Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Snacks etc

Having trouble finding snacks that my family can afford. We're not poor but alot of things seem to be really expensive and are out of the question.

My main snacks are:
- dark chocolate
- grapes
- Pineapple
- Raisons
Running out of options a bit.

Macadamias are like $5.00 per 100g which is crazy
Walnuts are like 3:00 per 100g which is also pretty expensive

I don't think i can tolerate dairy because i had a crazy flare after having greek yoghurt and starch free ice cream.

Saw fudge was 0 in the starch content list, is this ok to eat or not? Too much sugar id imagine.

Would appreciate any tips,
Cheers

I like homemade "jello" made from unflavored gelatin, fruit flavoring (e.g. orange oil), honey, and raisins. Honey is easier to digest than table sugar, which is why I start from plain gelatin and use that as sweetener. You can make it stiff and cut it in cubes so it's finger food, like the "Knox blocks" my mom used to make for us as kids.
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/gallery.php?rid=281669

If you're interested guess I could come up with a recipe, though I don't usually measure everything when cooking.

Also there's one more thing you could try for dairy, which is pure goat or sheep cheeses. That could help if allergy to cow milk causes the flares (rather than just the lactose). Those ain't exactly cheap though. Hard cheeses have less lactose than soft cheeses if you do want to try.

some have less options than you the sollution is to try and spend more time at home and make homemade stuff to replace those you must buy.

Seb,

The home made jelly cubes are a great idea! Making them yourself means that you can adjust the sweetness to your own taste, and if you're wanting to be careful about how much sugar you're getting you can cut it back too. That reminded me that I've made jelly and mixed it with desicated coconut and topped it with some coconut milk as a snack. But if you're buying packet jelly do double check the ingredients, as some brands also use dextrose, and it is better for you to avoid that. Gelatin has some really great stuff in it for healing the gut so will be a good addition to your diet.

I know coconut flour does seem expensive, but it is well worth it as a little does go a long way. If you can get some of that it will really open up the variety of snacks that you could make. Time to get creative in the kitchen! Can you get mum on board for this? Tinks recently posted here her method for making a rough flour from desicated coconut, as she couldn't find any where she lives. You could give this a go in the meantime if you've got something you could grind it with. Desicated coconut is pretty cheap and easily available. Someone else posted recently on making your own desicated coconut which made me wonder if drying the store bought desicated coconut out a little in the oven or even in a frying pan, cooling it and then grinding it would help you make something that is closer to the flour you buy. But you'd need to toast the coconut very carefully, as I think it would be very easy to burn it. You could then make muffins and things, that would help fill you up. Tinks, have you got any pointers for Seb for baking with your home made flour?

Grinding your own coconut flour
Making desicated coconut

To make things dairy free, when butter is required, you could try replacing it with coconut oil, shortening, lard, or probably even Kremelta (although coconut oil would be better than this).

I've had a quick look through some of the recipes for things that are dairy free (or could be done dairy free) and that don't use coconut flour. But, lots of these use ground almonds, and these can be a little on the expensive side too. You can get the little 'Tasti' brand packets in the baking section, or check out the bulk bin section at the supermarket.


Almond Poppy Crackers
Another great website to check out for recipes and ideas is Elena's Pantry , she has a sesame version here, and if you search on her website has some variations on these. Topping crackers with some meat or slices of boiled egg, cucumber, and mayo would be a great snack.
Use Tortilla to make an open sandwich.
Kiwi's slice
Almond butter biscuits Have you got a food processor or blender? If so, you could have a go at making the almond butter as that would be cheaper than buying it in NZ.
Granola bars - This one has no butter, and as Laurie did you could use honey instead of agave syrup. But DO NOT use sunflower seeds... they do test starchy. Replace with more pumpkin, almond slivers or sesame seeds.
Another variation granola bar , but leave out the spices.

For some other dairy free savoury snacks, veges dipped in mayo or mayo mixed with a hard boiled egg (like when you make egg sandwiches, but leave out the pepper!) or tuna and mayo will give you some fat and protein to help keep your energy levels up. Or egg or tuna and mayo on crackers...

Hello Seb

Ok, cheap starch and dairy free snack options...

-Rolled up ham / cold meat
-veggie sticks
-coconut flour baking you could substitute vegetable oil for butter on some recipes I'm sure. For muffins, I usually use veg oil instead of melted butter anyway.

Will try to get brain in gear and think of more things... In someways the dairy bit is trickier that the starch. Need to get brain thinking along different line with the dairy obstacle.

Well done for sticking with it Seb, you are doing great. It's a rotten disease alright. I hope you get out of your flare again soon.

I know what you mean about the cost of food. You don't have to be "poor" to feel the pinch of eating a specialised diet. Starch is such a cheap-filler food and takes some replaceing does't it?

Take care,
Tink

Hey Seb
Kids are going to a party in a mo - haven't got any more time for a couple of hours - but will pop back on later this afternoon.

Coconut flour can be hard to get hold of or very expensive, so wanted to tell you about another idea...

Back soon!

Tink

Seb,

If you have intolerances to dairy, ghee is MUCH safer. It has no lactose and is casein free (the two things that usually get people into trouble with dairy). Some people consider it more of an oil than a dairy product. In MHO, it even tastes better. In India it is considered a medicinal food and is obviously very fattening (HOOORAY!) You should be able to get away with using it for cooking.

Good luck,
Stacey

Hey seb - i've cut out dairy too, it does cut down on snack options.

Coconut flour is expensive but goes a very long way as kurumi pointed out, i'd be lost without my coconut snacks right now
I also figure i'm not spending on all the other foods i used to eat/buy so I can allow a splurge every now and again.

My usuals snacks are pecans (can get fairly cheap here in Georgia, USA), almonds, raisins, cranberries, dried cherries.
grapes, kiwi
Plus the baked almond and coconut goodies,
hard-boiled eggs,
Meatballs- ground turkey, hamburg and/or pork mix with egg and herbs or chopped spinach, celery whatever you like or plain. They keep in fridge for quick bites.

I've started grinding my own almonds for almond flour baked goods in my coffee grinder, don't know if you have a source for bulked dry goods but that can be cheaper.

Homemade jello great idea - i'm going to give it a go myself

celery sticks
cucumber rounds with seeds taken out and skins off
I love bell pepper strips but understand these can aggravate arthritis (i only eat on occasion myself)

Are melons in season? there's that option

Fudge is usually made with dairy - i've not found a dairy free option- maybe try making with coconut milk since its thick, but its also high in sugar and if you try to substitute or lower the amount there's a good chance it won't set. Another sweet option are meringues and macaroons - its only egg and sweetener, honey works well and i've made them without sweetner and just the dried coconut (really good dipped in melted chocolate).


Best wishes and know you're not alone, mary cay

Thanks for all the help everyone.

I'm feeling ALOT better today and hope it lasts. I've had so many up and downs on this diet but i think im starting to understand what is triggering these flares. It's like you're a detective sometimes, lol. I think i found out why i flared recently. I ate quite alot of roasted salted cashews, a kiwifruit that was very starchy, and an avocado that was also starchy. I think the cashews were the main problem, they were quite high in starch on that list.

Thanks for the tips, i need some coconut flour desperately!! I'll get my mum onto it when she gets back from my sisters gymnastics competition, they're away for a few days.

Cheers,
Seb

Stacey,

Sorry what's Ghee?