during pregnancy or breastfeeding prevents food allergies, I am continuing my diet same as before. Of course, the amount of dairy or wheat is reduced from before, due to me cooking dinners with Joseph in mind, but I still eat it. And I will continue to eat it until I see evidence in my infant that certain foods are bothering him/her.
However, this time around, if my baby is spitting up significantly, I think I will attempt to go completely dairy-free and see if that helps. I didn’t think I could handle that with Joseph, but now that I have experience with the dairy-free life, I think I might. We shall see.
Banana Cake Trial: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free
When I got married, I was given a cookbook that my great-grandfather (Grampy) had given my great-grandmother (Grammy). This week, Grampy joined his sweetheart in heaven. So, in honor of him, I decided to bake a cake based on a recipe from that book. No matter how full he was, dessert always made its way into Grampy’s stomach.
The Changes
Swapped GF flour for the all-purpose flour (and just now as I am typing this up, I realized that I totally forgot the xanthan gum), shortening for the butter and coconut milk and lemon juice for the buttermilk. I also omitted the nuts.
The Method
I really liked how easy this recipe was. Dump everything in a mixing bowl. Beat on low speed until the flour is no longer in danger of flying out (30 seconds), and then beat on high speed for a minute or so, until the batter is well mixed.
Pour into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool, serve and enjoy.
Banana Cake
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups brown rice flour blend
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
Dump all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, or until flour will no longer fly out of the bowl. Turn up to high speed for 1-3 minutes, until batter is well mixed.
Pour batter into a greased 9″x13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool, and serve.
Makes 16 servings
What I Thought
I had my first piece warm, and it was pretty crumbly due to the lack of xanthan gum. The taste was still nice, and the piece I had later when it was cool held together pretty well. Also, there was less crunch/gritty texture in the edges when it had cooled down too. My daughter was disappointed when I didn’t frost it, and didn’t touch her piece (She probably would have only eaten the frosting had I frosted it). Joseph ate his entire piece, minus several crumbs, after reminders to keep coming back. He was excited for it while it was baking, so I’m glad he liked it.
Benefits of Journals
Just a few thoughts today. I’ve been thinking a bit about journals lately, and how I need to write in mine more. This blog has been a kind of journal for Joseph, but that’s only one aspect of my life, and its good that I don’t forget that.
Journals can provide several benefits, and not just for descendants who want to learn about you. If I look back on my journal entries, I can remember just how hard it was to go through the tough times. Even though I have an excellent memory, it tends to want to fade those out. Remembering that helps strengthen me for the tough times to come, and helps me see how far we’ve come.
Also, it helps me to remember better the good times – such as the excitement of finding a new food that Joseph liked. you think you’ll always remember that, but it fades too.
Do you journal?
Ham and Bean Soup Trial: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free
With hams being on sale for Easter, I bought the smallest one I could find, and still had tons left over. I decided that Smokey Bean Soup with Ham and Bacon from Our Best Bites would be a perfect way to use it up.
The Changes
I don’t have smoked paprika, so I just used regular paprika. I also used garlic powder instead of minced garlic.
The Method
Cut bacon into bite-size pieces. Cook in a large stockpot until crisp. Remove bacon and let drain on paper towels. Drain and discard all but 2-3 teaspoons of bacon fat.
Sauté onion in reserved bacon fat. Add ham, beans, paprika, salt, and garlic, and stir to combine. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat and stir in half of the bacon. Use an immersion blender to blend until completely smooth (or blend 3 cups at a time in a regular blender)
Top with bacon and serve.
Ham and Bean Soup
Adapted from Our Best Bites
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cups diced ham
- 2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 32 ounce box chicken broth
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
Cut bacon into bite-size pieces. Cook in a large stockpot until crisp. Remove bacon onto paper towels to drain. Drain and discard all but 2-3 teaspoons bacon fat.
Sauté onion in reserved bacon fat. Add ham, beans, garlic powder, paprika, and salt. Stir to combine. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat and blend (using an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender) until completely smooth. Top with remaining bacon and serve.
Makes 7 servings
What I Thought
I thought this soup was ok, nothing terribly special. My husband quite liked it though, as did Joseph. We hardly had to convince him to eat it instead of just the bacon. My daughter couldn’t be persuaded though. Ah well.
Peace in the Face of Trials
This past week has been heavy on my heart. Most recently, there was the bombing in Boston. Then there are also the reports on the rapes in Steubenville, Saratoga, and Nova Scotia, and how rape culture caused two of the victims to commit suicide. In a personal level, those of you who read this blog do so because you, or someone you love, can’t eat all the foods that everyone else can.
And so, I am especially grateful for the messages our prophet and apostles shared a couple weeks ago. Apostle Elder Cook shared an especially poignant message about finding personal peace through Jesus Christ, even, and especially, in the face of trials. This world is far from perfect. Our bodies sometimes fail us. But when we find Christ’s peace, we have the strength to persevere, and even use our experiences to make the world better for someone else.
This isn’t to say that the grief magically goes away. It is a natural stage to go through. It’s just that Christ’s peace helps us to move on at the right time to acceptance.
May you all find peace, whatever you’re going through today.
Orange Rolls Trial: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free
When our church has general conference, it is my tradition to actually make breakfast instead of just letting everybody fend for themselves with cereal. This year, I decided to try my hand at Orange Honey Buns from Eternally Gluten-Free
The Changes
To make it Joseph-safe, I swapped out cow’s milk for coconut milk.
The Method
Scald the milk by placing half of it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the rest of the cold milk, and then the yeast. Let sit for five minutes until foamy.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and honey. In the bowl of your mixer, combine flours, sugar, xanthan gum, salt, and orange zest.
Add egg and yeast mixtures to the flour mixture, and stir until combined. Then turn speed up to high for 3 minutes.
I spooned the dough onto parchment paper and started to roll it out before realizing that the honey I had added to the dough made it too sticky to be workable.
What happened when I tried to peel parchment paper away from the dough.
I tried adding more flour to the dough, but by this point, it was unworkable. So, I decided to give up on forming rolled up buns and just scoop the dough into a pan to make rolls.
Mix together filling ingredients, then drizzle over the formed rolls. Mine is pink, because I used the juice from a blood orange I bought by mistake.
Let rise for an hour, then bake at 350 for 20 minutes until lightly browned.
Be careful when dishing out the rolls as the glaze is quite hot. Unless you want to end up with burned fingers like mine. 
Serve warm.
Orange Rolls
Adapted from Eternally Gluten-Free and Gluten-Free Baking Classics
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free
Ingredients – dough
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon yeast
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour blend
- 1 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- zest from one orange
Filling/glaze
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice
Scald the milk by microwaving half of the milk on high for 30 seconds. Add the remaining milk and yeast. Stir, then let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
Meanwhile, in one bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and honey. In the bowl of your mixer, combine sweet rice flour, sugar, brown rice flour blend, xanthan gum, and salt. Add yeast and egg mixtures to the flour mixture. Mix until combined, then beat on high speed for 3 minutes. (NOTE, if you want a dough that is easier to work with, add more flour at this point)
Spoon dough into a greased 9″ cake pan (unless you’re able to roll it out cinnamon roll style). Combine filling ingredients. Drizzle over dough. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve warm.
Makes 10 rolls
What I Thought
Everyone had multiple of these rolls. They were nice and sweet. Perhaps too sweet at times from the soaked in glaze around the edges. The main drawback of these is the stickiness of the dough. I’d do these again, and tweak that around.
FAQ: How Did You Learn About Joseph’s Allergies?
I am often surprised by the question of how we learned about Joseph’s allergies. The answer just seems so simple. We gave him milk and nuts and he immediately blew up in hives. Gluten took a bit more digging through an elimination diet, but we had that figured out before he was five months old.
Now I’m realizing how blessed I was to have it that clear. I have a couple of friends who are trying to understand why their children are reacting. One has had a blood test and is now trying to confirm the findings through an elimination diet. Another’s baby is breaking out in hives and she doesn’t know the trigger, if it is food or environmental.
How did you learn about the allergies in your family?
