Boxed items for egg/peanut/tree nut allergy

[n0meeta]

My two year old is severely allergic to eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. I have never used boxed items like pancake mix or betty crocker cake mixes for him. Is it safe to use them? What other mixed or prepackaged items are okay? Also, how to be safe when eating out?

[CMdeux]

Welcome-- my daughter has also got severe egg and pn/tn allergies that we've known about since she was a baby.  She's 12 now.

Preface:  we've definitely seen life-threatening reactions from shared lines with egg, so we've historically been EXTREMELY careful-- and some of what I'll say below is based in our particular comfort zone that way.  Some people are probably a bit less concerned about some of those things, and that works just fine for them.  It actually is seeming more probable with every research study that being OVERLY cautious about exposures may make egg allergy more persistant.  So do bear that in mind; we've always taken the stance that we avoid things that cause reactions, or seem likely to result in large obvious exposures.



Boxed convenience mixes?

Bisquick.  Better Crocker cake mixes.  Read labels on those, but if they seem fine, we use them.  I do not use box/canned frostings, I also do not use Duncan Hines or any prepackaged cookies mixes at all.  No boxed bread or muffin mixes.  No corn muffin mix.  Brownie mix-- Betty Crocker again.  I just substitute the egg called for in the mix, obviously.

I hear good things from others here bout Cherrybrook mixes, though we've never had a chance to try them ourselves.

Pasta?  If this hasn't occurred to you and you've never had problems, my advice is to leave this one alone.  Finding pasta that isn't on shared lines with any egg at all is an on-going nightmare, trust me.    If you HAVE had problems, you might try Hodgson's Mill whole wheat varieties, de Cecco (imported from Italy) or Safeway store brand "O-organics" pastas.  Only the latter two are on truly unshared lines, and both are still made in facilities with egg in them somewhere.  Pasta has probably been our biggest struggle over the past decade, because just as soon as we found something that worked, the manufacturer would change production and it wouldn't be safe enough anymore.  Learned that the hard way a few times, because unfortunately cross-contamination from egg is NOT required on labels in the US.   

We've used Keebler pre-packaged crackers, snacks, and cookies.  They label very well for pn/tn and 'well' for egg, IME. Important to remember, though-- every label, every time.

Other things that just plain make life better with egg and nut allergy:

Vegenaise.  It's a mayo substitute-- and one of a handful that is TRULY like the real thing enough to bother with.
Follow-Your-Heart salad dressings; these are the only egg-free salad dressings that I know of.  Everything else is on shared lines.  Though I will add the same caution here that I did above with the pasta-- namely, that if what you've been using has been fine... I wouldn't go looking for trouble by calling about it.  You won't like what you learn.  ALL other commercial salad dressings we've found have been on shared lines with egg-containing ones, and my daughter could never tolerate any of them. 


Stretch Island fruit snacks (like fruit leather) are a big staple around here.  Your child is a bit on the young side for those still (they are pretty chewy).

  Regular Rice Krispie Treats are a pretty good prepackaged treat that is safe for both egg and nut allergy.

Restaurants?

Um... well, mostly?  we don't.  Sorry.    Egg is just too common; we pack food pretty much wherever we go, and we look like Gypsies when we vacation.    My daughter eats at one local pizzeria, a local burger chain (pn free, and nearly egg-free), and Taco Bell (selected items; rice and pintos-n-cheese, mostly).

[hezzier]

Cherrybrook Kitchen has cake, cookie and pancake mixes that are egg, peanut and nut free.  I just tried the Cherrybrook Kitchen vanilla cake mix this weekend and was pleasantly surprised.  Also just make cupcakes using a wacky cake recipe and thought they came out great also. 

http://cherrybrookkitchen.com/


You can check out this blog for good recipes also...I use the pancake, chocolate chip cookie, sugar cookie, vanilla cupcake, and the chocolate wasted cake recipes from this blog.

http://artofdessert.blogspot.com/


As for eating out, well, we tend to skip it if at all possible.  But for a two year old, just bring all their food and wipe down the table and chairs surfaces well.

[maeve]

If you want egg-free pasta, there's always Tinkyada rice pasta.  It has a slightly different texture, but DD loved the shaped pasta they had.

We've also used the Cherrybrook pancake/waffle mix.  It's much better for waffles.  I found I had to add much more milk to the batter than the box called for to get a batter that remotely resembled pancake batter and even then the pancakes were kind of cakey like Swedish pancakes.

We've been able to eat out successfully.  A lot depends on the type of restaurant.  Diners are obviously not the best choice.  You have to avoid the baked goods in a restaurant.  Also, it helps to find restaurants that have good training programs in place (we've found a couple of local chains here in our area that are truly wonderful).  Simply prepared items like a steak, basic burger, grilled chicken breast are the best.

[CMdeux]

Yes, the Tinkyada is actually quite good.

Another brand of "pasta" (not wheat semolina) is Ancient Harvest.  They make corn-quinoa pastas.  Those are quite delicate, though, so not very well suited to baked dishes, and not at all good reheated.  Works pretty well with a sauce poured over the top, though.

Oh-- bread.  Yikes.  We avoid anything made in a bakery that does nut items, so no store-bought French or artisanal breads here.  I make our own.  We do use tortillas (a variety of brands, both wheat and corn) and Mediterranean flatbread/pita-- I've used the Trader Joe's brand for years, and we have also had good luck with Kangaroo brand and another manufacturer whose name escapes me at the moment... just recalling that they have a XC warning for sesame on the label adn I think that the name, which is Greek, starts with a K.

I keep baby food fruit (the little tubs?) on hand to use in baking, too.  That and a little extra oil and cornstarch usually does the trick with boxed mixes.  I use a single tub of baby fruit per egg.  Apricot and a splash of vanilla in Bisquick makes heavenly waffles and pancakes.     I don't think I'd go back to doing them the eggy way even if I could at this point.   

[Amy]

Hi There!

I have a son that is highly allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and eggs.  He ended up in the ER before he turned a year old from eating Barilla pasta and organic chicken broth.  There was no indication on the package that the pasta may have been cross contaminated, but I learned my lesson!

Because he isn't allergic to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese pasta, I use that for everything!  He loves it so much...so I use that pasta in noodle soup, in baked ziti, with spaghetti and meatballs...so now he doesn't feel left out when the kids in his preschool class are eating pasta, since I always make what the kids are eating for hot lunch...so he hasn't noticed a difference (yet) :-)

Just thought I'd share, since I know there is no perfect boxed brand of pasta...and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese pasta works for us!

Amy

[maeve]

Hi There!

I have a son that is highly allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and eggs.  He ended up in the ER before he turned a year old from eating Barilla pasta and organic chicken broth.  There was no indication on the package that the pasta may have been cross contaminated, but I learned my lesson!

Because he isn't allergic to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese pasta, I use that for everything!  He loves it so much...so I use that pasta in noodle soup, in baked ziti, with spaghetti and meatballs...so now he doesn't feel left out when the kids in his preschool class are eating pasta, since I always make what the kids are eating for hot lunch...so he hasn't noticed a difference (yet) :-)

Just thought I'd share, since I know there is no perfect boxed brand of pasta...and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese pasta works for us!

Amy

The Barilla packages in my supermarket are clearly labeled for egg cross-contamination.  They were not always labeled as such but have been so for at least the past 3 to 4 years.