Commercial foods Andrew can eat

I'll be working on this list regularly, but if I don't get it posted now, I'll just keep on procrastinating on it.

We've got a reasonable list of commercial/processed foods that Andrew can eat, and I figured I'd share it to help others with allergic kids. There are lists out on the Internet, but most of them are American, and have brands that we can't get up here (like Sunbutter, a peanut butter substitute made from sunflower seeds).

This list fits Andrew's allergies: dairy (including the other names for dairy: whey, casein and lactose), nuts, and peanuts. Some of these things are egg-free. Andrew's got a pretty violent reaction to traces of dairy or nuts/peanuts -- he throws up within about 5 minutes -- so if he's eaten a food and not thrown up, I've added them to our "safe" list.

I haven't read the labels for soy content, so if you're also soy-allergic, then you'll have to check the labels out for yourself. And remember, always read the label for yourself, as ingredients can change over time.

Restaurants

• McDonald's chicken nuggets (Edited to add: Patti just commented that this contains whey, so it's off-limits for dairy allergies. But Andrew's been eating this all along with no reactions, so I'm going to get him allergy-tested again to see if he's outgrown his allergy over the last year.)
• McDonald's fries
• McDonald's filet o'fish -- if you hold the cheese
  
• Boston Pizza kids meal, chicken strips and fries
• Japanese restaurants are pretty much dairy- and nut-free. Our kids won't eat sushi, but will eat tempura and udon noodles.
• (We don't -- okay, we CAN'T -- eat out much, so this isn't a huge list)

Grocery store -- meats

• Maple Leaf Top Dog hot dogs
• Johnsonville Italian sausages
• Maple Leaf Breakfast Grill (bacon substitute)
• Most ham has been safe so far
• Save On has amazing marinated meats (chicken, steaks, etc.). Most of their marinades are safe -- just don't get the maui.
• Duso's Raviollini -- mini ravioli pastas, no dairy content, does contain whole eggs. I boil them up with some peas or broccoli, and it's a balanced meal in one pot. They're so small that they're a perfect toddler bite. Available at Save On, but you just have to stalk the Duso's section as it's only there every other week, as far as I can tell.
  

Grocery store -- breakfast

• Save On's Western Family instant apple&cinnamon oatmeal (the Quaker oatmeals all have dairy added now)
• New World organic raisin granola (available through spud.ca, a home delivery service)
• Cheerios
• Life
• Mini-Wheats
• Shreddies
• NoNuts Golden Peabutter -- made from peas, and tastes very much like peanut butter. Andrew loves this stuff.

Grocery store -- cookies & chips & snacks

• Dare Simple Pleasures cookies, most brands (oatmeal is the tastiest). All are nut-free, some contain dairy.
• Ritz crackers -- there are a few varieties that are safe, including the Ritz Sticks and the multigrain and whole wheat ones
  
• Oreos -- just not the peanut butter ones. Mini Oreos are a real treat for him.
• Country Choice organic sandwich creme cookie -- organic oreos, basically, and I like the flavour much more than oreos (plus I can actually pronounce most of the ingredients)
• Robert's Veggie Booty -- these are tasty and you can pretend they're healthy because they contain spinach, kale, and other greens.
• Superstore's President's Choice popcorn, organic or regular.
• Fruit leathers have been safe so far
• The socalled "fruit snacks" have been safe, but contain so much sugar that I try to save them for special treats.
• Nature's Choice cereal bars (come in tons of fruit flavours)
• No Nuttin granola bars (see the Nonuttin' website)
• Nature's Path organic crispy rice bar -- cheetah berry.
• Most brands of Pop Tarts (not the yogurt ones, obviously) are safe, but again, high in sugar, so saved for special occasions.


• For toddlers: Gerber Graduates finger foods, shaped like stars, sweet potato, strawberry or apple flavour

Grocery store -- Bakery

• Breads are about 50/50 on dairy content, so we read the labels very carefully. The McGavin's bread basket stores have lots of multigrain breads that are safe for him.
• Two bite brownies are dairy-free -- and dangerous!
• Fruit pies are usually safe, but again, we usually read all the ingredients just to be sure.

Grocery store -- dairy

• VeganRella rice cheese, mozza or cheddar flavours. I don't like these plain, but they melt down really well in a grilled cheese sandwich with ham. (Most of the other soy cheeses contain casein, which is a dairy derivative.)
• Fleishmann's margarine is the only widely-available margarine that's dairy-free.
• Earth Balance Buttery Spread is dairy-free, available in health food stores, and tastes like butter
• Calcium-fortified orange juice. Minute Maid's the usual brand we buy, but Superstore also has a President's Choice brand. Andrew doesn't get enough calcium in his diet, and he won't drink enough milk (since I tried to sneak some breastmilk into his rice dream), but he will drink juice
• Rice Dream fortified milk
• Rice Dream ice creams are pretty good
• Superstore's President's Choice sherbets, non-fat, lemon or raspberry flavours. (And the cheap ice cream cones are safe.)

Grocery store -- freezer

• McCain's Smiles potatoes -- couldn't get through a week without these!
• Most hashbrowns and fries have been safe so far
• Amy's Roasted Vegetable pizza -- I cut up some sausages or put ham on top for added protein. The irony of adding meat to a vegan pizza is not lost on me.
• Highliner fish sticks and fish cakes. Again read the labels -- some highliner products have dairy in the breading
• M&M Meat Shops' chicken strips are super tasty and dairy free
• M&M cabbage rolls -- dairy free and if you get the large platter, it's a huge dinner plus two lunches the next day.
  
• M&M had one brand of breaded fish that was dairy free and really tasty. (Can you tell we're doing an M&M run tomorrow?)
  

Vitamins

• Hero Yummi Bears are his multi-vit, but they don't have a lot of calcium
• For me: Lifetime liquid calcium/magnesium -- comes in pina colada, lemon, orange, and they're tasty
• For Andrew: Swiss Calcium & Magnesium chewable
• Sisu Kiddie Calcium, black cherry fizz flavour, chewable
• Sisu also has a line of liquid calcium supplements. I don't like the flavour, but Andrew does. We sometimes add the liquid calcium to smoothies.
  
• Sisu kiddie acidophilus is dairy-free
• Flora bear chewable acidophilus is dairy free (Acidophilus is on here because one of the current theories about allergies is a lack of intestinal flora. So what the heck, it's the cure that can't harm.)
• Superstore now carries a sour gummy bears calcium supplement that's not expensive and that Andrew likes to eat.