trail mix/energy food for someone with nut allergies

February 27, 2015 10:19 AM

I recently developed pretty severe allergies to most nuts. Trail mix used to be a huge part of my life even just snacking thru the day but especially while hiking/camping/climbing. I need alternatives that still give me that trail mix boost, and preferably still with a mix of salty/sweet taste and similar texture. Or even just OTHER snacking ideas entirely (that aren't just Clif Bars). More dietary info/restrictions/preferences below the cut.

There are a lot of nuts that are completely out of bounds that I've been tested for and results have been bad. Peanuts, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews. I don't know about walnuts, pistachios, brazil or pine nuts, but I'm honestly a little afraid to try. So I guess, ultimately, I'm hoping to find options that don't include nuts at all.

Current ideas for sweet include: chocolate/yogurt covered fruits (raisins, blueberries etc.), chocolate chips/plain m&ms

Current salty ideas: pretzels, sunflower seeds

Are there any other foods for texture you reccommend? Or any flavorings?

Aside from trail mix, what other energy-dense food do you eat? The nuts thing disqualifies nearly all candy/energy bar options, and to be honest bars don't usually satisfy me much anyway.

I've been doing things like jerky and bought some epic bison bars. I have also made my own dried fruit things but those feel like they're mostly for flavor.

What are your favorite go-to's that don't include nuts?

posted by nogoodverybad to Food & Drink (22 answers total)

Sesame sticks, rice crackers, banana chips, roasted chickpeas.
posted by Juliet Banana at 10:25 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

What about salted soybeans? Wasabi peas?
posted by cabbagesnkings at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2015

There are all kinds of roasted edamame out there. Wasabi or sriracha peas are also really tasty with the sweetness of dried fruit.
posted by annaramma at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2015

Pumpkin seeds! They've got that nut-like crunch.
posted by mareli at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]

Chia seeds. Here's a recipe for a Chia Seed Energy Bar.
posted by slipthought at 10:41 AM on February 27, 2015

Pumpkin seeds/pepitas and homemade granola clusters that you can add chia and sesame seeds to in addition to a healthy oil like coconut or avocado. For me, the beauty of nuts is the combo of protein and fat. Seeds will give you both and some whole grains plus a healthy oil will round it out.
posted by quince at 10:47 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

these flavored dried ramen snacks!

They're delicious and filling with each bag at ~400 calories. Super light, and you can throw them in your pack without worrying since you're supposed to break it into pieces before eating. It comes in a variety flavors but I found the bulgogi one is pretty nicely salty with a little bit of sweet.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 10:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Pumpkin Seeds, corn nuts, rye chips, DIY chex mix.

Pine nuts aren't nuts, they are seeds, so you should be okay to try them. They make me violently ill, but I don't have a nut allergy at all.
posted by soelo at 10:54 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Popcorn with mix-ins (go crazy here)
Cheerios and raisins
Cheese and crackers!
Messier, but when I couldn't eat anything for REASONS I used to mash up sardines with salt and pepper and eat on crackers.
posted by chocotaco at 10:56 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

also coconut. brings some sweet and some healthy fats.
posted by acm at 11:11 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Barbeque peas or one of their many flavors
Crunchy chickpeas also with many flavors
Raisin Rosemary Crackers yummy with cheese
Honey roasted sesame sticks which can also be found in your health food bulk section
posted by biscuits at 11:15 AM on February 27, 2015

Response by poster: Oh, sorry... I should have also mentioned that I am super allergic to peas, which has given me big issues with things like edamame before, however, if steamed/cooked all to hell some peas are ok. So maybe dried edamame stuff would still be ok depending on how it's processed? Regardless, please feel free to suggest pea stuff! I can always try it out and see how it goes.

Thank you guys so much for suggestions so far.
posted by nogoodverybad at 11:24 AM on February 27, 2015

If you can still eat seeds, then I would just substitute large roasted seeds (e.g. sunflower and pumpkin) for nuts as the flavor, texture, and nutrition will be very similar.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:41 AM on February 27, 2015

Are oats ok?
posted by oceanjesse at 12:17 PM on February 27, 2015

Response by poster: Oats are fine.

Sorry for my ever-growing list of food allergies/sensitivities, they're all recent and I have problems remembering sometimes. :/ This is why I needed help.

The only other ones I know for sure/can think of right now are kiwi fruit. Everything else should be fine.
posted by nogoodverybad at 12:28 PM on February 27, 2015

I like to make my own granola -- lots of great recipes online. I include nuts, but obviously you do not need to include those in the mix. You could add seeds for crunch if you can have those (I like sesame, poppy, and sunflower). And, if you bake the granola a bit on the longer side (i.e. look for recipes that say "crunchy" in the title rather than "soft baked"), the oats part will be crunchy too, hooray!
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:47 PM on February 27, 2015

Make something like these with just sunflower seeds.

Pine nuts are seeds, I think, so you might want to give them a try because they are delicious.
posted by chaiminda at 1:07 PM on February 27, 2015

Roasted chickpeas, assuming they do not make you sick. Either make your own or you can buy them in bulk sometimes; they look like this. (I haven't tried that brand though.) Ditto for roasted, salted fava beans.
posted by jetlagaddict at 2:19 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

My boyfriend and I have also been bringing onigiri for our climbing weekends. Sushify some rice (unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar, salt). Sprinkle some furikake deliciousness on some saran wrap, add rice, and optional filling (whatever you want - we've done smoked salmon, pickled radishes, kimchi). Gather the corners of the saran wrap together and smoosh everything into a ball and twist the wrap to seal it. Delicious, compact, and will last a couple days. Don't refrigerate though, it makes the rice hard.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 2:33 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Also nut allergy here! You're wise to avoid all nuts, because they're often processed on the same equipment. And so are sesame seeds and sunflower seeds sometimes. When in doubt, I try to get sesame seeds from Japan because, I reason, they don't cook so much with nuts (don't burst my bubble.)

I'd add medjool dates to the mix. If you feel like pulverizing them, you can mix them with seeds and chocolate chips and honey and stuff to make protein balls.
posted by vitabellosi at 2:42 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Be careful with plain M&Ms. Many are made in the same facilities as peanut / peanut butter / almond M&Ms, and they may contain trace amounts of nuts that can trigger allergies. This is the case for a lot of chocolate candies (usually the package has a warning), so it may serve you well to find candy makers that are nut-free.
posted by nicebookrack at 5:12 PM on February 27, 2015

If you like Indian cuisine and chickpeas are okay for you to eat, the Indian snack mixes are awesome. While many include nuts, I feel like I've bought bags that were nut free and you can definitely make your own. This recipe gives a good example of the main ingredients.
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:53 AM on February 28, 2015