Understanding the basics of MFPI (multiple food Protein Intolerance) in babies toddlers & children

I would love to say that I knew nothing about MFPI, and have to be educated by some other loving Mom out there, and then never have to think about it again. But it's not, and I have 2 sweet, darling little girls that both live with MFPI. So, I'm just going to do a breakdown for those mommies out there that are new to this food world, and hope it helps someone, even if it's just some one single person. :)
MFPI, commonly misunderstood, is not an "Allergy", and is your bodies inability to deal with several particular proteins. And, typically it is the absence of particular digestive enzymes that is the problem. It most often has the largest affect on the digestive system, with mild reactions in other areas of the body (seldom). A few of the typical signs are excessive gas, excessive diarrhea, fresh blood in the stools, abdominal cramping, general fussiness.  These signs, depending on how long the culprit is eaten for, will typically clear up within about 6-8 weeks. If your little one has had digestive issues for quite some time, it may take several months to clear up after they have been removed from your or their diet, as the foods their body is intolerant to agitate both the small and large intestines when present, and cause cause a lot of swelling in tissues for a while.  Think of it like any reaction, say, a rash. It just starts out with your skin not liking something. Then your skin gets itchy. You scratch, then you scratch some more... The more you scratch, the more it itches, and the worse it gets, and in turn, the longer it takes to heal. Make sense. Well, our insides are the same way. The longer it's the there, the more it "itches" and the worse it gets, and... the longer it takes to heal.
From what the GI specialists and pediatricians have said MFPI normally isn't all that there is. Normally this is just a chip off the O'l iceberg. Like my girls, and myself, proteins are not the only thing we have to avoid, but it opens the door to understanding what is going on, and how to make it better. With MFPI, the typical things to avoid are as follows (These are normally the first things to be removed from the diet of the mother who is nursing or the child who is eating solid foods, or both):

Cows milk and products containing milk/dairy
Soy (in all it's tons of forms)
Eggs (both the yolk and the whites)
Wheat/Gluten

Avoiding these foods is crucial in aiding the digestive tract of you, the baby, or the child. I know that even the slightest amount of any one of these, can be torture for my little one, so we read the label of EVERYTHING. This is a must, and not to be sharp, but if you're not good at it.... Get good at it, now! No excuses! Food companies are required to print EVERY ingredient on the box/package for you, so they have made it as easy as it could get to make sure you aren't having something in the diet that shouldn't be there.  If you want to make it easier, learn to start making things from scratch. I have a wonderful recipe for muffins avoiding all of these "types" of foods, as well as a bread recipe. We make taco seasoning and chili seasoning from scratch... So, hopefully you get the point here. A good rule of thumb is, if it's packaged, and not from a health food store (but even these tend to have stuff you can't have), you probably can't have it.  I'll be doing a post on soy soon, and I urge you to read it. Not only will it help you learn how to avoid it, if it is a MFPI, but some great info on why it's not good for anyone! I'll also be doing another post on "favorite snacks" that are actually packaged, that avoid all 4 of the things listed above. I hope this helped open the door of understanding Multiple food protein intolerance, for you or your child, and as always... If you have questions, or would like me to touch on a subject feel free to email me or make a comment, and I'll get it out there asap!

*Just a side note to answer some of the emails I've received... When a label says "vegetable oil", this is 99% of the time going to include soybean oil. If you're avvoiding soy, avoid it unless it specifically states what oils it's using. :)

11 comments:

  1. I just came across your blog in my quest for more info about MFPI, and I am finding it very helpful. My daughter is 7 months old, and I've been dairy/soy free since she was 2 months old. I know tree nuts, corn, chocolate (vegan), caffeine and tomatoes bother her as well. I've recently eliminated wheat and am trialing eggs. I think I'm just going to go top 8 free because we've had sooooo many setbacks. Thanks for your blog and the validation that this condition exists. Not everyone around me believes me, or they think I'm exaggerating.

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    1. Monica, one of the biggest trials with MFPI and other cases with multiple sensitivities is the lack of understanding from people who have not experienced it themselves. I had a lot of allergies/sensitivities to food as a child, and grew up in a family that just didn't understand what it felt like to eat food that made me feel so sick, so often. I'm sorry you are having to experience this. My younger daughter has issues with chocolate and tomatoes as well. she ends up with blood in her stools if she gets her little hands on chocolate somehow. What testing have you guys been through, and are you dealing with vomiting, diarrhea, constipation or skin issues when she ingests the culprit foods?

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    2. I totally forgot to come back and check this. Thank you for your reply. My daughter saw a GI doc at 8.5 months, and it was not greatly useful. The doctor said it sounds like she does have some intolerances and perhaps a true allergy to something. He said, "What is it you expect me to do?" I didn't even know what to say. He said to keep on doing what I'm doing. He laughed when I told him I thought her reflux meds were somewhat helpful. He said they usually aren't, but the drug companies will be happy to hear it. He said she's too young for him to want to do any scoping or invasive testing. I have been instructed to avoid all nuts until she's 3 and to trial one ounce of cow's milk or soy at one year. Though I didn't appreciate the doc's bedside manner, we have a follow up appt. with him along with a nutritionist the week after my daughter turns one.

      I thought wheat was okay, but we've been having issues lately. I'm eliminating it longer this time to be sure. She has been spitting up today and was gassy and sleepless last night. I had two cupcakes yesterday free of allergens except wheat. She's only ever had these foods via my breastmilk-none directly except avocado, which dave her excessive gas. Eggs and pork are a no, and I think eggplant is a no. She has had so much trouble with her bowel movements, but I've been told it could just be slow digestion coupled with a limited diet. She has no skin issues, and she is gaining weight well. That is why the GI was not very concerned. I did explain that she comfort nurses, and he told me he thought I'd figure out how to deal with it. We'll see what he sayscin two months at the follow up. I may need to see a different doctor.

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  2. I too am in the trial phase on many items. My son is having severe reactions to dairy, soy, turkey, chicken, and pork. Our doctor doesn't understand it and gave him an allergy test. Since he passed it with flying colors our pediatrician doesn't think that there is an issue. Are there any suggestions you have for education or further elimination?

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    1. I'm so sorry to hear of your struggles with getting answers. Two tests that the GI specialists we've been with can do, that can really help figure things out, are 1.Endoscopy and 2.methane/hydrogen tests. These really gave us an amazing leap in what we were looking at, especially since there were soooo many sensitivities and reactions to everything. Do take in to mind that when removing things from the diet, it can take 6-8 weeks before you really see the difference the removal is making. :) Here is the order we did our removal in 1.milk/dairy/casein 2.soy(this is a really tough one because everything seems to have soy of some sort in it) 3.eggs 4.gluten/wheat... another way to do the removal is take EVERYTHING (literally everything) out, and add 1 thing at a time back in. I would only add things back in 1 item every 3-4 weeks at earliest. This way seemed to work best for us, but not everyone is on board with cutting their diet down to rice and potatoes. I mentioned a book in a different post I feel that every mother should read. It's called what's eating your child. Here is the link to it on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Eating-Your-Child-Connection/dp/0761161198/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351630968&sr=8-1&keywords=whats+eating+your+child Have you been to a GI specialist yet? If not, I would ask your pediatrician for a referral to one.

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    2. How does your son do with corn? Sometimes people will react to poultry that's been fed corn or react to foods derived from corn. Just a thought as I'm getting ready to trial corn again because I think my last trial got skewed by nuts and tomatoes. I didn't make the connection to tomatoes until a later time.

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  3. So good to know that I'm not the only Mum on the planet going through this! My little girl was diagnosed with MFPI 6 months ago. She's now 14 months old and can't tolerate milk, soy, wheat, maize, millet, eggs, fish, tomatoes, strawberries and the list goes on....She's basically surviving on root veggies, chicken, fish, beef, rice, melon and raspberries. She's very bored of eating the same things all the time and I'm running out of ideas! We've had little success with introducing new foods and many sleepless nights! There's very little info out there on MFPI, its great to hear of others experiences.

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  5. I need recipes for a toddler who has this condition. It has already affected his brain. We just found out about his condition. Please, any recipe at all right now this very minute is critical for him until we can get this figured out. Until we can get a system in place.

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  6. I need recipes for a toddler who has this condition. It has already affected his brain. We just found out about his condition. Please, any recipe at all right now this very minute is critical for him until we can get this figured out. Until we can get a system in place.

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  7. Anonymous19:36

    Hi there my name is almaa, finally after nearly 15 months of my littles being sick we got anwnsers. Can you pleas email me? I have so many questions and not a clue where to begin. Feeling overwhelmed would be understatement Mittaprieto@gmail.com

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