Seeds, all kinds (sesame, poppy, chia, linseed, pumpkin)
Avoid — On the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows, or restricted almost everywhere.
Seeds are on every avoid list compared for this book. Sesame, poppy, chia, linseed, pumpkin and sunflower are all restricted, and so are the seeds that come attached to a fruit rather than sprinkled on a loaf.
The reason is straightforward. A seed is built to survive digestion. That is its entire purpose in the life of the plant, and it does the job well.
Where they hide
Seeds are the easiest thing in this diet to eat without noticing. A seeded bagel, a granary loaf, a sesame breadstick, a crispbread, the poppy seeds on a burger bun. Jam and marmalade with seeds or peel in it. Wholegrain mustard, which is whole mustard seeds in suspension. Whole spices left in a dish, such as cumin, mustard seed or cardamom pods. A vanilla pod scraped into a custard leaves visible black seeds, which is why the recipes here call for extract.
The practical rule is to read the label on anything baked and anything in a jar, and to choose plain versions of everything.
Where hospitals differ
They do not. Seeds sit in the small group of foods where the leaflet this book follows, St George's, Leeds and Oxford all agree without qualification.
What to use instead
Where a seed was there for texture, finely grated hard cheese gives a similar finish on a savoury dish, and a toasted white breadcrumb works on a baked one. Where it was there for looks, leave it off. Seedless jam, lemon curd and honey replace a seeded preserve exactly.
Swaps
- Instead of Seeds sprinkled on food, such as chia, flax, sesame or poppy, use Leave out, or use finely grated cheese for texture and flavour
- Seeds are too small and hard to break down fully, so grated cheese gives the same finishing texture without the risk.
- Instead of Chia seed pudding, use Classic rice pudding or blancmange as a make-ahead pudding pot
- Chia seeds are seeds however they are prepared, so a make-ahead rice pudding or blancmange gives the same pudding-pot convenience without them.