Monday, January 7, 2013

MSPI - Milk and Soy Intolerance

Update: 10/21/13 - Hello! I'm glad you are here! This post has been getting a lot of hits lately and I hope that it helps. I do want to put a little disclaimer on here - this information is something that I compiled quite a while ago now. Please do your check these things out as I'm guessing that some of the restaurants could change their ingredient lists. I know that Burger King no longer has Chicken fingers. Go to their web sites and search for their menu/allergen menu. Looks like a Whopper w/o cheese has no milk!


The good news (or bad I guess) is that allergens are becoming more and more known and information is easier to find than even 4 years ago. Paleo is huge right now as well and all of their recipes/information will be dairy free. Good luck and please contact me if you need any type of help or just support!



This is something that I wrote for a friend and am putting it out there so if anyone needs help and googles MSPI. Maybe I can be of some help. 
Lauren was MSPI and it was hard to adjust to a new diet and the new life of being mommy. She seemed to be colicky but it was an all day thing. The new diet was so worth it to relieve her pain and stop the crying. When I was pregnant with Kate I slowly cut out dairy through the pregnancy and by the third trimester it was completely out with a cheat or two. Starting and following the diet this time was so much easier. It was almost fun to figure out new changes. I'm also a much better cook because of it. They won't say that taking out dairy while pregnant helps but I believe it really did help with Kate. I messed up when she was a newborn and I could tell it effected her. By 4 months I was able to slowly add things in and she was fine. I believe starting out with a "good gut" helped tons.
MSPI is largely concentrated in the Midwest. There are a lot of resources here and most of the research done on it is done in Omaha. My doctor told me that if you go to a dr. in California they really might not diagnose MSPI and  won't have a lot of resources for you. There is definitely a genetic component. My sister and I were dairy intolerant. Not soy. Same story with both her kids and mine. 
Do you have a list of all the ingredients you need to avoid? There are many ingredients that mean dairy is present such as casein. 
Have you ever been to Milkworks? It's a breastfeeding center in Lincoln. They have an email support group and there is tons of great info there and you can ask lots of people questions easily. Just email and they'll add you.
http://www.milkworks.org/virtual-support
Make an appt. with the Hyvee dietitian. She'll walk you around the store, show you things and help you read labels. If you go to the one on West Q in Omaha, I know her and she's really nice.
You can take a probiotic to help with digestion and it'll pass to baby. Culturelle is the brand that is safe - I think all of their different ones are but just make sure it says dairy free on the front. Walgreens has it or I think other places do also.
If you're taking a prenatal, check it. There might be soy in it.
We only have to avoid milk. Although if I eat something that I made with a lot of soy milk, Kate seems a little unhappy. I know my sister only had to avoid the milk products with the most protein in them so once you get it cleared out for a month or so you can test his tolerance.http://www.allergynutrition.com/resources/FAQ/15/Foods%20Most%20Frequently%20Associated%20with%20Allergy.pdf If he ends up only dairy intolerant that opens a lot more options for you.
Pretty much you can have whatever you want, you'll just have to find a way to make it yourself. At first it's really really hard but it does get easier. Taco's are actually pretty good without cheese  I'm constantly eating peanut butter and jelly. All Rotella bread is safe. If you go to their factory in Omaha (like 108 and harrison) they have a store and it's SO cheap. Most health food sections have an Enjoy Life brand that is all allergen safe so it's easy to grab their bars, etc and have something ready made to eat. I believe Oreos are also safe. I know they are dairy free but I also think they are soy free. Those I keep on hand at all times as well to curb cravings and have something easy to grab and snack on.
Google "dairy free" recipes or "soy free" instead of MSPI. Vegan sites are pretty helpful although they will use soy.
Subs:
Milk: rice, almond, coconut
Butter: Earth Balance soy free(hyvee) or Fleishman's original unsalted (i havent looked for this in a while but I used to get it at bakers on west center)
Cheese: Daiya (Hyvee has cheddar or whole foods has cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack)
Chocolate: Enjoy life brand(hyvee) or bakers chocolate. Whole foods has dairy free/soy free chocolate chips in their bulk section and it's cheaper to buy it that way. Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix is safe(walmart. really good mixed with vanilla rice milk)
Rice Milk is cheapest at Hyvee. The Hyvee brand.
Silk brand Almond milk is better than other brands. They have cartons in the refrigerated section or at Walmart they have smaller cartons on a shelf that isn't cold and can be stored for a long time. I've only seen those at Walmart so far. Silk has a Dark Chocolate Almond milk that is really good to drink.
To sub for cream of chicken: heat up almond milk(would pry work with coconut milk - MAYBE rice milk) in a pan, add a few tablespoons of flour, mix and heat. Add some corn starch or arrowroot powder to a little chicken broth. Add to the milk mixture and continue to heat until it thickens. 
Bakers has a really good vanilla coconut based ice cream. There are lots of coconut milk ice cream recipes out there if you have an ice cream maker. Hagen-daaz has really good sorbets that are are good replacement for the ice cream craving. Other stores will have rice or coconut ice creams that are good too. I just remember the vanilla one at Bakers is really good. Can't remember which brand though. If you stick a frozen banana, a few strawberries and a little "milk" in a magic bullet it's a lot like strawberry ice cream. So good.
Most restaurants have allergen info on their sites(look for a nutrition link) or allergen menus you can ask for. Otherwise if you are somewhere other than a fast food restaurant you can request the chef to make something special for you. Just make sure you say its because of allergens and they need to use a clean spot on the grill so there isn't any left over cheese on it or something. Most processed lunch meats have an ingredient in it you can't have (can't remember which one) so you can get meat from the deli. Depends on how safe you want to be but you might need to ask if they use the slicer to cut cheese also and request they clean it first. You can even order pizza from places without cheese, add a ton of toppings and it's not bad. Just make sure to check their site to find a crust that is safe. Pizza hut's hand tossed is dairy free but says it's prepared in the same area as soy and may have some in it. Again, depends on how safe you want to be.
Read every label. Even if the allergen warning says it doesn't contain milk, there may be an ingredient you still are supposed to avoid, such as caramel coloring. That one sucks. That is in everything. If you find something that isn't safe, check another brand. It may be safe.
Anything else you really want to know how to make? More info on? Hopefully this helped and not overwhelmed  Let me know ANY questions you might have. I'm sure I left stuff out. Green poop usually means soy is really bothering him.
Here is another cheat sheet for Lincoln/Omaha:
MSPI-friendly restaurant guide:
Arbys: Market Fresh BLT (they use Rotella bread), Pecan Chicken Salad, curly fries
Auntie Anne's (@ Gateway Mall): pretzels or pretzel sticks made fresh ask for NO BUTTER! They supposedly have a cooking spray that is safe that they will spray with if you want salt or cinnamon sugar on pretzels.
Brix (@ Village Point in Omaha): chef was very helpful and willing to do whatever he could to accommodate me
Burger King: chicken fries, hamburger patty, ciabatta bun, sourdough bread, onion rings, fries, creamy poblano sauce, stacker sauce, english muffin, tortillas, hash browns, southwest potatoes, bacon, ham, sausage
BW-3's: Traditional Chicken Wings with the following sauces: Mango Habanero Sauce, Honey BBQ Sauce, Sweet BBQ Sauce, Mild, Medium, and Hot Sauces, Wild Wing Sauce, Spicy Garlic Sauce, Honey Mustard Wing Sauce, Blazin' Sauce
Cheesecake Factory: they have many ingredients and make everything fresh so they could do about anything. Angel hair pasta with chicken, basil and maybe some veggies with olive oil and I think sauted garlic. Evelyn's Favorite Pasta with some slight modifications.
Chipotle: they will be very careful if you let them know you have allergies. The ingredients are all separate so you can just leave off the cheese and sour cream. I always add the guacamole (extra charge) for the calories and good fat. I just remind them to watch out for cheese that may have fallen in there.
Dish: the owner went through mspi with his child and always puts a couple of mspi-friendly options on the menu. if you have any concerns, you can speak with him and he'll help you figure out what you'll be able to eat.
Famous Daves: The cajun chicken sandwich, no onion strings, no cheese and no sauce, fries, and firecracker green beans. There are some other sides that are safe and the hamburgers are also safe, but most of the other meats are not. Char Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich, Georgia Mustard Sauce, Texas Pit Sauce,
Potato Salad
Fireworks: steak and some plain steamed veggies. They were easy to work with.
Granite City: very good to work with. I had the Balsamic Chicken with plain steamed veggies.
Grateful Bread: have a variety of vegetarian soups to choose from. They list all of their ingredients. French bread is safe too.
Highlands Great Wall: They made a steamed chicken and veggies meal for me, with no sauce and steamed rice.
Hu Hot: If you go, when they take your bowl to cook your food, let them know you have an allergy. They clean off like half the cooking area and use clean utensils only on your food. Can have two sauces: kungpaowow and not so sweet and sour
Jimmy Johns: Italian bread is safe, avocado spread, and ham and turkey are all safe. I think there was something in the roast beef though - but again I was avoiding a lot more at the time, so may be milk and soy free.
Lazlos: I had the chicken and rib meal (plain not sauce) with steamed veggies.
Macaroni Grill: they have special menus for different types of allergies (soy, dairy, gluten etc.).
Maggie's vegetarian wraps: a great place to eat. I believe the owner's children had mspi.
McDonalds: Chicken Selects (no bun) or a Snack Wrap with Crispy Chicken (chicken select) no cheese, Chipotle BBQ sauce or Honey Mustard, the apple pies are supposed to be safe too. McBistro chicken sandwiches without the sauces & cheese, their chicken strips are okay with honey mustard sauce
Misty's: Salmon BBQ salad (may be other things as well.)
Noodles: Pad tai, chicken, beef, shrimp, Ciabatta Roll, salad w/ balsamic or asian dressing
Old Chicago: Chicken strips, french fries and honey mustard dressing
Olive Garden: Plain breadsticks and spaghetti with marinara
Panda Express (@ Gateway Mall): steamed rice,sweet and sour pork (according to their website these are the only items that pass)
Panera: alpine chicken salad sandwich on sourdough, French bread, Mediterranean veggie sandwich minus feta, and more (they have an allergen menu if you ask for it)
Papa Johns: Veggie Pizza on original crust No Cheese. I sprinkle on nutritional yeast and use their garlic sauce
Papillion: Stuffed grape leaves, hummus, pita bread
The Parthenon: I just spoke with the chef and he helped me pick something.
Pepe’s (Havelock): they have some great vegan sweet potato quesadillas, which are safe using the rice tortillas and possibly regular tortillas.
Qdoba: chicken burrito with rice and salsa only, pork, poblano pesto sauce, ranchera sauce, guacamole, chips
Quiznos – wheat bread, aioli sauce, chipotle mayo, country bbq, creamy horseradish, balsamic, four pepper chili, honey bourbon mustard, honey mustard, mayo, raspberry chipotle, zesty grill, guacamole, marinara sauce, bacon, capicola, chicken, roast beef, roasted turkey, salami, ham,
Raising Canes: Upon request, they will make the chicken strips without dairy and omit the butter on the toast.
Red Lobster: they have a grid of which foods had which allergens. The server also checked ingredient lists to see if sauces, seasonings, etc. could be left off. He was very knowledgeable and patient. I had fresh grilled fish with broccoli and asparagus. There wasn't a lot of choices but they tried very hard to accommodate.
Red Robin: have an allergy menu, if you ask for it. Basically, you can get a burger with no cheese and no seasoning on the burger or fries (the seasoning has soy protein in it).
Ruby Tuesdays: ruby minis combination or ruby’s classic burger (no cheese, no butter), salad with balsamic vinaigrette or honey mustard, Plain chicken breast (no seasoning) and plain baked potato
Runza: deluxe grilled chicken sandwich , Shanghai Chicken Salad, Raspberry Vinaigrette, poppy seed dressing, and honey mustard, BBQ sauce, Fries
Subway: Italian bread, wraps, sourdough bread, roasted garlic bread, grilled chicken (make sure it is the whole breast not the already cut pieces as they have a milk coating on them), cold cut combo, ham, Italian BMT, oven roasted chicken, spicy Italian, subway club, tuna, turkey breast, and mayo, vinegar and oil (plus all the other veggies you want on it), honey mustard, sweet onion, mayo, oil, vinegar, mustard
Taco Bell: 7 layer bean burrito minus cheese, sour cream add fresco salsa, Chicken Burrito Supreme fresco style, Chicken Enchirito fresco style, Chicken Grilled Stuft Burrito fresco style , Chicken Taquitos fresco , Fiesta Burrito Chicken fresco style , flour tortilla, taco shell, Tostada, Guacamole
Taco Bell: bean burrito fresco, potato ole’s
Tandoor and The Oven: Several dahls and curries are safe-check there when eating out
Texas Pitt BBQ is safe.
Texas Roadhouse: I had a plain unmarinated chicken breast, plain sweet potato (they specially made one from scratch not already coated in butter) and some steamed plain veggies
Venue: has been very accommodating too (they are more Gluten friendly however they were great to work with forMSPI).
Wendy's: Chili, Single burger with no cheese, junior hamburger, fries, wings, bbq, sweet/sour, honey mustard sauces, hamburger, chicken sandwich (not wrap), garden salad w/ Italian or thousand island