Nuts are tasty, but if your child has a nut allergy, they should be completely excluded from the diet. However, there is a food with a sweet almond taste that can be used as an alternative: Tiger nuts. Although it is called the tiger nut, it is not a nut, but rathera tuber! A must-try!
Nut allergy
The allergy to nuts affects more and more people in France. Moreover, it is one of the most dangerous allergies. It affects about 1 in 200 people in Europe. Hypersensitivity to nuts is induced by contact with one of these fruits. Unfortunately, they are ubiquitous in industrial food products and are subject to mandatory declaration on product composition labels. As allergenic proteins are volatile, manufacturers have chosen to also declare the probable contamination of their products with these allergens (“possible traces of nuts” or “this product is manufactured in a workshop handling hazelnuts”).
Tiger nuts to replace almonds
Although its name seems to indicate otherwise, Tiger Nuts are definitely not a nut. In fact, it is a tuber, just like the potato. Although considered a weed by some farmers, Tiger Nuts have been cultivated since ancient times. Nowadays, these small tubers called“Tiger Nuts” have been thrust into the spotlight by the paleo diet as well as the aIP protocol for the management of autoimmune diseases. The taste is similar to that of almonds, but milder and sweeter. Its texture is rather crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Surprisingly, when soaked for several hours in water, yoghurt, milk or any other vegetable drink, it becomes crispy like a breakfast cereal. This makes it very interesting for people with gluten intolerance and a lack of crunchy textures. Tiger nuts are still not very easy to find in shops, but you can buy them online, whole, as flour or as flakes for rehydration.
What are the benefits of Tiger Nuts?
Due to its content of vitamins and mineralstiger nuts are considered to be an excellent source of superfood. Tiger nuts are a tuber with a higher starch content than nuts. In addition, it contains more proteinsand fibre andantioxidants than other tubers. Among the potential health benefits of tiger nuts are the reduction of gas, cholesterol, cholesterol levels and weight loss blood sugar as well as being a weight loss booster.
An alternative to nuts
Let’s start by saying that Tiger Nuts are safe for people with nut allergies. As mentioned earlier, it is not related to nuts and can be safely consumed by people with allergies. Regularly eaten in North Africa and Spain, it is also known as Chufa. The easiest way to consume the tiger nut is whole, as a snack or as an appetizer for example. Tiger nut flour is used in cooking to replace some of the traditional flour or to make sweet sauces and Tiger nut butter spreads. It is also an interesting alternative to nut, almond or peanut powders in all recipes that require them. So be creative and use nuts to replace all nuts in your recipes: cake batter, biscuits, crumbles, cereal bars, granola and even to sprinkle on your salads.
Can I make Tiger Nut butter?
Tiger nut butter is the peanut-free “peanut butter” that all allergy sufferers dream of! It is made from Tiger Nut flour, avocado oil and other flavourings to create a tasty spread. In addition, nut butter can be used in the same way as peanut butter.
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral-tasting oil
- 3/4 cup tiger nut flour
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Simply mix the ingredients with a fork or whisk and transfer the mixture to an airtight jar. This nut butter without nuts can be kept for about ten days in the fridge… If you haven’t devoured it before! Sources https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33260341/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7362075/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12798114/
