lot's wife

I'm trying to eat healthier, but have allergies to both fruits and nuts. I assume this would rule out most any smoothie. Any suggestions on alternative foods? I try to eat lots of vegetables and beans, but am tiring of my typical meals.

dsotm

So, I'm assuming you have a treenut allergy and a peanut allergy. What fruits are you allergic to? Are you allergic to seeds (hemp, flax, sesame, sunflower)?

tadawdy

Have you tried different grains? Quinoa is great in place of rice (and an 85% BV complete plant protein, on par w/soy). It's also available almost anywhere these days. Amaranth can be great if prepared correctly. Steel cut oats beat the old pressed (quaker oats style) by far.

there are lots of ways to shake up your diet. You can make a meal based on a food you don't usually eat (like grabbing an eggplant at the store and doing something novel with it), or cook in a style you haven't before or don't usually. you should be able to substitute around the foods you can't eat. it takes effort to not eat the same things you usually do. just ask anyone trying to lose weight.

dsotm

Some other good, tasty, less used grains are millet, barley, rye, buckwheat, and teff. Also try some older forms of wheat like triticale as well. Go to a place with a good bulk foods section (whole foods is one) and take a sampling of several items to try. As far as smoothies go, you can still mix a protein powder with some sort of carb (oatmuscle from protein factory is one that is healthy and tasty) and and some sort of fat source for a complete and quick meal.

lot's wife

Tree nut yes, peanuts no. I can eat peanuts and cashews for some reason. From what I understand peanuts are in the Legume family and are okay. I think being able to eat cashews may have something to do with the preparation. I guess even "raw" cashews are cooked or they'd otherwise be poisonous.

As far as fruits it's most everything, citrus, apples, melons, bananas, cucumbers, avocado. I haven't really thought about different seeds as part of my diet, I can eat seeds.

I haven't really thought about different grains, I'll look into Quinoa and Amaranth. I just need to look for recipes I suppose. I do love steel cut oats and eat them a lot with yogurt.

I'll definitely try out the "protein powder with some sort of carb (oatmuscle from protein factory is one that is healthy and tasty)."

I've just gotten into a pattern of eating the same things and given my student's budget, the one overpriced co-op store in my town, and the overwhelming variety of the foods that they sell that I've never hear of I have trouble knowing where to start.

jef09

Can you eat fruit if it is cooked? If so you can try cooking it in a bit of OJ with some honey. Once cooked down, I usually put it in a blender and create a soup. I mix it with yogurt or I can add it to a smoothie.

I have several food allergies myself, and sympathize with your plight.

ericm979

It sounds like you may have the same allergies I recently developed at age 45. I am allergic to tree nuts and stone fruit. If I eat one of those my throat tingles and swells. A fast-acting melt-in-the-mouth Loratadine takes care of the symptoms if I accidentally injest one of those foods. I think this is related to hayfever, which I have had since I was a kid. I have seen this set of symptoms described as "Birch allergy", and being allergic to mellons can be a part of it for some people.

If the fruit is well cooked I can eat it without symptoms. That does not appear to work for nuts.

Unless your symptoms are bad (i.e. going into shock), try eating small amounts of new fruits to see what you can and can't eat. Or get an allergist to do a profile. Once you know what's ok, then you can start shopping wisely and paying attention to labels. You are going to have to get in the practice of reading labels. Learning how to cook if you don't already know would be a big bonus as well.

It's a hassle for sure. It especially bums me out since nectarines are my favorite fruit. My wife makes cooked nectarine desserts sometimes but it's not the same as fresh. It's especially probematic when you do supported century rides. I have to examine all the food for signs of nuts before I touch any. I probably look like a wierdo but there's not much I can do about it. I bring extra food in case I can't eat anything, and I have the Clif bar flavors that I can eat memorized. I also carry some Loratadine in my seat bag just in case. If you have serious symptoms I suggest getting an Epi-pen.

AnthonyG

Avoiding nuts and fruit doesn't rule much out at all. I generally don't eat either on a regular basis and I don't feel like I have a restricted diet.

May I suggest taking some advanced cooking classes with a chef who runs such courses somewhere near you. I did this once and even though I was a decent cook before hand it really does make a difference to learn some professional basics.

The open secret to good food is that the flavor is in the stock and the fats you use. I can cook something as simple as bok choy day after day after day and you NEVER get sick of it as long as you cook it well in good stock (you have to make it, you cant buy it) and in my case beef dripping or lard.

Being paranoid of fat isn't going to help. Low fat food tastes like cardboard and this is a scientific fact. They have done the blind trials and we all DO like fat despite what anyone may claim if a fit of political correctness.

OK, I'm RANTING now but do look for an opportunity to take a short course with a chef.

Anthony

ericm979

It's different when you are allergic to those things. Then you find out how many foods contain small amounts of them.
Q: How many Clif bar flavors have fruit or nuts in them?
A: all of 19 them, except "Iced Gingerbread" (yuck)

AnthonyG

Well this is kind of why I taught myself to cook again and took a series of classes with a Chef which was really useful just so I could avoid processed/packaged food.

Processed food is rubbish anyway even if it DOESN'T contain the foods you are allergic to.

Anthony

dsotm

Notice that he isn't necessarily looking for processed food...... Also, avoiding food is different from simply not eating it on a regular basis, but if you're allergic to foods, you CAN'T eat them and therefore you have to always plan ahead for your next meal. I agree though, actually learning to cook can be very helpful.

P.S. Nevermind the Buckwheat recommendation, it's technically a fruit.

lot's wife

Think I might try to take some classes at the community college. There are not a lot of classes here outside of that. It's a pretty small town. And I have no fear of fat.

Yeah, I can eat I think two clif bar flavors. Chcolate something and a peanut butter one. The iced gingerbread is awful.

Think I might try this. I can drink the really cheap oj and I think that has something to do with how processed it is. Also apple pie sometimes doesn't bother me, not really sure why some to and some don't .

Oh and I think I will see an allergist when my student loan comes through. And try the melting Loratadine.