Help!

[ek327]

My daughter's school has a very limited snack list due to many peanut allergies in the school. she has been diagnosed with celiac this summer. The school has agreed to expand the snack list, but it must be peanut free. they currently have cheerios, plain; goldfish, cheese-flavored only; and plain ricecakes (yuck). We need some ideas for healthy starchy snacks that my 7 year old will eat, that are gluten free and peanut free.

they do allow yogurt, cheese, fruit and veggies. But we really want a starchy option for her as well to be able to mix it up.

she likes the pretzels, but only if dipped in ranch--not on the snack list. she loves carrots, but only if dipped in ranch. she is picky about fruit. will only eat yogurt on occassion. don't want to give cheese every day.

she is not really that picky of an eater, believe it or not.

thanks for your ideas.

[Amyleigh0007]

What about Glutino crackers? Or, corn tortillas? You can put anything into a tortilla. My son likes a slice of turkey wrapped around string cheese. Bagels and cream cheese? Rice Chex? There are many gluten free cereals.

[frec]

Perhaps she would like Snapeas? They are made from peas and rice oil and salt (I don't have a bag to double check exact ingredients right now)--kind of healthy Cheetos. I get them at Albertsons and Trader Joe's. My nine year old students like them. I hope my school doesn't ban peanuts or I will starve...

[Juliebove]

Gluten free breadsticks, potato chips, Fritos, popcorn, Rice Chex, Enjoy Life cookies.

[Darn210]

I'm assuming the snacks have to be prepackaged? Nothing made at home since they can't verify peanut-free status?

Back to Nature White Cheddar Rice Thins (they have Sesame Ginger and Tomato Herb)

Baked Tostitos

[April in KC]

My DS#1 has Celiac and peanut allergy (anaphylactic)...also allergic to soy, pork and oranges. The only allergen we worry about contact with is peanut.

Hmmm...starchy foods... I second this list: "Gluten free breadsticks, potato chips, Fritos, popcorn, Rice Chex, Enjoy Life cookies." I consider those to be good choices, too. We have used Glutino breadsticks without peanut reaction. On potato chips, watch out for Kettle cooked potato chips possibly fried in peanut oil - or those that share a facility. I imagine you might want to work with the parent of the PA child if possible on checking out the specific brands. I know if a parent called me and asked me to check out brands for peanut safety, I would be happy to do it. PA is a huge nightmare - because of DS's sensitivity and history of mystery reactions, we call manufacturers pretty regularly. Shared facility with peanut-containing foods = bad idea for the peanut allergic. Really similar to gluten in that regard - just very different types of reactions.

If you're not so sensitive to gluten as to have a problem with Frito-Lay products (they have a small disclaimer at the bottom of the gluten-free list), I think their website has a list of the snacks they consider to be either safe or unsafe for peanut allergy - and a list that is considered free of gluten. You can cross reference the two lists and come up with a good selection.

Another idea...you could come up with your list and then post it to a peanut allergy board for help in validating. There is a small but good board over at allergy.hyperboards DOT com.

Good luck!

[RiceGuy]

I guess one snack would be gluten-free cookies. They should freeze well, so you could make a batch, and they'd last awhile. Unlike gluten-free breads, gluten-free cookies are pretty easy to make. You can find all sorts of cookie and other snack recipes here. What about pudding? Tapioca pudding is essentially all starch, accept for whatever fruit and such you put in it. If you sweeten these treats with Stevia, they won't be so unhealthy as they would be with sugar (Open Original Shared Link is an all-natural sweetener, derived from an herb). It is so sweet, it takes less than a teaspoon to sweeten an entire pie (I use 1/2 tsp).

[April in KC]

Rice Guy's pudding suggestion reminds me...Kozy Shack pudding is a hit at our house. They have great labeling (packaging even says "gluten free"), and they don't make any peanut-containing products. They make several varieties of individually sized puddings...of course my kids like the chocolate the best. My oldest son also likes the flan (contains egg). I like the rice pudding.

I find mine in the small sizes at Wal-Mart.

About making homemade cookies - it depends on whether the peanut allergic child is going to eat the cookies or not. If they're just for the other kids to eat (with the PA child bringing a snack from home), that might be fine. But asking a peanut allergic kid to eat something homemade is kind of like asking a Celiac to eat something homemade from your gluten-containing kitchen. Some kids with PA react to as little as 6 mg of protein - a typical single peanut contains 150 - 300 mg of protein. It depends on the parent's comfort zone. Those whose kids have never had anaphylactic reactions are often more relaxed...we used to be.

[ek327]

Thanks everybody. we went on a snack tasting frenzy this weekend. I have sent a couple ideas to the school. the other issue, of course, is that it has to be "healthy". no chips, cookies, etc.

what we ended up with:

Corn Stix (made by the veggie booty people); polenta chips; flat earth veggie chips (they do have oat flour, but we have been ok with that). emma did not like the peas, but my husband did. She hated the veggie booty. she will not eat the glutino crackers--even the cheese flavored. also, added the glutino or ener-g pretzels.

the cheddar rice cakes are made in a facility that processes peanuts, so that was out. (besides, they have blue cheese). the popcorn flavored ones are good, but again, same facility as peanuts.

janet

[April in KC]

I thought of another couple of snack ideas... applesauce in single serve containers (we like Musselman's) and pretty much any Lundberg rice cake type product...Lundberg phased out peanut ingredients a while back, and even their honey nut flavor does not contain real nuts.

I know you're looking for starch...but I wanted to mention that my 7--year-old is a big fan of the kind of yogurt tubes you squeeze directly into your mouth. Same thing for the kefir and probiotic type things like ProBugs.

There is a potato snack called Cheecha Krackles that comes in a gluten-free variety...a little healthier than your typical potato chip, but hard to find. You can buy them online. My son also likes Natural Cheetos - a bit healthier than regular Cheetos (no dyes, preservatives, etc., with the added advantage of no da-glo orange fingers). My kids hated Veggie Booty, too.

You might want to check wiht the school and or parents of the peanut allergic child to find out if the child is actually eating the snack, or is bringing their own snack from home. The rules might be there just to cut down on the amount of peanut residue in the classroom. If the parent is sending in the child's snacks, they might be comfortable with the broader classroom list including things made in shared facilities, as long as they do not contain actual peanut ingredients.

That's where I currently am with my kid...we send all his food, and the rest of the class eats snacks that do not contain peanuts...we don't hold the class snack list to the "no shared facility" standard, because our child is not eating the snack.

I know several parents of peanut allergic children - most of us with older kids who have seen the "allergic march" and have watched increasing severity of reactions no longer let our kids eat anything that does not come from home. Even the best teachers can have an off day and think they read the label right, and miss. It happened to our son when in preschool - and he wound up in the ER with cardiac symptoms, blue lips and unresponsive. We don't blame the teacher--it's just when we realized that all food needed to come from home, for everyone's protection. But it's not uncommon for parents with kids who have not suffered big reactions to still allow their kids to share snacks with others. (Sorry, don't mean to go off on a tangent here...it's rare that my Celiac world and peanut allergy world intersect.)

[amybeth]

Some of these ideas may help you......

I've had Smart Food popcorn with no reaction...don't know about their facilities, though.

Tostitos

Dora the Explorer Cinnamon Stars cereal

Go-gurt (Yogurt in a tube)

Raisins

Yogurt Covered Cranberries (by Sunmaid, I think)

Fruit Cups

Glutino Pretzels

Almonds (Sorry,would this interfere w/ peanut allergy? I don't know)

[crittermom]

how about banana chips? most produce sections have them and boy they are a hit in my house! Good luck!

[betsyabailey]

Pirate Booty... it's like cheetos but natural and gluten-free PF good luck