Paleo Tiger Nut Trail Mix (made with soaked & dried nuts!)
Need the perfect healthy snack for road trips or the trails? This Paleo Tiger Nut Trail Mix is it! It’s loaded with resistant starch from tiger nuts, plus nourishing soaked and dried cashews and Brazil nuts. This is an easy, Real Food snack mix that can go wherever you go!
A seahorse isn’t actually a horse. A red panda is actually a raccoon, not a bear. And a honey badger is more marten than badger.
Like looks, names can be deceiving sometimes.
Such is the case with tiger nuts. They have nothing to do with tigers, nor are they actual nuts.
They are really small tubers, hailing from Africa — and a fantastic source of prebiotic fiber known as resistant starch.
So what is resistant starch?
Gut Health & Resistant Starch
We hear about the importance of fermented foods, probiotics, and bone broth to heal our guts and populate them with beneficial bacteria. And indeed, these foods ARE very important. Without them, our microbiomes aren’t healthy, leading to things like digestive issues, autoimmune diseases, weight gain, allergies, and weakened immune systems.
What we don’t hear about so much, though, is resistant starch/prebiotic fiber.
Resistant starch does not break down into glucose like other starches. (Think potatoes or white rice here.) Instead, it acts as “food” for the beneficial bacteria in the gut — hence “prebiotic” fiber.
It is starch, but it is resistant, meaning it resists digestion, traveling through the small intestine to the colon where it is turned into an energy and food source for the flora in our gut. Furthermore, there are 4 types of resistant starch: RS1, RS2, RS3, and RS4. (Source.)
- RS1 — found in grains, seeds, and legumes, it resists digestion because the fiber is bound up in cell walls.
- RS2 — found in starchy foods like unripe bananas, raw potatoes, and tiger nuts.
- RS3 — forms when certain foods, like white rice and potatoes, are cooked and then cooled. The cooling process transforms digestible starch into resistant starch — a process known as retrogradation.
- RS4 — a chemical, man-made resistant starch.
With a slightly sweet flavor and chewy texture, tiger nuts are of the RS2 variety of resistant starches.
Tiger Nuts For Resistant Starch
Whole, dried tiger nuts are actually raw, so they contain the most resistant starch. Tiger nuts can also be blended with water to make a resistant starch-filled tiger nut milk, which is also raw.
Additionally, tiger nut flour is gaining popularity as a grain-free, nut-free, Paleo baking medium. When cooked, however, tiger nuts lose much of their resistant starch benefit, so it’s best to eat tiger nut flour raw (like in these Resistant Starch Cookie Dough Bites).
Finally, some people say raw tiger nuts should be soaked prior to eating to soften them. You certainly can soak to soften, if you like. The soaking is more for texture preference than for any nutritional benefits. Tiger nuts are not like beans or nuts, which should be soaked to breakdown phytic acid.
I’m leaving the tiger nuts raw and dry in this Paleo Tiger Nut Trail Mix recipe.
The addition of dried fruit, nuts, and a bit of allergy-friendly chocolate makes this a tasty snack that’s full of resistant starch!
How To Make Paleo Tiger Nut Trail Mix (with substitutions for nuts, cranberries, and chocolate)
Really, all you have to do is gather your ingredients, combine, mix, and store. That’s it!
What about soaking and drying nuts? While you can soak and dehydrate your own Brazil nuts and cashews, I prefer to buy mine pre-soaked and dried. It saves me so much time!
Buy soaked and dried Brazil nuts here. Buy soaked and dried cashews here.
Don’t like Brazil nuts or cashews? Go for pecans, walnuts, and/or almonds instead!
If you need to be nut-free, that’s cool, too. Simply replace the Brazil nuts and cashews with your favorite seeds, such as sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.
I also use dried cranberries and raisins in this Tiger Nut Trail Mix, but you can substitute currants if you prefer.
Finally, Enjoy Life is an allergy-friendly chocolate brand, yet it does contain sugar. If you need to be sugar-free, simply replace with Lily’s stevia-sweetened chocolate chips.
This really is a versatile trail mix that you can make your own!
Paleo Tiger Nut Trail Mix
Need the perfect healthy snack for road trips or the trails? This Paleo Tiger Nut Trail Mix is it! It's loaded with resistant starch from tiger nuts, plus nourishing soaked and dried cashews and Brazil nuts. This is an easy, Real Food snack mix that can go wherever you go!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to combine.
- Or, combine all ingredients in a bag or jar, and shake to combine.
- Store in a cool, dry place.
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Have you had tiger nuts? Will you try my Tiger Nut Trail Mix?
More Real Food Snacks You’ll Love…
- Nourishing Homemade Pecan Butter
- Paleo Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding
- 3-Ingredient Coconut Butter-Covered Bananas
- Instant Pot No-Peel Applesauce
- 5-Ingredient Sprouted Seed Truffles
- Crunchy Sprouted Chickpea Snacks — 3 Ways!
- Paleo Maple Apple Cinnamon No-Bake Treats
Originally published November 28, 2016. Updated on July 27, 2017. Re-published on April 17, 2019.
[…] Tiger Nut Trail Mix by Today in Dietzville […]
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[…] This mix is fabulous for those with a peanut allergy. It steps outside of the box using tiger nuts – a type of resistant starch with prebiotics – cashews, and brazil nuts for a hit of selenium to nourish the growing young ones! Plus, there’s some chocolate in the mix. Get the recipe from All The Nourishing Things. […]