Noah's Food Allergy Results

If you've wondered why I haven't posted this week, it's because I've had a stimulating last few days learning all about the structure, makeup, and effects of things with fancy names, such as Phenylethylamine, Tyramine, Solanine, and Sodium Metabisulfite - just to name a few.

We got Noah's LEAP results on Monday and it shows all the different foods and chemicals that he is sensitive to.... and I am far too overwhelmed to fully explain it. But I'll give it a try.

When the doctor gave us the results, we were actually pleased. He only shows a reaction to a few foods:

Quinoa
Mango
Banana
Shrimp
Crab
Cinnamon
Ginger
Lentils

and a few chemicals

Potassium Nitrite
Salicyclic Acid
Solanine
Tyramine
FD&C Blue #2
Saccharine
Sodium Metabisulfite
Sodium Sulfite
Phenylethylamine

We were really surprised because we were sure that tomatoes, potatoes and rice would be on there. Those three really seem to push him over the edge. But they weren't. Except for bananas and the spices, we really didn't need to make a big adjustment to his diet. Then... I got on Google and everything changed.

Apparantely, sulfites are in EVERYTHING. Now, we know why he has such a reaction to french fries and potato chips (his favorite food). The FDA banned the use of sulfites on vegetables back in the 80's, but the potato industry took the FDA to court and said that without sulfites, the potato industry would be in ruin. You see, sulfites are what keeps the potatoes from going brown (it's also what's used in bottled lemon and lime juice to keep it from browning, too - and it's used on all non-organic grapes to keep them from growing mold). Anyway, potatoes are still soaked in a sulfite solution.... so all processed potatoes (french fries, hashbrowns, ect AND potato starch and potato flour) have been treated. Bingo. There's our answer.

I'm sure, somewhere, Ronald McDonald is gently weeping over losing his most loyal customers.

Sulfites also used in corn. Turns out that corn is soaked in a sulfite solution for 2 days after its picked. So, corn chips. corn starch, corn syrup (which is in everything) has sulfite residue. Oh, and soy infant formula - which Noah was on until he was 18 months old - is full of sulfites. Hmmmm... let's not give the baby cow's milk before he turns 1, but go ahead and give him a daily scoop of sulfites. Something about that is just plain wrong.

Anyway, so, it might not do much to 99% of the world, but if you're in that 1% - like Noah (who seems to get the 1% of a lot of things), then it's trouble. There's a wonderful website that explains it all: http://members.aol.com/nosulfites/ . After several days of researching, I stumbled upon it and it was a lifesaver.

So... .then we turn to nitrites. Noah's other favorite foods are cured meats. He loves his pepperoni, his bacon, his hot dogs. It it used to oink, then he loves it. Well, they're loaded with nitrites - which is a preservative. Fortunately, Walmart know carries a line of nitrite free hotdogs and bacon, but we are treading slowly with the bacon. It doesn't have nitrites except for what occurs naturally in the added "Natural Flavoring"... and Noah still seems to react to it. It's so funny because we use to be a Vegetarian/Vegan family until Noah came along and decided that the best thing in the world was pork. And, yes, the first day that our PETA family sat down around our table and ate a pork chop.... we looked outside and pigs actually were flying.

Basically, to make a very long story short, we know now why Noah can't handle potatoes (which also contain solaine), pork, tomatoes (solanine) and chocolate (phenylethylamine). Which leads us to good news and bad news.

Let's do the bad news first. Here it goes. I'm basically going to have to became a 19th century woman and make everything from scratch. Yes, I can hear howls of laughter coming from those who are close to me. It's not funny. My kids may actually starve. I am a product of the modern world. I am a 21st century woman. Chik-Fil-A is my best friend.

So, now, I somehow have to learn to make potato starch-free, corn-syrup free, everything else free bread and waffles and muffins. You'll see me outside grinding peanuts with a mortar and pestle making my own fresh peanut butter. My goodness, I even have to make our own cheese because Noah is allergic to everything that's been aged. (Okay, I know there's some humor to be found in that statement somewhere - but I'm not going to attempt it). The point is, I have no idea what to do.

Let's get on to the good news. The good news is that Noah will never be an alcoholic because he's allergic to wine, beer, and hops. And he'll most likely never battle with obsesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, or liver disease. So, there are some positives.... unless he falls into the 1% percent - which we're not eeeeeeeeven going to think about.

So, if you see me outside churning butter or skinning a pig, you know what's going on.

Have a good weekend.

Noah's Mom