Not too long ago, I had a reader ask me about what kind of snacks Sophie likes to eat; snacks that are free of gluten, nuts, etc. While we do have a few products from companies we can trust, her day-to-day diet is based on whole foods. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen!
Above is a picture of one of her lunches from last week. I made her a salad with creamy avocado honey mustard dressing, olives, a chicken burger and french fries (cooked in coconut oil).
Even though she has many food allergies, we celebrate what we can eat and we continually come up with new fun ideas for recipes.
But sometimes it's nice to grab a quick snack, so we are lucky to have a handful of products that we can eat from companies we can trust.
Companies that are happy to disclose the details of their manufacturing process, so you can rest assured that you are not going to be ingesting nuts, gluten, dairy -- etc, by accident.
Here's a list of 5 of Sophie's favorite gluten-free and nut-free snacks.
Snack 1: Plantain Chips
We discovered Inka Crops Plantain Chips a couple of years ago. They are the perfect alternative to corn chips. Sophie loves them! They also have Cassava Chips, Sweet Plantain, Sweet Potato Chips and Mixed Chips (plantains, cassava, sweet potato). We love them all!
Snack 2: Dulse Strips
Dulse is a type of seaweed and it's high in iron, some b-vitamins and offers a unique taste. Sophie loves to snack on the dulse strips. You can also buy dulse flakes and add to soup, salad or other dishes. We buy the whole dulse strips by Maine Coast Sea Vegetables.
Snack 3: Organic Candy by St. Claire's
St. Claire's Organics is feingold approved and specializes in allergen-free candies. We like their soothers in a variety of flavors: lemon, licorice, wintermint, peppermint, tummy soothers and more. They happen to be a local company, and we're going to their factory this week for a tour and to pick up a bulk quantity of the candy for Sophie's birthday pinata!
Each of their tins come with a fun quote inside too, for example: "Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. - Lao-Tzu"
Snack 4: Dried Fruit
Sophie loves the mangos and apples by Bare Fruit Snacks. They are oven baked and organic.
Made in Nature brings us a variety of organic dried fruit, including: figs, plums, mangoes, apricots and apples. The dried apples are soft and squishy almost like marshmallows (in comparision to the baked apple chips from Bare Fruit Snacks which are crunchy chips).
Snack 5: Amy & Brian's Coconut Water
I recently wrote out Amy & Brian's, their coconut water is very refreshing and has a lot of nutrients in it for a quick snack to keep you going! We drink it plain mostly, but it's also good to add to smoothies.
Where can I buy these products?
Good question. I have provided the websites for each of the brands so you can go to "store locator" or call them and find out. All I can tell you is where I buy them in our region (Colorado). That may help some of you, but for everyone else just go on a hunt for the products. If your natural foods market doesn't carry them, ask! That's how we've gotten a lot of our favorite products in, simply by requesting them.
In the Colorado region or online:
Inka Crops Plantain Chips (Vitamin Cottage (some locations), Lucky's Market, Alfalfa's Market, Buy online directly from Inka Crops or Amazon.com)
Made in Nature dried fruit (Sprouts, Costco, Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Amazon.com)
Bare Fruit Snacks (Sprouts, Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Amazon.com)
Coast of Maine Sea Vegetables - Dulse Strips (Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods)
St. Claire's Organic Candy (Lucky's Market, Alfalfa's Market, Locally at St. Claire's Factory, online at driect from St. Claire's or Amazon.com)
Amy and Brian's Coconut Water (Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods, Amazon.com)
Please note: everyone has different food alleriges, so keep in mind that this is a list of products that work for us. If you or your child has severe food allergies or celiac disease, please take it upon yourself to call the companies and inquire about their facility. Use our suggestions as a guide. And because companies may change their ingredients and/or manufacturing processes, it's a good idea to keep a heads up by calling them from time to time.
