I wasn't told not to eat popcorn and nuts, I was told not to for 6 months and after that they were fine. I eat a lot of almonds, cashews and pecans.
I make cheese lace "cookies" crackers- whatever you wanna call them and they are yummy and satisfy my taste for salty. I spray a cookie sheet with pam and sprinkle a little Colby jack cheese in a thin layer and bake for a few. They get crispy.