I am a stay-at-home mother to a bright little girl, Siena, who turns one a week from today. It has been the most amazing and most difficult year of my life.
When my baby was two months old, she was diagnosed with allergic colitis-- inflammation of the colon caused by allergies to proteins in my breast milk. In order to continue breast feeding, I could not eat the foods causing the allergies. Thus began my allergy-free diet, just in time to miss out on my 30th birthday cake and the Christmas feast. We had a rocky start: it’s a difficult undertaking to determine what foods to avoid and to construct not only a new diet, but a new food culture, all as a new mother caring for her baby.
Eating allergy-free involves a steep learning curve, and you must learn fast. That is why I am starting this blog. I hope the knowledge I’ve gained over these past months can help and encourage other mothers-- and anyone else-- who find themselves in a similar situation. I will post recipes and food ideas, as well as information on allergies, grocery shopping, tried and true cookbooks, etc. My daughter is allergic to dairy, soy, wheat, and eggs, but I usually avoid the other “top eight” allergens as well (peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish).
Now Siena is transitioning to eating solids and says “Yum num!” when she likes a food. I believe it is still possible to eat well-- both enough, which was a challenge for me in the beginning, and healthy. In fact, an excellent side effect is that our family is eating healthier than we ever have before. And Siena still receives one of the best gifts I can give her: all the benefits of her mother's own milk.
Happy eating!
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