professorbob

Does anyone know of any readily available peanut/treenut free energy bars? My son (age 12) and I did a 4 day tour last year, and it was difficult finding food that he could carry in his jersey pocket. Fruit will get smashed too easily (wouldn't bother me, but kids don't like smooshed bananas, unless they're in a milkshake). Food allergies can be tough to work around sometimes. We'll probably do a similar tour this year and having something for him to munch on during a break can make things go smoother.

dwellman

Does that include Soy and/or sunflower?

Other than that, Cliff Shot Roks and Shot Blocks. Also like Sport Beans. Fig bars are a classic. I mean you're talking about stuff you can pick up along the way. . or?

professorbob

Dwellman, he likes Shotblocks, but they're sometimes hard to find. The Fig Newton idea is one that I'm going to drop on him-strawberry newtons as well. He might go for them. Seeds and soy are fine, but he is also allergic to Sesame.

Staggerwing

Yeah, I have a 15YO son allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.

He just went on a week long Appalachian Trail trip were most of his peers spend the day slowly fueling on peanut laden GORP. His mix was dark chocolate M&M's, raisins and quality beef jerkey. Hard to trust ANY of the energy bars, as even the ones without an explicit nut ingredient are generally labeled as made in a facility that processes nuts.

As previously noted, fig bars are great. Even the son, who is somewhat of a picky eater, likes 'em.

dwellman

More ideas:

Cereal bars (NutriGrain bars, Kroger/Smiths Fruit and Grain, ect.). Pop tarts. Gogurt (yougurt in a tube. . freeze it first and it will probably still be cool by snack time.).

Bacciagalupe

I'm not sure I'd trust the energy bar makers on this one, too many of the facilities are likely to use peanuts. I'd look into making your own energy bars, as well as mixing your own dextrose / maltodextrin drinks.

The "Training and Nutrition" subforum is a better spot to ask questions like this.

Machka 

Chocolate chip cookies.

I'd only eat "energy bars" if there were absolutely nothing else available.

professorbob

We've done the cereal bars, but a lot of them have nuts as well. Certain cookies are good too. We have always avoided M+M's as there are peanut M+M's as well. However, his allergist showed him how he can do his own scratch tests with a toothpick and the food in question, having benedryl cream and an epi pen handy. However, I specifically do not recommend this for other people-see your own allergist before attempting any such thing. In any case, it turns out that he hasn't had any bad reactions to M+M's. So that's a good new possibility.

So, I can get the sugar and carbs into him. Now to find the protein. String cheese, maybe. He likes gogurt, but I think that would have wait for a supermarket stop, as there's really no way to keep it cold during a tour. The manufacturers mostly all use nuts/peanuts for protein. Ahh-I just thought... Beef jerkey. He likes that.

So just flushing this out has reminded me of good possibilities, so thanks to all!

Machka 

Can he eat almonds and cashews?

Remember that this is a tour, and tours involve taking a break from the bicycle and eating sit-down snacks and meals.

Have a good breakfast in the morning ... stop at a fruit stand, market, or bakery mid-morning for a snack ... stop at a grocery store at lunch and pick up buns, meat, cheese, and tomatoes to make sandwiches for lunch ... stop at a bakery or convenience store to pick up a snack mid-afternoon ... and get something to eat for dinner and an evening snack later in the day.

When you stop for snacks, lunch, etc. look for yogurt, beef jerky, potato chips, fruit, baked goods, chocolate bars, etc., etc. ... take a walk through your local grocery store tomorrow and see what sorts of things you can find. Many times I've picked up something perishable (like yogurt and certain fruits) on my snack stops, and I've eaten it right there and then.

I usually carry cookies or crackers or something when I ride on a tour, just in case, but most of the time there are enough places to stop to pick up snacks along the way I rarely have to dip into my cookie collection.

DSchlichting

I'm allergic to peanuts and nuts. I use Clif Bar Cool Mint Chocolate and some of the Lunas such as Lemon Zest, Dulche de Leche and Chocolate Peppermint Stick. No problems.

professorbob

Machka, he's allergic to peanuts, tree nuts (which includes almond and cashews). Too bad, because i love them both. DSchlichting, those are some good ideas.

staehpj1

Energy bars get tiresome pretty quickly in my experience. My favorite jersey pocket snack is fig newtons. Of the energy products, I like Gu Chomps the best, but more often have fig newtons or some other "non sport specific food" in my jersey pocket. Dried fruits work well and are fairly available.

FWIW, I have never found it difficult to carry bananas in a jersey pocket without having them get mashed as long as they aren't too ripe to start with.

dwellman

Jelly beans (sport beans, especially) and gumdrops

professorbob

I think he'd heartily approve of the jelly bean idea. However, I think dried fruit, which I think he'd also like would balance it out. Great ideas!