What Am I Currently Eating: Pureed Food Stage

 Hello Friends!

Another day, another blog for you :-).

I thought today I'd talk a little bit about what I am currently eating per my surgeon's office on a pureed diet.

The first "food" I ate when I was cleared for a pureed diet was blended cottage cheese with everything bagel seasoning on top.

It was glorious!   I had been on a liquid diet for over 3 weeks so anything probably would have tasted amazing!

I found out the next day that my surgeon's office does not require me to blend up cottage cheese - so it is definitely a staple in my diet currently.   I eat it with a lot of things that may be a little thicker/drier to help make sure it makes it through my esophagus.

(Side note - because of my hiatal hernia repair, my esophageal tract is very tight and very narrow.   Things get stuck VERY easily currently.   When it happens I can still breath but it's very painful and causes me to panic a little bit.)

My second HUGE staple is Greek yogurt.   Greek yogurt is very high in protein and goes down very easily for me.   The brands I prefer are Oikos Triple Zero and Dannon Light N Fit Greek Yogurt.   I feel they have the best flavor and texture with the Oikos being a little thicker than then Dannon Light N Fit.

I also have purchased just normal unflavored Greek yogurt so I can make different dips for my protein chips (which I currently use cottage cheese for).   I plan on trying EBS (Everything Bagel Seasoning), Ranch, Garlic and whatever else fun spices I can mix up!   I also plan on using this in the protein smoothies I'll be making for a quick high protein lunch while beginning work next week.

Something else I have tried with cottage cheese is some canned chicken shredded and mashed into refried beans.   This didn't really agree with me great this early in the game.   I think if I do this again I'm going to puree the chicken mixture some more with broth.   The cottage cheese was fine (as always).

For the Fourth of July Holiday I tried pureeing up our smoked pork country ribs and I don't think I got it pureed enough because I was in a lot of pain and nausea that evening.    So lesson learned on that one!

It's not that I'll never be able to eat meat again or normal food again.   It's just that as my body heals it still needs to function and digest.   The pureed food helps my body do that a little easier.   So this is just as much a trial and error as is anything.

Tonight I purchased the traditional ham salad from our local grocery store.   It basically is pureed ham with other ingredients and is a sandwich "spread".   I paired it with cottage cheese with everything bagel seasoning.   It seemed to go down easier which I was thankful for.   I will know in a few hours if it agrees with me or not.   When I try something new, I don't eat a ton of it as to not upset my system if it doesn't go well.

But I wanted to share the foods that I am allowed to eat per my surgeon's office:

- Milk (Normal or Alternative)

-Greek Yogurt

-Cottage Cheese

-Ricotta Cheese

-Sugar-Free Instant Pudding (make with milk and add protein powder (unflavored)).

-Hot Cereals (Smooth Texture like grits or cream of wheat, make with milk, make thinner).

-Cream Soups (Cream of Mushroom, Cream of of Broccoli, Cream of Chicken, etc.)

-Baby Food Stage 2 Meat (I do NOT recommend!)

-Hummus (Smooth only.   May put on a saltine or club cracker only).

-Bone Broth

-Refried Beans

-Pureed Meats (Canned chicken or tuna, seafood, hard boiled egg salad.   Add broth, gravy, mayo or Greek yogurt, hummus or avocado and blend SMOOTH.   May put on a saltine or club cracker.)

-Mashed Potatoes/Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Add Milk and unflavored protein powder).

-Non-starchy Veggies (Very well cooked and BLENDED until smooth - broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini or carrots).

-Legumes - Beans/Peas/Lentils

-Unsweetened Applesauce

-Protein Smoothie

- Quest Protein Chips

- Legendary Protein Chips

- Quest Crackers

So I hope this was helpful information for you!   

Until next time.

Yours Truly -

Emilee

Disclosure -"The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.  I am not responsible for any actions taken or decisions made based on the content of this blog;   Always seek the advice of a qualified professional for any specific questions or concerns.  This blog is a personal opinionated blog and doesn't reflect the opinions of any organizations I may be affiliated."