Food Allergy Living Blog

Many Moms and Dads come to us with questions about how to properly mix Neocate products.  This is why in addition to the preparation instructions on our website, our nutrition specialists have created videos explaining how to properly mix Neocate products for our blog and NeocateUS YouTube channel! 

We are excited to share with you our most recent mixing video for Neocate Nutra.     

Neocate Nutra is the first hypoallergenic semi-solid medical food for children and infants over 6 months of age.  The product is great as a snack for a toddler with cow’s milk allergy and also for transitioning infants onto solid foods. 

 Neocate Nutra is not meant to be a replacement for any type of Neocate formula, because it is not formulated to be nutritionally complete.  But, it is a great way to supplement your child’s diet with some extra calories, vitamin D and calcium!  

We hear from a lot of parents who give it as a snack, or mix it with other safe foods like pudding or mashed potatoes.  For even more ideas, we have a Nutra recipe guide with a collection of tasty recipes on the website.  

Have you tried Nutra?  Do you find this video helpful? What other mixing videos would you like to see? Let us know by posting a comment in the comment section!    

The topic for today’s post in our allergy-friendly meal idea series is lunch! Just like with breakfast, a lot of the go-to lunch options for most children aren’t suitable for children on a diet that has allergy restrictions. Here are some lunch ideas that might help you add variety. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.
 

Neocate-Only Lunch Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, the same formula one lunch after another can become very routine. One great option Nutricia offers is the multiple flavors of Neocate’s E028 Splash. Many children find restrictive diets less of a struggle if they have a say in the flavor. On top of this, Splash is packaged in kid-friendly drink boxes so that nobody knows their drinking a special medical formula. Another option is to send your little one to school with a great Neocate-only pudding recipe such as Chocolaty Nutra Pudding. But why stop with chocolate pudding? Experiment with mixing the different flavors of Neocate Junior and Splash with Neocate Nutra to come up with different flavors. My favorites are Grape Splash with Junior Chocolate (“chocolate covered raisin”) and Tropical Fruit Splash with Junior Vanilla (“Dreamsicle”).
 

Top Eight Allergen-Free Lunch Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can offer some different food options along with one of the Neocate formulas. It may seem difficult at first, but you can still put together a lunch that looks pretty normal, even without the top 8 allergens. A few months ago we posted a week’s worth of ideas for allergen free lunches. Bear in mind that while most processed foods have ingredients derived from the top 8 allergens, dining on whole foods makes the top 8 much easier to avoid. You may even be able to find convenience foods in natural or organic food stores that are free of the top 8, such as soups or frozen items. Even though we first shared a lunch post from Allergy Moms in 2008, it’s still relevant and has some great ideas!

Less Restrictive Lunch Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great lunch suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top five lunch ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in advance and frozen or refrigerated for later use. The Turkey Meatloaf on page twelve would definitely be in my top five! We’ve also had a few lunch recipes appear in blog posts, such as Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Chicken Pasta Salad.

As always, we recommend that you check any recipes on our websites or from other food allergy resources to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

Do you have any allergy-friendly lunches that have helped you that you’d like to share with other families?

Rob

On behalf of all of us here at Nutricia North America, the makers of Neocate, we want to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy Valentine’s Day!

Also, check out some of our past blog posts for tips to help you and your family have a safe holiday:

• Allergy-Free Valentine’s Day!
• Celebrating Valentine’s Day Safely
• Great Kid Treats & Snacks for an Allergy-Safe Valentine’s Day!

Do you have any tips for having an allergy-friendly Valentine’s Day?  Let us know in the comment section!

-The Food Allergy Team 

For the next three weeks, we’ll be posting some allergy-friendly meal ideas, starting with breakfast. While it can be difficult to come up with meal ideas for standard diets or choosy children, a diet that has allergy restrictions is even tougher! Here are some breakfast ideas that might help you add variety. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.

Neocate-Only Breakfast Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, it’s helpful to have ideas that add variety. For instance, mixing some of the flavors and formats that Neocate offers can help fight the formula monotony. One of our favorite ideas for children over one year is mixing Neocate Nutra with Neocate Junior Tropical, Neocate Junior with Prebiotics Vanilla, or Neocate’s E028 Splash Grape. A ratio of about four scoops of Nutra powder to every one ounce of a prepared Neocate formula provides you with what we like to call “almost-yogurt.” You can of course adjust the ratio to your child’s tastes. For children older than six months but below one year, you might try mixing Neocate Nutra with a pasteurized fruit juice that they tolerate.

Top Eight Allergen-Free Breakfast Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can try mixing a Neocate product with pureed fruit. By mixing Neocate Junior with fruit you can come up with some great breakfast shakes and outstanding flavor combinations. Or by mixing Neocate Nutra with pureed fruit you can come up with a great alternative to oatmeal. If you want to serve it warm, we still recommend against using a microwave: start with warm juice instead to avoid the hot spots and lower nutrient levels microwaves can cause.

Less Restrictive Breakfast Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great breakfast suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top 5 breakfast ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in a large batch, portioned, and frozen or refrigerated for later use. The Apple-Oat Muffins on page seven would definitely be in my top five! We’ve also had a few breakfast recipes appear in blog posts, such as Banana Bread Muffins.

If your family has a favorite “standard” breakfast recipe that involves milk but is otherwise allergy-friendly, you may be able to substitute Neocate formula for the milk. While this might change the final result a little bit and may require some experimenting, it will provide the high levels of most nutrients from Neocate that other milk substitutes (such as water or rice milk) can’t provide. Just be aware that the high heat from cooking will lower some of Neocate’s nutrient levels, especially some vitamins. Again, check all recipes to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

What allergy-friendly breakfast ideas have helped your family in the morning?

Rob

Did you know that Feeding Tube Awareness Week is happening right now? It is! This year Feeding Tube Awareness Week falls on February 5-11. You can help the Oley Foundation  and Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation  (FTAF) spread the word.

We know, many children who benefit from Neocate products have to use a feeding tube to get their nutrition.  If you’re new to tube feeding and are looking for folks who share similar stories, try the Oley Foundation’s support community or the FTAF’s inspiring stories. You can also visit the Oley Foundation’s facebook page and FTAF’s facebook page. 

The FTAF launched Feeding Tube Awareness Week last year with great success! Both organizations’ websites have some great tips for how you can help spread the word. Ideas include contacting local media outlets as well as using social media platforms. This is a great opportunity to help raise awareness of feeding tubes in your community to promote greater acceptance and understanding. 

To someone who isn’t familiar with feeding tubes, they can be strange and confusing. On one hand, parents can have a tough time adjusting to tube feeding. On another, people in the community don’t always know how to react to feeding tubes. You can help inform others about how many precious little ones’ lives have been improved and saved with the help of feeding tubes.

Is there something you’ve done to help promote feeding tube awareness?

- Rob 

[Image name: Feeding Tube Awareness Week - Image link: http://www.oley.org/Tube_Feeding_Awareness_2012.htm]

[Image name: Feeding Tube Awareness Logo - Image link: http://www.feedingtubeawareness.org/raising-awareness.html]

Cross contamination is a big concern among food allergy sufferers.  According to Kids with Food Allergies, cross contamination can be defined as “a food being inadvertently contaminated with food proteins other than those listed on the food label during the course of its being prepared, stored or served”.

During Manufacturing and Production:

One way that cross contamination may occur is during the manufacturing of a food. For example, when a safe food is manufactured on the same equipment as an unsafe food, there is a chance for trace amounts of the unsafe food to end up in the safe food. For those with food allergies, even trace amounts of an allergen can lead to serious allergic reactions.

Although the Food Allergen Labeling and consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) requires manufacturers to clearly list the top 8 allergens on the food label, this rule does not account for cross contamination. Sometimes you will see “may contain (allergen)” or “made in a facility that also produces (allergen)” on a label but the manufacturers are not required to list this information. If you have any doubts, call the manufacturers and ask about the possibility of cross contamination. If your child’s allergies are severe and the manufacturer can’t guarantee it is safe, its probably not worth the risk.

By the way, this is why we are proud to say that Neocate is the only amino acid-based infant formula prepared in a 100% milk-free manufacturing site, eliminating the risk for cross contamination!

At Home:

Cross contamination can also happen in your home. Kids with Food Allergies provides some helpful tips on minimizing this risk: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=65.

Eating Out:

Eating out can be intimidating for those with food allergies because you have less control over how foods are handled and efforts to minimize cross contamination. For helpful tips, check out this article from Food Allergy Gourmet.

Food Safety for Everyone:

The risk of cross contamination is not limited to allergy sufferers. Cross contamination of bacteria from foods (such as raw meat, seafood and eggs) is a concern for everyone. To keep you and your loved ones safe, follow these tips from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Have any of your children experienced an allergic reaction as a result of cross contamination?  Any advice to offer other parents?
 

-Mallory

Estamosorgullosos de ofrecer a la Guía de Padres infantil Neocate - Español como unaguía de recursos para padres cuyos hijos han sido recomendados para usar Neocate para el tratamiento dietéticode las alergias e intolerancias alimentarias.

Entendemos queel tratamiento dietético de las alergias alimentarias pueden variar entre los niños. Por lo tanto, se recomienda encarecidamente que esta guía se utiliza en la consulta con un profesional de la salud. 

Además, recibimos muchas preguntas sobre cómo mezclar infantil Neocate DHA ARA. Además de la Guía de Padres infantil Neocate - Español, hemos creado un vídeo Cómo Mezclar Neocate para nuestro canal de YouTube NeocateUS! 

Esperamos que encuentreútileste video! Incluso parainstrucciones más detalladas, o si tiene alguna pregunta adicional, por favor póngase en contacto con nuestros especialistas en nutrición en nutritionservices@nutricia.com o 1-800-NEOCATE.

¿Usted encuentra estos recursos útiles? ¿Qué otros tipos de recursos y de vídeos que te gustaría ver?

(English Tranlsation Below)

Neocate Infant Parent Guide & Mixing Instructions – Spanish Edition!

We are proud to offer the Neocate Infant Parent Guide – Español as a resource guide for parents whose child has been recommended to use Neocate for the dietary management of food allergies and intolerances. 

We understand that the dietary management of food allergies can differ between children.  As such, it is strongly recommended that this guide be used in consultation with a healthcare professional.

Also, we receive lots of questions about how to properly mix Neocate Infant DHA ARA.  In addition to the Neocate Infant Parent Guide – Español, we created a How to Mix Neocate video for our NeocateUS YouTube channel! 

We hope you find this video useful!  For even more detailed instructions, or for any additional questions, please contact our Nutrition Specialists at nutritionservices@nutricia.com or 1-800-NEOCATE. 

Do you find these resources helpful?  What other kinds of resources and videos would you like to see?

-Sarah  

We often get questions from parents about flavoring elemental formulas, such as Neocate Junior, Unflavored. Before I dive into this, I want to be clear; when I refer to flavoring a formula I am referring to formulas for children ages 1 and over. We do not recommend flavoring Infant formulas. If you are considering adding flavor to your infant’s elemental formula, speak with your doctor or dietitian to ensure it is allowed.

As you may know, an elemental formula can have a distinct and unique taste that some children may not care for. What makes it harder is that the children are often so restricted in their diets that the families have a hard time finding something that they can use to enhance the flavor of the formula.

Here at Nutricia North America, we are always striving to offer children and families living with food allergies a wide variety of flavor options to help with formula intake. We have a Neocate Recipe Book that uses Neocate and other flavorings to make tasty treats.  We also provide Flavor Packets that are safe for children with food allergies. Our flavors include: Cherry Vanilla, Lemon Lime, and Grapefruit**.

 Additionally, we have 7 different Neocate flavors available, including new Neocate Jr with Prebioticsthat is Vanilla flavored and Neocate Jr Chocolate (no milk of course!), Tropical, Orange-Pineapple, Grape, Tropical Fruit flavors.

Another option as discussed in a 2009 Today’s Dietitian Journal article, suggests vanilla extract or strawberry syrup to flavor hypoallergenic formulas*. 

Adding flavoring components to the Neocate products will not affect the formula negatively. Just be aware what you are adding and speak to your healthcare team to ensure it will be appropriate for your little one.

What do you use to flavor your elemental formulas? Have you had success?

Christine

*Always contact the manufacturer to ensure it is appropriate for your child.

**Note the Lemon Lime and Grapefruit flavors contain citric acid.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve provided you with tips for recycling or reusing your metal Neocate cans. But what about the accessories: the lids and the scoops?

In our recent recycling blog, we mentioned that the lids from Neocate (and Duocal!) cans can be recycled. This might vary, though, based on where you live. To be sure you can recycle the lids, check with your local municipality or curbside recycling pickup company. The key thing to look for is whether they accept number 4 plastics – the lids we use on our cans are number 4. As more localities continue to accept a bigger variety of plastics, we hope many of our customers can recycle their Neocate lids! You may also be able to find a nearby drop-off location by using the search feature on Earth911 with the term “#4 Rigid Plastic” and your city or zip code.

But what about the scoops that come with our products? Great news: if your municipality or recycling pickup company takes number 5 plastics, you can recycle the scoops as well! Number 5 plastics are also used in yogurt cups, other food tubs, plastic flower pots, and disposable razors. Even better news: for those customers who live in an area where number 5 products are not collected from the community, you have another option with Preserve®’s Gimme 5 program. You may be able to locate a local drop-off site where number 5 plastics are collected for Preserve. If that doesn’t work, Preserve will even accept number 5 plastics by mail and turn them into consumer products. Now THAT’S recycling!

Do you have any crafty ideas for reusing or repurposing the lids or scoops from your Nutricia products?

- Rob

As we enter the new year, which just so happens to be a leap year, it’s a great time to take a “leap” (pun intended) and resolve to add new foods to your little one’s diet.

When your child has multiple food allergies, you have to work within the range of safe foods so as always, if you are unsure if a certain food is safe or not, always consult with your child’s healthcare professional first.

Be persistent!

One important thing to remember is that if you don’t succeed with a certain food, don’t give up on it or assume that your child doesn’t like it. A certain degree of “neophobia”, or fear of new foods, is normal for toddlers and young children. According to Angela Haas, a speech language pathologist and feeding therapist with over 18 years of experience, children may need up to 20 exposures to a new food before they will accept it. So, if the first try fails, continue to present the food occasionally in a non-forceful manner and eventually, you might be surprised to find that your child accepts and even enjoys it.

Give choices!

Another tip for introducing new foods is to always provide choices so your child feels in control of what they are eating. Instead of saying “You are going to try sweet potatoes today!” ask “Would you like to try sweet potatoes or squash today?”

You may choose to present a small amount of several different foods (only those which are allergy-safe of course). Include a few familiar, preferred foods and a few new ones that they can choose from. Again, this makes them feel in control of what they are eating and less resistant to try new things. You may think that children would be overwhelmed by multiple foods at one time but a recent article reports that on average, children prefer a plate with 7 different items and six different colors (while adults prefer a plate with 3 different items and 3 different colors)[1].

Baby steps!

With toddlers and young children, its important not to pressure them to eat a certain food. Give them the option to say “no, thank you” (but not, “eww gross”) if they aren’t ready to try it. Depending on how resistant the child is to new foods, there are different levels for gradually getting them to accept them. You can start by presenting a new food, along with other familiar foods. They don’t have to eat it but they have to allow it to remain on the plate throughout the meal. Continue to present a new food along with familiar foods and allow your child to get acquainted with it. This might mean smelling it, touching it, playing with it and once they are ready, tasting it. We’ve always heard “don’t play with your food!” but for very young children at this stage, the goal is get them comfortable and familiar with a new food, however that may be.

For more tips on expanding your child’s diet, here are some resources which might be helpful:

• Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense
• How to Get Your Kid to Eat…But Not Too Much
• Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook
• Just Take a Bite
• http://www.ellynsatter.com/

Please remember that these are general guidelines for expanding your child’s diet. Always ensure that you only introduce foods that are safe for your child’s specific food allergies and when unsure, consult with a healthcare professional.
 

What challenges do you have with expanding your child’s diet? Any tips for other parents?

-Mallory