Allergy friendly baby/toddler products

First things first – a heads up.  How products are packaged can change!  We used to buy these dried cranberries and evidently the co-packing and/or facility from where they are sourced is no longer the same!  READ LABELS EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU BUY A PRODUCT!!

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Second, since sharing this link (about a new study that tested the efficacy of a probiotic in the treatment of peanut allergies), I have spoke with my son’s pediatrician and started us both on this probiotic.  I find research like this so interesting and promising and even if it doesn’t change anything in his tolerances, it can’t do any harm.

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This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I did research foreverrrrrrr before choosing a probiotic.  I also talked to two Kaiser pharmacists and one of the supplements specialists at our local Whole Foods (who was super knowledgeable).  In the end, the main criteria were (1) it had to be an appropriate dose of the specific strain (~5 billion of lactobacillus rhamnosus is the range for children); (2) it couldn’t contain allergens like diary, soy, or gluten (harder to find than you think); (3) it had to be affordable (if I’m going to be doing this long term I didn’t want to spend a fortune); (4) it had to be easy to administer to a toddler; and finally (5) the brand had to be reputable (I wanted a quality product without additives or fillers, obviously).

Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a common strain in probiotics so that wasn’t the hard part.  Almost every probiotic at WF contains one allergen or another (usually dairy from the casein in which the probiotics were cultured).  Our pediatrician did give a prescription for Culturelle, but I read several reviews about people with allergens reacting and the pharmacist couldn’t give me a straight answer about the product.  In the end, I discovered Jarrow Formulas makes a special allergen free probiotic that you can buy on amazon for a decent price ($15 for 60 capsules).  The dose per capsule is 10 billion, which means we share it, so that’s really $15 for 120 doses.  Since it’s a powder, it’s easy – I just open it, pour half into a smoothie for P, and take the rest myself and boom, we are both probiotic-ified.  We’ve been doing it for a week…and I plan to continue indefinitely.

Ok, now for the food products.

I have done posts like this in the past, and I’m trying to continue to remember to do them as I do more and more research because I think it’s important to share it with other allergy mamas.  It’s not easy making every single thing from scratch!

A few new things that we’ve found safe…

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Pacific Gold original beef jerky, found at our local Costco.  They have other flavors that have wheat so make sure to double check the ingredients.

P had this and liked it.

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Made in Nature dried fruit* is also available at Costco and per the company

We understand how serious allergies can be and we want to ensure every experience with our products is always a happy and healthy one.

We have very strict procedures in place to ensure that there is no possibility of contamination from peanuts, or any type of tree nut in our products or in our facility. Each new lot of product that we receive has a variety of tests performed by an outside lab before it is processed in our facility. All of our fruit goes through a water washing process before it is packaged. We have a very thorough cleaning and sanitizing process that happens in our facility between shifts and between products. Most importantly, however, our facility is used exclusively for packaging our own dried fruit.

The only exception to this is our Organic Made in Nature Tropical Fruit Fusion, which is packaged in a different facility due to the coconut ingredient. Although that facility has very strict guidelines to follow, it packages other types of nuts as well. Therefore, we cannot 100% guarantee against cross contamination with that product.

P is into dried fruit and I buy it in bulk to make fruit bars for him.  *Obviously those with peanut/tree nut allergies may want to avoid the tropical fruit fusion flavor to be 100% sure there’s no risk for cross contamination.

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Trader Joe’s is great with their labeling.  These products have all been safe for us but please double check before you buy because your local store may source from a different manufacturer/co-packer/facility.  As I mentioned at the start of this post, the other kinds of dried cranberries (we used to buy) are now packaged in facilities that also handle allergens, so be sure you note these are the WHOLE organic cranberries.  Like I said, though, they are great with labeling so just read the back of the package.

I buy all my chia and hemp seeds from Nutiva which are produced/co-packed in a peanut/tree nut free facility (the only allergen present at the facility is coconut).  However, their coconut flour and oil are produced on equipment that is shared with several other allergens including peanut and tree nut oils (unrefined), wheat, eggs, soy and dairy.  They follow strict guidelines for cleaning machinery, but still, proceed at your own risk with those.  As per their website, “in early 2014 we will launch coconut oil that is processed in a dedicated facility. At that point, you will see labels that state: Made in a peanut-free facility.”  So perhaps that has already happened but read your labels because the last jar I bought says very clearly it was packed in a facility that also has peanut oil.  Here’s more info about their products and facilities.

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The soy free Earth Balance is standard in our house.  P likes it melted on corn or brown rice tortillas.

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For bread, we have found the super seeded multi-grain sliced bread from The Essential Baking Co to be the best in terms of wholesome ingredients for an allergen free product (they are gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and made in a dedicated gluten-free bakery).  They have flax and sunflower seeds, which happen to be two of the safe seeds my guy tolerates, plus our Costco carries them, which is clutch.  Udi’s works too, but in terms of ingredients, it’s not exactly nutrient dense.  Still, a safe bread is a safe bread!

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More favorites from our pantry – Lundberg brown rice cakes and TJ’s light coconut milk (we sometimes buy the coconut cream too).

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I know I’ve discussed applegate products before, but they are literally one of our saviors, so I figure I can’t emphasize it enough.  Awesome quality meats from trusted sources without any chemicals, hormones, additives, and most important, allergen free (including their facilities).  Deli meat is a recent discovery for P (ham is his favorite).

Gluten free pastas are a dime a dozen these days, so it’s not a huge shock that we are big fans.  The TruRoots ancient harvest noodles are inexpensive for organic whole grain noodles, thanks to Costco.  Trader Joe’s has cheap brown rice options too though, which we usually have on hand.

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From Trader Joe’s…

Dear Elise,

Thank you for your email.  This product [Grass Fed Angus Beef Burgers] order sku# 50723, is produced on equipment that does process tree nuts.  There are no peanuts or sesame in this facility.  We hope this is helpful.

Sincerely,
Amy
Trader Joe’s
Customer Relations

Dear Elise,

Thank you for your second email.  These burgers [chile lime chicken] are produced in a peanuts, tree nut and sesame free facility.

So the chicken ones are totally allergy friendly, but the beef ones carry a risk for cross contamination for those allergic to tree nuts.  Proceed at your own calculated risk.

I haven’t tried either yet, but I did research on them anyway because I wanted to have them on hand for easy meal options.  As an FYI to those who care about where the meat comes from…these Angus burgers come from cattle raised without the use of artificial growth hormones and the cattle are 100% grass fed.  The only ingredient in the burgers is the beef.  Per TJ’s, they graze on wide-open pastures on a diet of natural greens which is why it’s kinda a steal to get the burgers at such a good value ($5.99 for a one pound package of four burger patties).  The chicken ones have both white and dark meat (no info on the antibiotic or hormones situation but they aren’t organic) and the only other ingredients are onions, bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, salt, lime juice and red pepper flakes.  If I give either a shot I will let you know both how they taste and how P handles them.  Until then, there’s the allergen info for your education.

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We have tried both Trader Joe’s sunflower seed butter and Sunbutter and both are delicious and well tolerated.  We go through them so quickly I buy more simply depending on where we are.  Target, Nugget Market, and WF all sell Sunbutter, but we do most of our shopping at TJs so it simply depends on where we are going shopping for the week when we run out.    Sunbutter makes their allergen info more known (see this page) and they offer different varieties including organic, no added sugar, crunchy, and natural.  Has anyone tried pea butter?  I’ve heard good things but it sounds weird to me.  Share!

I think that’s it for now…for all the other allergy mamas feel free to chime in with your favorite products you trust.

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Comments (14)

  1. Antoinette

    I love when you do these posts, they are so helpful! My son’s allergist had him taking probiotics as soon as the study came out! We have been using the culturelle kids brand, they make a chewable which my son thinks is candy. My son and I absolutely love the Once Again Sunflower seed butter. They say there is a slight risk of cross- contamination but so far we have had no issues and he’s been eating it for over 6 months.

  2. Lindsey

    I love this! Thank you for sharing. We love TJ’s Garlic Herb chicken sausage, Applegate Organic hot dogs and lunch meats, the TJs dried fruit bars we learned about through your blog, Enjoy Life cookies and plentil chips, Ancient Harvest Quinoa pastas and my personal favorite — Wholesome Chow allergy friendly baking mixes.

  3. Laura

    First, I’m so thankful to have comments back! Wahoo! I also really appreciate the update on products and your thinking when it comes to allergens and food.

    I’ve been dairy intolerant for many years and gluten intolerant for about 2 years now. I rarely eat dairy (but with a lactose enzyme) and never eat gluten anymore. I’m still having, ahem, *undesirable* symptoms (even in the absence of , so I went to a GI recently. She said that my daily kombucha and probiotic could actually be harmful. She said too much bacteria, even good bacteria, can be a bad thing. I was surprised, so I thought I’d pass that along. She’s having me do a trial off of both kombucha and the probiotic , but that just started. I’ll be interested to see if/how it affects my symptoms. Just thought you might want to know!

    Also, just curious about how you tolerate TJ’s chocolate. I always want to buy it for eating or baking, but it ALL says it’s processed on shared equipment with wheat (at least where I live). I’m afraid to buy it, but it seems like you tolerate it well?

    Lastly, I thought peas were technically legumes, right? If so, I might be wary of giving P peabutter just in case. I see a “study” listed on their site, but I would definitely try to find out whether it was published in a peer-reviewed journal or not.

    Cheers!
    Laura

  4. Elise (Post author)

    Awesome! Good call on the plentil chips! Totally going to get some of those…I forgot how good they are and any way to sneak in lentils is a win in my eyes. 🙂

  5. Elise (Post author)

    Thanks Laura! So much to think on…I definitely flip flopped in taking probiotics myself because with IBS it is still controversial – I’m guessing because many cases of IBS stem from SIBO (which is why adding even more bacteria would only exacerbate the symptoms). But with P I am more inclined to try it because he has never shown GI symptoms…by all accounts he did not inherit his gut flora from his mama and seems to be a totally “regular” kid. Multiple studies say that mom’s flora is passed on in utero and then continually through breastfeeding to it’s curious that he isn’t experiencing any IBS like symptoms, but we also did a major dietary overhaul after learning of all his allergies, so maybe the change resulted in a die off of bacteria that could have come from me. That said, I will keep an eye out for any changes now that we have started the probiotic because I’d hate to undo anything positive with the die off he likely went through after I stopped BFing. Aside from fruit, he doesn’t eat anything sugary because he doesn’t eat anything processed and I made all his baked goods without any sweeteners (I basically use applesauce and banana and dried fruit exclusively). I guess only time will tell… For me, I don’t know if the probiotics are helping in any way because my erratic pregnancy symptoms make it impossible to tell what is correlated to what. I am only taking them for the sake of baby #2’s gut development to be honest. I don’t know if I will continue once she is born. TBD.
    As far as TJs chocolate goes. I tolerate it totally fine. I am not sensitive enough to gluten to notice symptoms from shared equipment with wheat, but I definitely wouldn’t feed it to P. I’m scared to try cocoa powder for him too (not that I have baked anything chocolate flavored for him but I was wondering this when I was brainstorming cupcake recipes for his birthday). I have no issues with small amounts of it, but I’m not sure it’s a safe choice for him due to cross contamination. What do you bake with? Raw cacao?
    As for the pea butter. Legumes are not the issue (he eats and tolerates green peas and chickpeas) so I don’t think that would be a problem for that reason…??? Hmmm…

  6. Elise (Post author)

    Thanks Antionette! So good to know.

  7. Laura

    Thanks, Elise! I also find it interesting that P doesn’t show any IBS symptoms (yet). BUT, I also think that there’s a lot researchers still don’t know about food allergies, food intolerances, and autoimmune disease. Since the gut is such a large and integral part of the immune system, I suspect that sometimes food allergies/intolerances are really an autoimmune disease. So, maybe this is just P’s expression of the family trait? I am also really hopeful with all of the research being done on these topics that P will be able to eat safer and freer in the future! I hope the probiotics are good for you both! I was just surprised by what my GI said and thought it would be something to have in the back of your mind. So far, my trial off of my beloved kombucha and probiotics hasn’t changed much, but I also just traveled for the past week, so there’s that to consider.

    Maybe I’ll give the chocolate a try. I am not as sensitive as some, so it might be worth a trial. I usually bake with Navitas Naturals raw cacao powder.

    Nut allergies can be so strange! Glad he can eat green peas and chickpeas. So, maybe the peabutter is worth trying?

  8. Lesq

    I have followed your blog for a long time. Thanks to you I follow the FODMAP Diet. I have an interesting case and am under a holistic MD ‘s care here in NYC. I have suffered really bad and am so grateful to the time you spend with sophisticated as well as adorable information(of course I am referring to P). I have children your age and we r just like your family all best friends and my husband and I r true soul mates. I am an attorney/law professor and do yoga and power walking every weekday. I am writing you because I came across a very interesting and informative article regarding FODMAP’s and gluten. Thought you might find it interesting. It’s contained within a blog news letter so if u desire to have it, shoot me an email address where I can send it. Again, I thank you for helping me so very much. You can not believe the diff some of your info has made in my health. You are lucky. You seem to be able to eat above FODMAP amounts with Brussel sprouts and veggies. I have to stick strictly to limitations. Enjoy your beautiful family!

  9. Elise (Post author)

    Thanks Laura…I agree it is all so confusing and complex and definitely a new area of focus for research. For every study I read saying one thing, there seems to be a contradictory study, so it’s hard to know where to start. I am going to pay extra attention to his GI symptoms as best I can and hope for the best…I too hope he can eat more freely as he grows up because food allergies/intolerances are not fun. 🙁
    I read the label for Navitas Naturals raw cacao in WF yesterday and may give it a try. Their facility co-packs with other allergens (I think tree nuts and something else…can’t recall but it said on the back of the package) so I will have to figure out if it’s worth risking it or not. I’m sure there are GMPs in place but still…
    Still trying to decide on the pea butter. I wish I knew if it even tasted good before investing. SunButter is working fine for now but more options are always good.

  10. Elise (Post author)

    Hi Lesq – thanks so much for the comment. I am DEFINITELY interested in the article. My email is on the sidebar ediedenATgmailDOTcom. I am so glad you found an awesome holistic MD who is FODMAPs knowledgeable in NYC. Seems to be more prevalent on the East Coast thanks to Kate Scarlata and her colleagues in the Boston area. I definitely push my limits for FODMAPs more than I should especially during pregnancy because I figure the symptoms of IBS are exacerbated by pregnancy anyway, I may as well live a little during these 10 months…but it’s noticeable at times and I think I’ll do another seriously clean few months in the post partum period to try to get my gut flora back on track. Kale is almost as bad as brussels sprouts lately and oof is it a bummer. I miss beans so very much. Anyway, thanks again for the comment and for saying hi. I love learning more about readers, especially people who seem so similar…like we’d be friends in real life. 🙂

  11. Bin Davis

    When my husband came home from the GI doc with the FODMAPs papers in hand, I went into a total panic. I am a very good vegan cook, but was quite sure that it was impossible to cook anything tasty without onions, garlic, or any other member of that family. Your little vegetarian FODMAPs publication saved my sanity. Everything I’ve made from your book is wonderful. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy life to throw lifesavers to cooks like me and to give IBS sufferers full and satisfying meals.

  12. Elise (Post author)

    Hi Bin – it warms my heart to hear feedback like this. I’m so happy to have come to your aid in a very overwhelming time. I wish you the very best as you continue to work on your GI health.

  13. Carrie

    Hi Elise, I followed the same prenatal regimen as you did and wanted to know if you gave/give your children probiotics or Vitamin D supplements as infants. Thank you so much.

    Carrie

  14. Elise (Post author)

    I gave/give vitamin D drops to both – for the entire time I was breastfeeding P and currently with V (with the same plan). No probiotics for V (yet), but like I said in this post, I started them for P a few months ago after reading a study about how a specific strain helped with peanut allergies. I stopped after a month though because it seemed to be giving him GI issues, but then I found out later it was a bug he had, not the probiotics. I have yet to restart them but they are in the fridge and I may get around to it eventually. I put them in smoothies or coconut yogurt for him. Hope that helps!

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