No NUTS

It seems like almost every raw recipe I’m interested in has nuts in it. My daughter has peanut allergies, so we have to stay away from ALL nuts for a couple more years until she is tested again. I don’t even want them in the house. This is a pretty common allergy now-a-days. Could there be a recipe category specifically for recipes with no nuts? It seems that many people would benefit from a category like this because of how common the allergy is. Or does anyone know if seeds typically make a good substitute for nuts?

Comments

  • A shame. This is a fairly common allergy, and people who get it are usually on the extreme end of the allergy spectrum. Meaning… the darned things will kill ya if you’re not careful.
    The odd thing is, peanuts (as most know) are an underground pea, and no relation to nuts at all.
    The problem rises on several fronts. Most nuts are processed on the same machinery as peanuts. This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but there is a guy out there who accidentaly killed his girlfriend by kissing her after eating a few peanuts. Nuff said?
    The other problem is that many nuts are cooked in oil. Not our problem, being raw foodists, but the M.D. is aware that many nuts are roasted with peanut oil, or a mixed ‘vegetable’ oil that may include peanuts, so he put a ‘blanket policy’ over all nuts to avoid potentially deadly mistakes.
    Aside from that, there is no reason most peanut-sensitive individuals cannot eat soy products (a pea, and similar to peanut in many ways) or nuts. However, a few people are cross-sensitive, so your doctor is probably just playing it safe.
    In the end, because of processing methods, any seed or nut you havn’t grown yourself may be russian roulette.
    Truely, a shame.
    I’m not sure of where you live, but have you considered growing a few sunflowers? You also might ask your doctor specifically about coconut. Pecans, walnuts and almonds are rarely a culprit in cross-alergy, but be sure of your source…and again, check with your doctor first.
    The main nuts for a cross-allergy are macadamia, brazil nuts, pistachio, cashews, hazelnuts, and pine nuts.

    .

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I’ve been using banana as an alternative to nuts. I make creamy salad dressings, smoothies and milks with them.
    Banana milk instead of nut/seed milk and it is lovey. Just banana and a couple of dates in the blender, and maybe some vanilla if you’re feeling decadent.

    For salad dressings, when you add salt to the banana, the banana taste goes away and it is just creamy. A good salad dressing is banana, garlic and salt whizzed in the blender.

    Sunflower seeds are also perfect as an alternative to nuts, also sesame and flax. Soak them first.

  • newbienewbie Raw Newbie

    There are lots of smoothies you can make without nuts. Also, if you decide to try seeds, some great ones with super high nutritional value are chia, hemp, flax, and sesame. The same amount of chia seed has 5 x more calcium than milk! I’m not a huge fan of nuts myself – a little goes a long way with me. Try substituting avocado for nuts in many of the recipes. Good luck!

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