On 3/20/98 at 1:15 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> But the school does not care that my child subsequently does not receive
> adequate amounts of calcium, fat, etc in the school lunch he is
> permitted by doctor's note to purchase.  They are not directed to
> provide meals to suit the nutritional needs of "exceptional" children.

Here in Oregon (at least in the Beaverton School District), we have a
program called "Choices" that I think is a much better option. This
program has one menu item that differs from day to day and three other
entree choices (usually something like a deli sandwich, chicken nuggets,
hamburger, or a corn dog). Recently they began offering a vegetarian
entree as well.

The children go through the line and they have to take an entree and a
side dish (like cooked veggies, french fries, etc.), and then they go out
into the cafeteria where there are a couple of carts that look like salad
bars. These have breads and rolls, fresh veggies and fruits, and juices.
The children can take whatever amounts of these they want.

The school district says that this new program has resulted in much less
waste because the children take what they will eat instead of being handed
a tray of yukkies. And the cost is actually less than the
traditional-style fare.

Sorry to be so long-winded. I'm not very experienced in the world of dairy
intolerance and allergy, but it seems that this program has a better
chance of offering a no-milk child a balanced or at least filling meal.

It probably doesn't help much, but maybe people could start encouraging
their school districts to start a program like this. It'll probably take a
couple of years, but maybe it'll work.

I have a couple of questions to sneak in here:

I am on a no-dairy diet for the sake of my nursing baby. Trends with past
babies have led me to try this in an effort to avoid ear infections. I'm
not really exacting about the no-dairy--I eat foods with small amounts of
milk in them like bread and mashed potatoes and margarine, but avoid milk
chocolate, glasses of milk and cheese.

But I finally had a true confirmation of Duncan's milk allergy the other
night when my daughter had her birthday party and had pizza. I gave in to
temptation and had a couple of slices. The next morning, Duncan had a
stuffy nose, and later that morning, his eye was goopy.

This is the first time I have noticed this almost immediate correlation.
So my question is, how long does it take for the foods you eat to become
part of breast milk? It seems to have been a matter of maybe 5 or 6 hours,
or maybe even less.

And my second question, although it doesn't have to do with milk, does
have to do with allergies. Has anyone ever seen a correlation between
increased cradle cap and allergies?

Duncan was on Amoxicillin a couple of weeks ago for an ear infection (yes,
he has had two, but by this time my older son had had 5 or 6), and as soon
as he started on it I noticed that his cradle cap got a lot worse than it
had been. He also developed a red rash on his face. It turned out the
amoxicillin was not working, so he was put on Septra, and I asked the
doctor if the rash was a sign of allergy to amoxicillin. She said no, it
looked like the rash was a reaction to the cradle cap.

She discounted the notion of the cradle cap or the rash being caused by an
allergy to the amoxicillin, even though I have two other children who are
allergic to penicillin/amoxicillin. (I have 5 children, BTW) When he was
taken off the amoxicillin his rash and his cradle cap showed steady
improvement. He still has a little cradle cap constantly, but it was a lot
worse while he was on the medicine.

Thanks for any help you can give me. I don't post very often on this list.
I mostly just take in the information and thank my lucky stars that none
of my children are anaphylactic to milk. I enjoyed the fake parmesan
cheese recipe.

Regards--
Margo Mead
Portland, Oregon
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