Ok, sweets are sweets. There are healthier ones and there are ones filled with e-numbers. There are sweets laced with fat, laced with sugar or worse still, laced with artificial sweeteners. There are also sweets which are free from common food allergens and likewise, ones which are not. Just because something is 'food allergy friendly' does not mean that it’s going to be ‘good’ for you … but I’m sure that you’ve already discovered this minor fact in your food allergy travels! I like a quote I found in the Irish Independent from Cork based vegan baker, Paula Larkin (Sugar Moon): “Being vegan is no different to any other form of diet – you can choose to be healthy or you can choose not to be. I can be vegan and spend my days eating chips, bread, pasta and meat replacements, or I can be vegan and eat fresh vegetables, pulses, nuts and wholegrains.” This is obviously relevant to food allergy free diets too!!
Similarily, after reading a tirade of ‘for’ and severly ‘against’ reader reviews for a Dublin based vegetarian establishment I thought it best to say that at ‘Survival Guide: Dublin with Food Allergies’ my main priority is to bring you products and places to eat which are food allergy friendly. I will try to let you make your own decisions regarding their health attributes by telling you what I know or think… But today let’s look at sweets! (haha)
Doves Farm Organic Hazelnut Cookies with a Hint of Orange
These cookies are a crispy (not gooey) full sized biscuit. They are quite sweet and ideal for dipping in tea or coffee. The price (approx. €2.25 – €2.50) for a pack of 10 keeps them affordable and the substantial list of food allergens which they are free from makes them convenient for many. Available in many gourmet grocers. Definitely available in Nolan’s Food Fare in Terenure. Note: they do contain potato, corn, nuts, palm oil and refined sugar.
- Gluten free
- Wheat free
- Milk free
- Salt free
- Buckwheat free
- Soya free
- Egg free
- Organic
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Free from hydrogenated fat
Nakd Cocoa Mint Bar
This is my new favourite Nakd bar. It’s the same deal as with the rest of the nakd bars but for some reason I really like this one above the others. When I smell it and bite into it I think ‘yum! Mint chocolate.. oh wait, no, it’s nutty goodness..’ and then I go right back to ‘yum mint chocolate!’ But it’s so simple. And I love the ‘nutty goodness’ flavour too. They are small but filling so the €1.50 price is quite reasonable! Available in most health food stores. Nakd is also appearing in larger supermarkets too so keep an eye out.
- Wheat free
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Raw
- Corn free
- Sugar free
- Yeast free
Nakd Berry Delight Bar
Another new snack bar from Nakd. It is a bit sweeter than the rest in my opinion and generally more ‘dessert’ like in taste. Somehow it oddly tastes a bit more ‘oaty’ or something despite there being not an oat in sight! Nakd is coming up with all sorts of sugar free snacks which is great. Approx. €1.50. Available in most health food stores. Nakd is also appearing in larger supermarkets too so keep an eye out. Note: although I say that they are sugar free there is obviously naturally occurring sugar in the ingredients.
- Wheat free
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Raw
- Corn free
- Sugar free
- Yeast free
Blackfriars Original Flapjack
Blackfriars Original Flapjacks are a guilty pleasure. They are not low in sugar and they are definitely not low in fat but when I’m truly stuck for something quick and filling I can find these flapjacks. The benefits are that they can be found in many corner stores and are less than €2 in price. And it’s so hard to find a dairy free flapjack! Although not complicated in flavor they are the original and usually find their way into my diet when I am late for work but starving so I have to make do with my local Centra or Londis to tame the beast that is my growling tummy! Also available in most Holland & Barrett stores. Note: Although not containing nuts there is a warning on the package which states that it is ‘produced in a nut environment’. Also, there are a whole range of flavours but all are not vegan so beware.
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
Choices Dairy Free Confectionary Choc ‘n’ Orange Bar
You may remember my ravings a few months back in relation to ‘Choices’ Caramel Chocolates’. They are the bees the knees. Likewise, these plain bars are good too. It is a bit creamier than the regular dairy free chocolates on offer which is helpful if you are not a fan of dark chocolate however the Choc ‘n’ Orange bar is still a ‘hard’ chocolate but it’s a good substitute if you are soya free along with everything else. Not hugely available yet but can be found in some health food stores like Restore on Lower Camden St. Note: The oddity is that the packaging states that they use ‘secret Choices flavourings’ which don’t appear on the ingredients list so we can only assume that they are soya free as it is not outwardly advertised.
- Dairy free
- Gluten free
- Wheat free
- Egg free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
Goody Good Stuff Tropical Fruit Jellies
Ok, jellies are jellies. I think that jelly lovers everywhere have their own opinion of a nice jelly. I like a specific type of flavour and a specific level of softness. I can also like my jellies stale and hard if they are more like wine gums - don’t ask! But my point is that I can’t guide you on flavour here. Goody Good Stuff’s jellies have a different variety of flavours than what I am used to but they are jellies and they are food allergy friendly AND gelatin free. Available in Health Matters on Grafton St. Note: although, these jellies are gelatin free, they are not vegan – see the list of ingredients below.
- Dairy free
- Gluten free
- Vegetarian
- Gelatin free
- Fat free
- Free from artificial colours
PRODUCT INFORMATION:
Doves Farm Organic Hazelnut Cookies with a Hint of Orange
Ingredients: Gluten free flour blend (brown rice, potato, maize), sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts 9.7%, orange paste (corn syrup, sugar, orange peel 1.1%, concentrated lemon juice) rice malt, lemon oil, raising agent (sodium bicarbonate).
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 1938kJ/463kcal
Protein 4.8g
Carbohydrates 61.5g
of which sugars 28.4g
Fat 21.9g
of which saturates 7.0g
Sodium trace
Fibre 6.1g
Nakd Cocoa Mint Bar
Ingredients: Raw Date (48%), Raw Cashews (29%), Raw Raisins (17%), Cocoa (6%), a hint of natural mint and chocolate flavor
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 1621kJ/386kcal
Protein 9.0g
Carbohydrates 49.0g
of which sugars 45.0g
Fat 15.0g
of which saturates 3.0g
Fibre 7.0g
Sodium 0.0g
Nakd Berry Delight Bar
Ingredients: Raw Dates(49%), Raw Cashews (31%), Raw Raisins (17%), raw Raspberries (3%), a hint of natural berry flavour
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 1616kJ/385kcal
Protein 9.0g
Carbohydrates 52.0g
of which sugars 47.0g
Fat 15.0g
of which saturates 3.0g
Fibre 6.0g
Sodium 0.0g
Blackfriars Original Flapjack
Ingredients: Oats, Non Hydrogenated Vegetable Margarine (Vegetable Oils & Fats, Water, Salt, Emulsifier E475, Nature Identical Flavourings), Partially inverted refiner’s syrup, Sugar
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 1915kJ/457kcal
Protein 8.0g
Carbohydrate 59.0g
Fat 21.0g
Choices Dairy Free Confectionary Choc ‘n’ Orange Bar
Ingredients: Sugar, Cocoa butter, Cocoa mass, Rice powder (rice syrup, rice starch, rice flour), Inulin, Coconut Oil, Orange Oil, Cocoa solids 38% minimum
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 2369kJ/568kcal
Protein 2.2g
Carbohydrate 61.5g
of which sugars 45.0g
Fat 35.4g
of which saturates 21.8g
Fibre 2.4g
Sodium trace
Goody Good Stuff Tropical Fruit Jellies
Ingredients: Glucose syrup, sugar, gelling agent; gellan, carrageen; acidulant: citric acid; acidity regulator: trisodium citrate; flavours; concentrates of fruits and plants (orange, elderberry, lemon, aronia, black currant, apple, kiwi, spinach, nettle); vegetable oil; glazing agent: yellow beeswax, carnauba wax, elderberry extract; fructose; invert sugar syrup.
Nutritional Information per 100g:
Energy 1340kJ/320kcal
Protein 0.0g
Carbohydrates 77.8g
Fat <0.1g
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