Nuts, all kinds
Avoid — On the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows, or restricted almost everywhere.
Nuts are dense, hard and irregular, and fragments survive chewing intact. They are the food most often named first when a leaflet lists what can cause a blockage, and they appear in the same short group as seeds, popcorn, sweetcorn, mushrooms, celery and dried fruit, where every source compared for this book agrees.
The form does not help
Ground almonds in a cake, chopped hazelnuts on a pudding, pine nuts in a sauce, a praline, a nut oil with sediment in it. All of these are out during the restrictive phase. So is chocolate with nut pieces, and so are cakes and biscuits containing them.
Where hospitals differ
Only about smooth nut butters, and only about peanut butter specifically. Several trusts allow smooth peanut butter while restricting nuts in every other form. The leaflet this book follows does not, and neither does this book. See peanut butter.
What to use instead
Where a recipe wants crunch, toasted cornflake crumb or a crisp white breadcrumb topping does the same job, and both are allowed. Where it wants richness, cream, butter and hard cheese are the direction to go. Where it wants a nutty flavour, browned butter gets closer than anything else.
Coming back
Nuts sit at the last stage of most reintroduction plans, alongside seeds, pulses and dried fruit, which means they are among the last things to return rather than among the first. Your team decides when.
Swaps
- Instead of Nut toppings on salads, granola or cakes, use Toasted cornflake crumb, or a crisp white breadcrumb topping
- Nuts are excluded in every form on this diet, so the same crunch comes from toasted cornflakes or breadcrumbs instead.
- Instead of Crunchy peanut satay sauce, use A smooth, nut-free curry-cream sauce
- Peanuts are excluded in every form, including sauces, so the same rich, warming sauce comes from cream and ground spice with no nuts at all.