Nut- and Pip-free

A very useful exclusion diet is the nut- and pip-free diet. This is a wide group of foods and includes a number of common allergens. Some members of this group can come as a surprise: for example, coffee is a nut.

It is an ambitious diet: it is recommended that you don’t go on it until you have established a number of alternative safe foods, such as rice, rye, millet or quinoa.

Otherwise you may find yourself with very little to eat. The following foods must be strictly avoided for a short test period:

  • Tomatoes, sauce, purees
  • Apples, pears, plums, damsons, cherries, apricots, peaches
  • Strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants
  • Oranges, lemons, other citrus fruits, marmalade and all fruit juices, squash, fruit-flavored drinks
  • All varieties of fizzy drinks, including cola
  • Jellies, instant puddings
  • Chocolate, cocoa, coffee, and coffee ‘creamers’
  • Grapes, sultanas, raisins, currants, prunes, figs, dates
  • Nuts, coconut, marzipan, macaroons
  • Peas, beans, lentils, soya, peanuts
  • Melon, cucumber, marrow
  • Spices, pepper, mustard, curry
  • Cooking oils of all kinds and soft margarines
  • All herbs (including mint)
  • Bananas, pineapple