Need Help with Food Allergy Diet

Piasa

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Beau my green cheek has been struggling for about 6 months now with GI issues. Part of it seems to be food allergies. I took him off corn, peanut and soy, and try to keep the preservatives and synthetic vitamins to a minimum. So basically he can't have any of the big name pellets.

He's a good eater. Problem is, I can't cook and I'm overwhelmed. I am awful at preparing food and right now I don't even have a freezer. He gets TOPs Pellets which he eats but I don't think he eats enough to be full (he cries for different/more food a lot lately). He gets 1-3 fresh foods a day and carrot juice, chia seeds and occasionally flax seeds. I used to give him sprouts, but just starting to get back into that.

What else can I give him that has carbs and is healthy? How can I make sure he's getting the nutrients he needs? Need moderately easy ideas.

I have a hot plate to cook simple things, but I honestly can't cook! I don't know how things are supposed to be, what is safe, esp when it comes to things like beans.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.
 

plumsmum2005

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Hi Piasa this is literally off the top of my head so will ask you to check them out but Lafaber Nutriberries might fill the gap with Beau.
Things like beans are just soak for the required time ie overnight and cook as per instructions, strain, rinse, cool and serve. Serve as it is or mash into lightly cooked veg.
If you are worried re what is OK and what isnt just research a couple of types - check pictures so you know what they look like when you shop. I get this!!
Can you do pasta?
Rule of thumb - insert knife into veg or pasta and if it feels cooked / soft enough to you, strain, cool and serve.
let me know how it goes. :)
 
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DexMom

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Too bad he can't have soy because I searched high and low for a pellet that has is not vitamin fortified and has no synthetic vitamins or preservatives. I'm very happy to have finally found Goldenfeast Golden'obles (Goldn?obles I - Goldenfeast Direct) and Dexter really likes them. I use the pellets as a back-up to a diet of fresh fruit, veggies, beans and grains, rather than a main food source.
 
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Piasa

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Soy is in everything! Lafeber's too :(

He can get wheat/rice/egg pasta. I will try to find something that looks healthy and I can sprinkle herbs on.

He's been off for a couple days because I screwed up and gave him a veggie juice that had corn in it. I am not sure what synthetics get him, and not 100% but suspicious about the soy.

Looking at ingredients in the Goldn 'Obles is giving me some ideas though. I think quinoa is just heat and soak to prepare.

What veggies do you feed? He actively eats peppers, dandelion root, watercress leaves (but I can rarely find those in the store), carrots, sweet potato and then occasionally leafy stuff. He hates broccoli and kale!
 

plumsmum2005

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Hi sorry about the Lafabers.
Dont think we get Goldn'Obles here?
Peas, beans, cauliflower, dandelion leaves too, spinach, squash.
Stuffed peppers with quinoa, rice & peas etc I think once you get going you will really get the bug.
Dont forget sometimes its not the veg but the way its prepared. Fussy lot.
 

Mimsy01

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Let's see, things on top of my head that are easy and you may cook for yourself as well, since you don't have a freezer.

Fresh veggies and fruits-just keep it varied as much as you can. Buy different stuff, especially stuff in season, it will taste better and have better vitamin content. Look into if you have a Saturday market near you for local produce.

Pastas-since there are so many that are gluten free it's easy to find a lot of different grain type ones now. Look for organic whole grains. My birds LOVE some cooked pasta. You can leave a few dry one's if you want something to keep in his bowl for snacking too.

Whole grains of all sorts. Something easy to look at is some of the organic multiple grain hot cereals. Usually easy to cook a small amount. Mix with a little almond or rice milk for some added nutrition and flavor-just watch labels to avoid one's with extra sweeteners and such. Also herbs and spices will get even more nutrition and some flavor. Cinnamon fresh mint leaves, get creative.

For proteins and fats-a little seed, nuts, hard boiled egg ect.

Can you dehydrate some things? There are a lot of veggies and fruits you can do that at home with, even if it's in your oven. No need to freeze then.

Birdie bread, if you don't make too much it will last several days in the fridge.

I keep some of these around as a treat or for when I run out of stuff around the house. It's also how I'm getting Ellie to try new foods. She loves these things, so I'll stir some into her fresh foods. I get them local for less, btw. I also have some with quinoa, kale and sunflower seed butter that is a huge hit.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Mamma-Chia-Squeeze-Vitality-Snack/dp/B00DOO7B8S/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1457219571&sr=8-3&keywords=organic+chia+squeeze"]Amazon.com: Mamma Chia Squeeze Vitality Snack, Green Magic, 3.5 Ounce (Pack of 8)[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Organics-Broccoli-4-4-Ounce-Pouches/dp/B00KQ0U5LS/ref=sr_1_21_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1457219757&sr=8-21&keywords=organic+chia+squeeze]Amazon.com : Peter Rabbit Organics Kale, Broccoli and Mango, 4.4-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 10) : Grocery & Gourmet Food[/ame]
 
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plumsmum2005

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To be honest we are all possibly making this more complicated than it needs to be for Beau.

"Parrots receive a much higher level of plant based proteins from eating fresh vegetables, along with living sprouts and pulses which have been formulated to provide them with complete proteins."

So if you go with some sprouts, quinoa, chopped peppers, little chopped *hard boiled egg 1/2 x per week (*20 min boiled), couple of spinach leaves, little chopped fruit, eg strawberry, blueberry with few peas and piece or two of nut ie walnut or almond. Along with the availability of pellets of course.
Should be good for Beau and simple for you??
 
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Piasa

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Getting ready to go to the grocery, and going to the extra good grocery (far away) Tues or Weds.

Dumb question.. do you have to cook peas? And if you do, how do you know they are done?

I don't have an oven either, just an induction hot plate (which means I have to use water or oil or else what I cook burns). I will be getting a freezer eventually though.

Going to try some quinoa and a hot cereal first. He loves oatmeal so he'll get that too. Been mixing with cayenne and cinnamon. I'll see what other herbs are available. We'll see how the veggie selection is too.

I have 1-2 days left on some sprouts growing (mung and lentils).

Thank you so much Mimsy, Dex's Mom, & Plum's Mum. I have a hard enough time prepping a decent normal diet, and this is a super challenge. Well, an adventure, right? :)
 

plumsmum2005

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Hi yes cook peas till tender 2-3 mins don't add salt as end up as bullets.
Go easy on the cereal - not too often, plain oats, nothing added. Beware fine meal, read the packaging. Usually just rolled oats OK I think? If he's eating pellets shouldn't need this really.
Are you tip top with sprouting procedure? They can be fed just as soon as sprouted. Rinsing very important, I use GSE Grapefruit Seed Exract. Once you get going on the sprouts, keep up a supply it will be OK and get easier.
Have a look at this site Best Bird Food Ever I think it will help you.
What I have suggested earlier you will not need freezer and excellent nutrition for him.
If not strawberry or blueberry does he like pomegranate? Really you wont need so very much foodstuff for him per week this way.
 
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Piasa

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Haha, I actually have the Best Bird Food Ever wheat-free sprouts, that's what I am sprouting!

No, I am not solid on my sprouting procedures. I used to do it and thought I did it right (also did a soak seed mix), but when Beau started getting sick I stopped because I was afraid I wasn't. I'm using the Sprout People's hemp bag, which there isn't really any instructions for aside from theirs.

I overnight soak with room temp water, then rinse 3-4 times a day with cold water and hang on the shower head. Waiting for the tails to be 1/4" long. The bigger beans look like they are starting to open, but the small ones have no tail in sight yet. I haven't used GSE, kinda leery of it. Put the bag in dishwasher after each crop.

He is eating TOPs pellets, but they are super crumbly and some days I think he's not really eating them, just making a mess. Then he cries for food and I think he really isn't eating them. Then some days he eats them fine.

He likes blueberries and strawberries but will only take a bite before losing interest. I've never tried pomegranate because I am not really sure how you prepare them. Fruit he eats honeydew melon, banana, cantaloupe, apple, watermelon, and starfruit. Drinks cherry and beet juice. I've been giving him papaya, mangosteen, kiwi and pineapple (they prep this in store, I have some today now) - he kinda picks at the papaya, but eh! Believe it or not, he prefers veggies, haha.

I bought some of the store's sprouts until mine are done (or ruined..!) - adzuki and peas and some other stuff. Man did he go after them! Good to know he missed healthy stuff :)
 

DexMom

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You can try soaking the pellets for a very short time (less than 5 minutes) to make them softer and less crumbly.
 

plumsmum2005

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Haha, I actually have the Best Bird Food Ever wheat-free sprouts, that's what I am sprouting!

No, I am not solid on my sprouting procedures. I used to do it and thought I did it right (also did a soak seed mix), but when Beau started getting sick I stopped because I was afraid I wasn't. I'm using the Sprout People's hemp bag, which there isn't really any instructions for aside from theirs.

I overnight soak with room temp water, then rinse 3-4 times a day with cold water and hang on the shower head. Waiting for the tails to be 1/4" long. The bigger beans look like they are starting to open, but the small ones have no tail in sight yet. I haven't used GSE, kinda leery of it. Put the bag in dishwasher after each crop.

He is eating TOPs pellets, but they are super crumbly and some days I think he's not really eating them, just making a mess. Then he cries for food and I think he really isn't eating them. Then some days he eats them fine.

He likes blueberries and strawberries but will only take a bite before losing interest. I've never tried pomegranate because I am not really sure how you prepare them. Fruit he eats honeydew melon, banana, cantaloupe, apple, watermelon, and starfruit. Drinks cherry and beet juice. I've been giving him papaya, mangosteen, kiwi and pineapple (they prep this in store, I have some today now) - he kinda picks at the papaya, but eh! Believe it or not, he prefers veggies, haha.

I bought some of the store's sprouts until mine are done (or ruined..!) - adzuki and peas and some other stuff. Man did he go after them! Good to know he missed healthy stuff :)

Hi, Great Beau loved his sprouts. No worries re GSE really. It's important that the sprouts you produce are good sprouts and not bad ones and this does work.
If you can buy them and they are OK that's good too. I do when they are available but I still rinse them before serving. Do you know there is a raft of info here from JerseyWendy re sprouting - she is our sprouting queen!

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/57416-sprouting-made-easy.html

Pomegranates are a pain, my hand fisted way is to cut in half and then dig out what is required. Any tips anyone??
I think I would do an exercise close to my previous reply to try to gain more info on Beau's possible allergies. If he is OK with the simple things I suggested which are great for him, slowly introduce more foods and keep notes on how he is. You will gain more solid info re what affects him then and know what he is OK with. :)
 
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chris-md

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I just cut the pomegranate in half and serve. The shred it, and it's a good foraging activity for them.

My Parker is slowly warming up to more tropical fruits like papaya. To sneak it into his diet i chop it up really fine, but he recently has taken to receiving it just like papaya: cut in half and served up to shred, pick, and forage.
 

DexMom

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Dexter loves both pomegranate and papaya served cut in half. He loves the papaya seeds. He loves them both so much that when I serve them I have to be sure to move his cage away from the wall, so I don't have to scrub it when he's done. He gets a little giddy and makes a HUGE mess.
 

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