STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

cahabo · Kate Spade

Help with new diet restrictions please!

Kelly · Hermes

I dont' have any specific suggestions, but allrecipes.com could be a good resource. You can type in the kind of recipe you're looking for (cookies, mashed potatoes, whatever) and the ingredients you don't want (milk, beef) and it will spit out everything that matches

http://allrecipes.com/Search/Ingredients.aspx

Hermione · Kate Spade

I know the dairy thing can be hard - but you may also want to ask him about certain types of yogurt and hard cheeses - if it's the lactose he's trying to have her avoid, some types of those two have very little lactose.

As far as other stuff, it sounds like you're doing a good job with finding things for her, but I bet it will be key if you don't make a big deal out of the fact that she can't have something. If you skim over the subject or act like it's not a big deal, she probably will too. (years of experience with kids has taught me, for example, that when they fall down they look at you for a reaction. If you immediately get a surprised look on your face and say "oh no! come here!" they start crying and are very upset. If you say "it's ok, you're all right," usually they will just get up and start playing again. I'm guessing this will be similar)

Anwyay you can easily feed her turkey burgers, all types of beans, lentils, also there is a grain called quinoa - I swear this isn't one of those scary health foods, it's good! you cook it exactly the same way as rice and it has a very similar texture but is also very high in iron and protein, which are both important for her growing body.

Is he including eggs in the ban? You can get that whipped olive-oil spread that comes in either sticks or tubs and call it "butter," she probably won't know the difference.

Also this is probably a good time to introduce healthy seafood to her diet if she doesn't already like it - coldwater fish such as salmon, cod, even anchovies and sardines. If you don't like them, don't let that deter you - alot of kids like strong flavors like that and it's super healthy for you. you can easily make anchovies or sardines on a cracker a great healthy and high protein snack for her.

Also don't forget about nuts and nut butters. natural peanut butter is a great way to get some protein into a kid. Then of course you have turkey, chicken, etc -

Also a super easy kid-friendly meal is pasta with turkey italian sausage -have you tried that stuff? it's so good!

Oh yes, forgot to say you can probably get her sorbet, those allfruit pops, or even rice-dream "ice cream" and be in the clear in that department! Or this might be a good time to develop some healthy eating habits and subsitute fruit for dessert!

Good luck!

-- Edited by Hermione at 23:05, 2008-08-18

Elle · Hermes

Dairy and beef are two things we don't eat alot of by choice, and we're not lacking for substitutions!

For butter, we use Smart Balance Light. I guess technically it's margarine and comes in a tub, but the Light version is vegan, full of heart-healthy fats, and tastes better than butter IMO.

I would also play around with silken tofu. It's shelf stable and comes in a little box and doesn't really taste like anything. Once you unglorp it from the package and whip it up a little, you could add it to anything you would normally put sour cream or yogurt or ricottaor whatever in. Creamy pasta sauces, to thicken soups, to make a peanut sauce, smoothies, etc etc etc. Also lots of protein and good fats! You could use it to make your own popsicle things, blended with whatever fruit you wanted and maybe a bit of orange juice. It would also work (with a little smart balance butter) to help cream up mashed potatoes (using Yukon gold potatoes instead of regular baker potatoes will help with the texture, too).

For baking, you can try vegetable shortening or a combo of the Smart Balance and vegetable shortening.

Has she had hummus before? You can buy it, but making it yourself is quick and easy if you have a food processor or blender. Very yummy on crackers or veggies.

Other than that, doing things like using ground turkey for burgers or meatballs shouldn't be too hard a switch. I think you'll probably have better luck getting her to eat things (and enjoy them!) if you all eat that way together so she's not the odd man out, and if she gets to help make things. Kids can take a long time to adapt to new flavors, so don't throw the baby out with the bathwater if she says she doesn't like something new on the first try.

Good luck! Like I said, we eat this way by choice, so I've got a decent number of tricks up my sleeve. If you get stuck on a specific item or recipe, just ask

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Hermione · Kate Spade

i totally forgot about the silken tofu - great idea elle!

Suasoria · Chanel

Yes on Smart Balance, or Earth Balance (from the same company). It's a nondairy butter that acts just like butter, even in baking, and also has no hydrogenated oils so it's good for the whole family.

There are lots of nondairy ice creams. One called Coconut Bliss is my favorite by miles. No dairy, no soy, no sugar, all organic, yum. I could eat it for breakfast (and I have).

Tofutti makes nondairy sour cream and cream cheese, but they aren't that healthy. At her age, a little won't kill her. There are also soy creamers (like for coffee) that may be richer for use in recipes.

If she has any allergic reaction or stomachaches from soy, there's also rice milk. It can be easier to digest, and some people prefer it.

Sadly there are very few substitutes for cheese - I say this as a vegan who still misses good cheese occasionally. There are some nondairy parmesan sprinkles that are okay in small doses, but most of the fake cheeses are too fake, leave an aftertaste, don't melt, and...eh. They make me sad.

ITA about things having dairy-based ingredients that should not. If forced to choose, whey is more acceptable than casein. Casein should be avoided whenever possible.

Cricket · Gucci

We make Boca burgers once a week and my daughters love them. They've never said boo about them being different than any other burger they've had. I also use soy crumbles in place of ground meat for sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, etc. I think they like soy products because they aren't as chewy as meat and they find them easier to eat, but I've never questioned them too much about it because I don't want to draw attention to soy products as being any different, and therefore "icky". We also eat a lot of edamame. They think they're so much fun to eat from the pod. I get it frozen at Costco.

Can't help much with the dairy, though. We cut back on dairy about a year ago for my oldest when she was having intestinal issues and it was hard at first. She could just snack on cheese and yogurt all day long if I had let her. Good luck with that! It may be a challenge at first, but she'll get used to it!

Elle · Hermes

Cricket wrote:

We make Boca burgers once a week and my daughters love them. They've never said boo about them being different than any other burger they've had. I also use soy crumbles in place of ground meat for sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, etc. I think they like soy products because they aren't as chewy as meat and they find them easier to eat, but I've never questioned them too much about it because I don't want to draw attention to soy products as being any different, and therefore "icky".

I use these meat-substitute products on occasion too, but I'd caution against relying too heavily on them, especially in a child's diet. They're pretty processed, so while they don't contain meat they're not the healthiest option either. A couple times a week probably isn't bad, but if you're used to eating a lot of meat and start substituting heavily, it could get away from ya quickly! Some brands contain more additives and preservatives than others, and checking the labels or researching brands online can be helpful to determine the lesser of the evils.

Moderation blahblahblah, says she with soy hot dogs and Amy's burgers in her freezer

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cahabo · Kate Spade

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! I plan on going to a different grocery store than my usual to see if I can find some of these products.

I must admit though the other day I let my daughter have half a small Frosty and she felt fine. Hopefully she can still have dairy in moderation, but I'll try to stick with the doctors orders until her next appointment.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

my little sister used to be allergic to milk 9she eventually grew out of it) and mom used to get her rice milk ice cream (I think it was called rice dream). Anyway, i was always jealous because it wasway better than the ice cream I got to eat.