Eating low oxalate is a necessity for those of us who struggle with crystal formation and accumulation, and although it sometimes has it’s challenges, it doesn’t have to be boring! Traditional trail mixes are full of nuts and other high oxalate ingredients. They have never been an option for the low oxalate crowd, until now!! I love the idea of a home made trail mix, because you can control how much and which ingredients to include. Did you know that Baruka (aka - Baru) nuts are low oxalate?! They are so tasty, like a cross between an almond and cocoa. The baruka nut (which is actually a seed) has become the foundation for this trail mix recipe, because of it’s amazing flavor, crunch and nutritional profile.

Baruka nuts (which are actually seeds belonging to the legume family) are an environmentally friendly crop that is resistant to pests, require minimal water and fertilizer to grow and they are low in toxins like molds and aflatoxins (which other nuts tend to be high in). they are a great source of protein, fiber, healthy fats, polyphenols, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc. You can use them in recipes the same way you would use any other nut: chopped up on top of yogurt, as a nut butter, add them to energy bars, cookies and trail mixes like this!

I try to keep the sugar content low in each of these little snack baggies which are great for on-the-go, but clearly you can arrange them any way you would like! I was including about 5-6 white chocolate chips and 3-4 of the pineapple passion fruit chewies with a sprinkle of the dried cherries. Remember that dried fruits are higher in sugar and oxalate content so moderation is the key to keeping this snack healthy.

Baruka nuts vitamins and minerals:

• Phosphorus: 833 mg (67% DV)

• Iron: 5 mg (28% DV)

• Potassium: 833 mg (18% DV)

• Calcium: 167 mg (13% DV)

Baruka nuts contain a wide variety of polyphenols, including (5, 6):

• Hydroxycinnamic acids: caffeic acid, ellagic acid, ferulic acid

• Flavonols: quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin

• Flavanols: Catechin, epicatechin

INGREDIENTS & LINKS

• Re-sealable snack baggies which can also be heat sealed

• Baruka (Baru) Nuts (oxalate @ 2mg per 1/4 cup)

• Pineapple + Passion Fruit chewies (oxalate - fresh pineapple @ 1-3mg per 1/4 cup and fresh passion fruit @ 1mg per 1/4 cup)

• White chocolate chips at Azure Standard (use Coupon Code HealthyJess20 for a discount) or Amazon

• Dried cherries (oxalate @ 2-3mg per 1/4 cup)

Other add-in options allow you to change it up a bit (to be used with caution on additional oxalate compounding):

• Sprouted, salted sunflower seeds or unsalted sprouted sunflower seeds (oxalate @ 6mg per 1/4 cup)

• Freeze dried blueberries (oxalate @ 1-4mg per 1/4 cup FRESH blueberries)

• Cut up dates (it’s important to buy Medjool dates which are lower in oxalate which is @2-3mg per 1/4 cup FRESH dates)

• Dried mango, pineapple and/or banana (oxalate @ 1.5mg per 1/4 cup FRESH mango and 8mg per medium FRESH banana)

• Dried papaya (oxalate @ 1-2mg per 1/4 cup of FRESH papaya)

• Dried peaches (oxalate @ 2mg per medium FRESH peach)

• Freeze dried granny smith apples (note - you will need to cut off the skin to reduce oxalates - one full FRESH apple @ 2.5mg)

• Broken up pieces of rice cakes (oxalate of one rice cake @ >1mg)

• If you don’t need to be low salicylate - coconut flakes (oxalate negligible)

• Sprouted, salted mung beans (these are not organic) (oxalate @ 7-8mg per 1/4 cup)

**keep in mind that the oxalate content of fresh fruits will be significantly different from dried fruits, due to dehydration reducing it’s hydration and size. Dried fruits will have a higher oxalate content for a smaller portion.

Resources:

https://www.nutritionadvance.com/baru-nuts/