Hi.
I'm Cybele Pascal, and I'm the mom of a food allergic child. His name is Lennon. Back in the beginning, when he was first diagnosed, we had a really hard time finding foods he could eat. He and I were both put on strict "avoidance diets" (i was breastfeeding him) and were told to eliminate all top 8 food allergens responsible for 90% of food allergies. We couldn't eat Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Wheat, Fish, Shellfish, Peanuts, or Tree Nuts. Wow, that's a lot of foods to cut out of your diet! I looked for cookbooks and recipes that eliminated all of these 8 foods, and not surprisingly, couldn't find a single one! So, I set about devising them myself. And the result; the first cookbook to eliminate all 8 allergens responsible for 90% of food allergies. So come explore my blog, for stories about food allergies, coping solutions, tips on restaurants, shopping, new recipes, or just gossipy info. You can also link to amazon to buy the book through the links at right.
Welcome! Talk to you soon!
Cybele
I'm Cybele Pascal, and I'm the mom of a food allergic child. His name is Lennon. Back in the beginning, when he was first diagnosed, we had a really hard time finding foods he could eat. He and I were both put on strict "avoidance diets" (i was breastfeeding him) and were told to eliminate all top 8 food allergens responsible for 90% of food allergies. We couldn't eat Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Wheat, Fish, Shellfish, Peanuts, or Tree Nuts. Wow, that's a lot of foods to cut out of your diet! I looked for cookbooks and recipes that eliminated all of these 8 foods, and not surprisingly, couldn't find a single one! So, I set about devising them myself. And the result; the first cookbook to eliminate all 8 allergens responsible for 90% of food allergies. So come explore my blog, for stories about food allergies, coping solutions, tips on restaurants, shopping, new recipes, or just gossipy info. You can also link to amazon to buy the book through the links at right.
Welcome! Talk to you soon!
Cybele
posted by Cybele Pascal @ 9:22 AM
12 Comments:
At 11:33 AM,
Lori said…
is he still allergic to all 8? how old is he? i have a 5 year old who is allergic to wheat, egg, peanut (super severe) all tree nuts. i know the life you live and maybe we can share tips:)
At 6:49 AM,
Cybele Pascal said…
Hi Lori!
Luckily, my son Lennon (4 yrs old) was never allergic to all 8! However, his allergist had him avoid all 8 major food allergens so he wouldn't develop any more food allergies. As I'm sure you know, allergic children have very delicate immune systems, and allergists want to avoid the introduction of any foods that could potentially trigger new allergies until the child is 3-5 years old. I was very strict about keeping Lennon on an avoidance diet, and I believe Lennon outgrew his Dairy and Soy allergies by the time he was two because of this avoidance. I still keep him on a low allergen diet, and he can't eat peanuts, tree-nuts, and shellfish until he's five (if then!). My other son (he's 1.5) showed allergic response in his first couple of months, and he too is on a low allergen diet. Because I breastfed both my kids, I also spent 30 months on a "maternal avoidance" diet, and couldn't eat any of the 8 major food allergens myself! I cook almost all our meals from scratch to make sure they're allergen free. And luckily more and more stores are carrying hypoallergenic products! Have you tried the "Enjoy Life" cookies? They're not bad. I keep them around for when the weather's too hot for baking.
My next frontier is school lunches. How have you handled your child's food allergies at school?
Wishing you luck with your 5 year old!
All the best,
Cybele
At 1:16 PM,
Cybele Pascal said…
Hi Mary!
So glad I checked in and found your note. Enjoy Life is a company that makes tasty cookies, brownies, dairy/soy-free chocolate chips, etc. Look for them at your local health food store.
Any tips for school would be welcome. Email me at allergycookbook@gmail.com
thanks! and thanks so much for ordering the book!
Cybele
At 2:28 PM,
Kate said…
I have a question about allergies to chocolate. i don't have any kids myself but my friend is highly allergic to chocolate. somewhere i thought someone mentioned soy chocolate. Would you use this product to make chocolate chip cookies or brownies? is it safe for a person with an allergy to chocolate?
At 2:18 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hi,
I guess I'm a little late on commenting to this post, but I just found the link to your blog. I have been saying how great it is that you came up with this cookbook since I found out about it. I wanted to ask, if I may, what exactly happens to Lennon when he consumes something he is allergic to? What are his symptoms? I have had food allergies (as well as allergies to other things in the environment) since I was about his age (I'm sixteen now). I hope you'll read this and reply, I'd really like to discuss it with you, if that's alright.
Once again, I am very happy about your cookbook, and wish you luck with keeping your children allergen free.
At 1:54 PM,
Cybele Pascal said…
Hi Mimi:
I just found your comment. Sorry if it's been there forever!
In the beginning, lennon had chronic bloody diarrea, eczema, stuffy nose, hiccups (which started while i was pregnant with him) rashes, hives, and projectile vomitting. Not, pretty.
He has outgrown his soy allergy, luckily. His dairy allergy is much less extreme. He gets very itchy, complains of headaches, dry mouth, and gets the sweats. He also has a neurologic reaction to dairy.
He has never eaten a peanut, a tree nut, or any kind of shellfish, so I don't know what would happen to him.
I don't know if this is helpful info, but i can tell you about my reaction to shellfish. My face and hands swell, my throat swells, i get hives, and eczema, i get nausea, and horrible migraine, feel like I'm going to faint, and I'm sick for several days.
feel free to email me at allergycookbook@gmail.com
i'd be interested to hear from you about your reactions.
all the best,
cybele
At 6:56 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hi Cybele,
Your work is so wonderful. Thank you for what you have shared on this blog and through your cookbook. You mentioned your allergic elder son had hiccups while you were pregnant with him, and you inferred this was a reaction to the food you were eating. I guess that makes sense. My son was famous for his hiccups before birth. What do you know about hiccups before birth being a signal the child may be reacting to food/allery? Thank you.
Chris
At 7:06 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hi Cybele,
You questioned how the parents with kids in school hand the lunch. Mine is a teen anaphylactic to soy and peanut. He has never eaten lunch in a cafeteria. Our best find was the small thermos; not the tiny one. We use it for homemade soups. One meal that keeps well in thermos other than soup is a meal I make with chicken, brocolli, mushroom soup and spaghetti. For some reason as a left over it keeps well in the thermos. So, the thermos is a great tool to facilitate a hot lunch. I will put a cupcake into tupperware I found shaped like a rectangle, small. I make "loaf" cupcakes which slip right in and stay in good shape lined with paper towel. Safe dip in a small tupperware with carrots or a favorite veggie stored in small plastic bag. Mine likes a small bottle of water; used to love his milk....but now as a teen delights in a coke. Says it makes him feel special, so after 14 years of milk, milk, milk; I pack a small bottle of coke to please him. Of course, sandwiches made with home made bread or on rolls. Hope that helps. Anything you make for a meal can transfer into a lunch somehow; and always be sure to give them something grand and special like a cupcake or some such delight made from scratch from home. It brings wonderful positive attention from their peers. Mine is so empathetic he had me packing up to three extra cupcakes a day because he could not bear to enjoy his when his lunch mates were hungry for one themselves. It can be fun! Chris
At 7:59 AM,
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At 10:32 PM,
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At 7:05 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hi I love your cookbook. my one year old is allergic to all 8 allergins and Garlic, rye, barley, and oats. was wondering if i can use only rice flour in recipies with oat and barly flour.
At 12:05 PM,
Asia said…
This is so awesome! Cybele, you are my saving grace; I am allergic to dairy, soy, wheat and eggs and it's really been getting me down!--I feel like there are so few things I can eat. Your cookbook is going to be at the top of my Christmas list!... I just have a couple questions: do many of these recipes use garlic? This is another food that I am very allergic too. I am also hypoglycemic so protien is a crucial part of my diet... these aren't vegitarian recipes, are they?
Thank you so much for putting this book together!
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