Ellie’s Millet FPIES Food Trial Results

I have been in disbelief this past month. How is it possible that not long ago I was wondering if Ellie would ever have even one confirmed safe food? I was happy about blueberries – absolutely! But then came Ellie’s millet FPIES food trial. Oh, how I love what millet brings to the table! We have been rolling in millet! Cooked millet, toasted millet, millet flour play dough, puffed millet, millet crackers (recipe coming soon), and I still can’t believe this but – millet pasta!!!!

Millet Pasta made me cry

Never have I waited so eagerly for a package to come in the mail as to when her millet pasta was on its way. Opening that Amazon box was better than Christmas, and yes, I’m pretty sure I cried over a box of millet noodles – no shame here! I cannot express the joy of making Ellie food that resembles a meal. This was a breakthrough for me, as a mom; I am able to cook food for my 2.5-year-old daughter that isn’t just one of my ‘creations’ out of blueberries. Not that she was as impressed with the noodles as I was, but I’ll address that later. We are still in celebratory mode here.

Millet crackers – a great FPIES option

Millet Crackers have also found their permanent place in Ellie’s snack cup as she adores them! As I mentioned in my previous Ellie update, these crackers are pretty tasty – yahoo! My husband and I happily snack right alongside her at the picnic table – happy for some ‘normal’ textured food. I will be sharing the recipe for millet crackers soon for those looking for ways to make millet yummy for a toddler.

We have searched for and found some great millet products. I am so thankful that we are living in an age where things like millet pasta exist and millet flour is commonplace. Bring it all on, because Ellie passed and millet is now safe! That’s two foods!

But wait, you thought I was going to just be sharing one amazing piece of news…

We also started our olive oil trial.

Another FPIES food trial

Now to have a ‘safe’ fat, would just be flippin’ fantastic! I have made Ellie’s foods work so far without any fat, thanks largely in part to my silicone baking mats. However, in terms of cooking ‘real food’ and not just a gazillion presentations of blueberries, a safe fat is a game-changer.

Let me just say, the first round of millet crackers with olive oil in them – vanished! I’m not sure who happily gobbled down more, Ellie or me? And we thought millet crackers were okay before the oil – such hopeful oblivion.

Then came the night I made Ellie millet noodles with olive oil and sea salt. Oh, happy day, you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!

Well, you couldn’t, but Ellie sure could when she only tentatively ate a couple of bites of her noodles I had dreamt of her happily scarfing down. I guess this is the part where I need to address reality.

Ellie’s continued eating therapy

Ellie didn’t magically start eating full meals just because I am able to serve her more food options like noodles and crackers. My carb-loving heart secretly thought this would be the answer to Ellie’s oral aversion – she just wanted something good! She continues to work with our wonderful eating therapist and is making slow progress. So slow in fact that it is hard to notice in the day-to-day, so I am happy to hear there is indeed progress with our therapy visits.

For example, Ellie never wanted to eat, or she would say she wanted something and then refuse to put it in her mouth. Now, she might run up and tell me she wants one of her pouches or some crackers. (Normally it’s the crackers.) And miracles upon miracles – she eats them – most of the time.

Have I mentioned yet that I am so thankful for Ellie’s millet FPIES food trial pass?!

Sitting down for a meal is a different animal altogether. Her eating therapist okayed her using her picnic table as a ‘safe place’ for her to eat, since she still has an aversion to her high chair or booster seat. Ellie gets to have a choice in where she sits at this point because well, one battle at a time.

We currently are working on one change in the presentation each time we offer a food like her crackers. Taste, temperature, texture, or color. We are encouraging combining two familiar textures as well. I think my favorite so far has been using her ‘blueberry cracker dough’ as a ‘spread’ on her millet crackers. They are the cutest little sandwiches this side of the rainbow.

Olives too?

To continue with our olive oil trial, our Registered Dietician okayed a natural olive as well (olive, water, sea salt). Armed with both black and green natural olive varieties we offered Ellie olive rings, finger hats, beetles, ants, butterflies, and inchworms – well you get the picture. Have I ever mentioned how important playing is in eating therapy? No? You must be new here. Welcome! Stay a while, oh, and play with your food. It’s crucial in eating therapy. 😉

Happily, I am able to say that yes, Ellie passed olive/olive oil – I think she’s been studying for these tests! We now have a fruit, a pseudo-grain, and a fat. Look out food world, Ellie is going to take you by storm! No, not really a storm so much as a dainty knock at the entrance on the door to the world of food options. Hey, I’ll take it!

Now, go put an olive on each finger just like when you were a kid, and after making them dance to your favorite song, eat them off one at a time. It will be like we had a meal together! Don’t forget to also make some pretty pictures with your food to fully live that food therapy dream. (Great food play suggestions here.)

What FPIES food trial next?

We are currently trialing raspberries, as they are another fairly safe trial, and bonus, we grow them! I would love for Ellie to be able to pick something from the garden to eat as her big sister does. So far, she hasn’t been impressed.

I’ve been able to gradually add little bits of raspberry puree (seeds strained of course – I’m no monster) or raspberry powder (again, no seeds) to different foods along with her blueberry. The color variety is nice and having pink, purple, and white dough has really upped our flower designs. She is fairly insistent that she doesn’t like the flavor of pink now though, so it’s a work in progress.

Following the results of this raspberry trial, we will be trailing plantains (yay olive oil as a safe for cooking), papaya, and potentially coconut water. She is going to be so exotic! Also, I need to learn how to cook plantains. Oh, and how to like papaya. Fake it ‘til you make it, that is how I’ll be tackling the next few weeks.

Send me any plantain tips and tricks you may have, I welcome all ideas and suggestions.

For now, we are thankful for the millet FPIES food trial pass AND the olive/olive oil FPIES food trial pass. We are building Rome here, not raising a pole barn – it can’t be done in a day.

More on FPIES

FPIES Foods

Ellie’s FPIES Journey