We are a family with a love for great food! We lean toward comfort foods that brings memories of our backgrounds, but are searching and looking to try new vegan foods/products that are healthy and beneficial for our lifestyle. My husband and I were vegetarian about half of the time, limiting our meat intake to fish, and we had chicken two or three times a year. We enjoyed going to different restau
rants and trying new foods. In June of 2015, we decided to become vegan. But our journey into veganism didn’t begin there. It began almost 5 years ago with the birth of our beautiful baby girl, Bella. Her life began with some adversity, with the challenges of being born several weeks premature. We were so grateful to finally get home and begin our new exciting adventures as parents. She was a very happy and content baby. She rarely cried, unless she was hungry. When she was only three months old, she began getting dry patches on her forehead. We didn’t think anything of it at first. Then these patches started spreading to her cheeks and her scalp. We thought she was getting cradle cap that lots of babies have at times. But we noticed she started scratching at her face, and there was redness and oozing on her cheeks. We were alarmed at her appearance and at the fact that she was visibly uncomfortable. We were took her to her pediatrician, and were told that she may be allergic to the regular formula. It was recommended that we switch her to soy formula and use vaseline to help moisturize her skin to help alleviate her symptoms. So we took her home and followed the pediatrician’s advice. She continued to scratch and her skin continued to break down. She could not even tolerate tummy time, because while she was laying on her tummy, she was busy rubbing her face on the floor to get relief from the itching. The rash spread to her arms and legs, and her hair fell out in clumps. We were devastated and unsure of what to try. We took her back to the pediatrician, and got referred to a dermatologist. The earliest appointment was a month away, so in the meantime we worked hard to keep her as comfortable as possible and keep her from tearing at her skin. She was still a happy baby, smiling and cooing and singing, even while itching and scratching. When we finally got to the dermatologist, she was diagnosed with moderate/severe head to toe eczema. It was a relief for us, because we finally knew what was wrong and how to help her. The dermatologist prescribed a number of treatments for the rashes and the itching. We were also referred to an allergist to find the cause of the eczema. We took her home and used the treatments prescribed and were grateful to see her symptoms begin to diminish. When we took her to the allergist, she was tested for food allergies. We found that she was allergic to at least 7 different things, including nuts, dairy, eggs, and other foods that are uncommon for people to be allergic to. At this time, she was about 9 months old and starting a little bit of pureed foods. So we made to sure to avoid the things she was allergic to. She was still a little itchy at times, but her rash was nearly gone. As she got older and we were able to introduce her to table food, we found that our options were severely limited. So out of necessity and her many food allergies, our daughter was going to be vegan. But we just wanted to give you a little(or a long) glimpse into the beginnings of our journey. Prior to becoming vegan, we would have two different meals, one that was Bella-friendly, and one for us. We began noticing that she would watch carefully what we were eating, and then refuse her food in favor of what we were having. But, sadly, she couldn’t eat what we were having for fear of an outbreak of eczema or a more serious allergic reaction. So, at least once a week, we would have a vegan meal for Bella’s benefit. On the days that we had two different meals, we noticed that she wasn’t eating as much or she would only want to eat the same thing over and over again*. We wanted to have and try more options, so in June of 2015, we made the switch. Gratefully, it was summertime and we had more free time to devote to searching for recipes and experimenting. We had a bit of a rough start, figuring out what to eat and how much to eat(we had issues of feeling hungrier more frequently). But we are sticking with it. One of the greatest benefits for us, besides losing weight and having more energy and a decrease in health problems, is the fact that we can enjoy our meals as a family, eating and sharing the same things. So, if a somewhat fledgling vegan journey interests you, feel free to join us and follow our blog.
*Our beautiful Bella girl has also been diagnosed with autism and some of the things of the things she struggles with is trying new foods or only being comfortable with her “routine” food likes.
