vegetarian

[Anonymous]

Hi… I’m considering trying the TED for a bit, but after reading what the diet consists of, I’m a bit worried as I am a vegetarian. I rarely even eat eggs, and no fish, chicken or meat. For protien I’ve always done LOADS of dairy, beans/lentils and vegetarian “meats” – none of which are in the TED. What are some protien ideas for a vegetarian trying the TED? THANKS!

[Anonymous]

I would PM Paula (“Paula B” is here screen name).

She did TED for a LONG time & is a vegetarian as well. She helped me w/ some questions I had but she doesn’t visit the site that often… hence my suggestion to PM her.

I know that she did TED (plus eventually some other fruits & veggies) w/o any meat (obviously) & also w/o any protein (or @ least high sources) for 6-8 mths b/c her guy couldn’t tolerate any protein.

Hopefully you’ll be able to add in some protein though within 2-3 wks. Here’s a link to some high protein vegetarian foods:

http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/high-protein-foods.html

I personally did TED w/o any meat (or protein) for about 5 wks. It was hard, but I just did w/o protein for that time frame until Evan’s diapers regulated & all his other symptoms (grunting, congestion, etc) subsided. I found that while even just eating potatoes, pears, avocados & squash I was still able to get around 30-35 g of protein/day. Potatoes & avocados still have a decent amount.

Good luck! Oh also, if you’ve been doing “LOADS” (as you said) of dairy & soy & your db ends up being MSPI then you should see results in her comfort (grunting, congestion, mucous) within a few days of starting TED. It will probably take longer to clear up diapers (if those are an issue for you) but you should see results quickly if dairy/soy & has been such a big part of your diet, imo.

[Anonymous]

Ohhh – VERY helpful! THANK YOU, THANK YOU! 🙂

[Anonymous]

Hey, I’m so sorry for the SLOW reply!!

Just wanted to echo what Erin said…I did modified TED for about 6-8 months because Nathan’s digestive system was too immature to handle any major protein. Like you, I have always eaten a ton of dairy, beans/peas, and nuts to get protein — especially when pregnant, which makes me wonder if that’s what caused my little guys’ protein intolerances.

Anyway, the only reason I stuck with it is that I saw a dramatic difference in Nathan within 2 days of beginning the diet. No more arching, screaming during feedings, constant grunting, stinky gas, etc. We still had to medicate aggressively for the reflux pain, but the TED I believed saved us from a feeding aversion, which I think was starting to emerge.

I tried several times to add in protein, but even a spoonful of lima beans or a handful of sunflower seeds made all the symptoms reappear, within just a few hours of eating the new food. But I was able to add in a bunch of other fruits and veggies, and by the time Nate was 8 months (sorry, I know that age seems like forever away if your lo is a newborn now) I could eat anything except soy protein and dairy — life was grand!! The good news is that I don’t think my health suffered from this diet — miraculously, considering how many bags of potato chips I ate. When I finally came off the diet, my hubby joked how the Lays company stock surely plummetted!

Good luck, and feel free to PM if I can be of any help.

[Author]

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