8 Comments
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Sab's avatar

This is a beautiful answer, and also I will say just in case anyone needs to hear it: stopping breastfeeding is okay too!

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Tessa S's avatar

What a wonderful response to this question

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Jes's avatar

Just chiming in to add Socca/ Farinata (a sort of pancake like flatbread) to the list. Many wonderful versions out there and their base is just chickpea flour, water, and olive oil. Started making them during a weird health period and now still crave all of the time.

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Ellen's avatar

This brought tears to my eyes for so many reasons: the generosity of your approach, the joy and puzzle of figuring out how to feed yourself as part of caring for a newborn, and the shockingly fast transformation of babies to children and then suddenly—they’re adults! Thank you, as always.

Ps. The youngest of my three sons graduated from high school last weekend, and I find myself suddenly on team “where did the time go?” And also between that and the state of the world, it is a balm to think about food as a path to healing on all the levels.

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Jen's avatar

I don't have any helpful ideas to add, just here to lend my sympathies. Nursing an allergic baby is HARD. Mine weaned 7 years ago and I still feel grateful anytime I can eat soy or gluten now!!

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Magdalini Zografou's avatar

What an amazingly kind reply to your reader's question. I love this so much! Even though my son never had issues with my milk and he was breastfeeding for a little over 3 years, I was the one who had a change of appetites and cravings throughout those years (and during pregnancy). I had strong negative reactions (upset stomach, aversion etc) to foods I previously couldn't live without and had to improvise a lot and become creative with what I cooked. Digging into cuisines and ingredients unfamiliar to me was a savior during that time.

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shannon stoney's avatar

My baby cried and cried until I realized that eating beans and/or brassicas was causing really bad gas for him. I ate rice and a few other vegetables for about nine months, but then he got over it. Rice seems to be the most innocuous food on the planet: is anybody allergic to rice? I've never heard of anybody.

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NAOMI DUGUID's avatar

Such a terrific reminder to everyone that digging deep into other cuisines yields treasures and allows us to disengage from our yearnings.

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