Snacks to Go

My son has always been into things he could chew — munching on celery at 10 months but pushing away purees. Now that he sees other toddlers eating chips and pretzels and cereal, he really wants more crunchy options than rice crackers. One new gluten-free option our local My Organic Market just started carrying is the new Mary’s Gone Crackers Sticks & Twigs. I like that these have no corn in addition to not having any gluten or dairy ingredients and being organic. There is a small amount of soy from wheat-free tamari. We have enjoyed the sea salt and the curry flavors but haven’t tried the chipotle. My husband can’t tolerate quinoa, which is in these snacks, so they don’t get eaten up by anyone but us!

We also like the breakfast crusts and mineral rich crusts from Mauk Family Farms. They claim that “All seeds have been germinated and then dehydrated at 105 degrees,” which should make them more digestible. At least they are not extruded, a process Sally Fallon discusses in the “Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry,” an article taken from her 2002 talk, a version of which I heard her give at the Weston A. Price Foundation‘ s fall 2007 conference.

Real, whole foods – nuts, vegetables, fruit, meat — are always better, but when something dry and more complex is demanded, these are some of the options I reach for.