Food Suggestions Needed Please

[SPettijo 40]

Hi there, I am having a hard time with chewy foods. I got the clear from my doctor to eat anything to get my Protein in.

I've been eating a fairly regular diet of:

B: Egg sub with cheese or Low Sugar PB with WW Crackers and Bacon = 20ish Grams Protein

Iced Coffee: Decaf with Kroger Carbmaster Milk = 11g Protein (not everyday)

L: "Kibble" 30g Shelled Roasted pumpkin Seeds 28g Roasted salted Peanuts and 20g Whole Grain Goldfish = 20g Protein

D: Protein Powder "Cookie"/Bar = 18-24g Protein I usually can't finish this.

I know I'm not getting in my protein.

Total daily Protein I'm getting is only about 45-50g.

I would really REALLY like to come up with foods that are better for me. I hate that I am eating Bacon and Goldfish crackers everyday. I NEED alternatives. I'm only able to eat really crispy foods, really crunchy foods and soft foods that don't require a lot of chewing. I'm not tolerating meats very well at all and would like to incorporate veggies. I saw a recipe for roasted chickpeas that I will try out tomorrow, but I need more than just chickpeas.

[Chele H 427]

Ok...sorry ,some tough love......your lunch is definitely all wrong.....besides not enough Protein, too many carbs. And I would skip the crackers at Breakfast. How about celery with Peanut Butter for Breakfast if you can digest it ok or greek yogurt? eggs and bacon are good. If you are worried about fat, try some turkey bacon. I start my day with a Protein Drink rather than end the day with it so I have 30 grams in me right away.

For lunch how about tuna salad? Egg salad? chicken salad, deli ham or turkey with some cheese and a pickle. Deli ham and turkey are usually moist and easy to digest. Chili, lentil Soup, black bean Soup. There are tons of alternatives that are better than peanuts and goldfish.

[SPettijo 40]

Pretty much all meat is out including deli I continue to try something old and something new meat wise each week I used to love eating meat. I smell it now and gag.

I'm okay better with the egg sub and cheese. I use cheese made from skim or 1% milk. The PB and crackers are on days where I can't eat the egg after I've made it and sat down and can't eat it. I use a high Protein low sugar PB and very few crackers I intend to replace the crackers with apples as soon as I can keep them down. The Bacon is what I want to replace turkey bacon isn't much better for you then center cut pig bacon so I don't see it as a valid option. I DO NOT want to eat Peanuts and Goldfish for lunch. I am cutting out the Goldfish completely but wanted to be honest about what I am eating.

I will try making Soup, I'm thinking a ham(extreme lean) and bean chowder/stew would be chalk full of Protein and if I cut the ham small enough I might be able to eat it. I'm hoping that if I can eat bacon I can eat ham. It's really the texture that gets to me... bacon can be made extra crispy and Ham can not... I'll try it anyways maybe if I beat it to death and slow cook it for 800 hours it will be soft. :crosses fingers:

[Mountaingal 322]

Maybe putting food in a blender to make it finer would help. You could pulverize the ham for your bean and ham Soup for example and then add it to the soup.

[Chele H 427]

Pretty much all meat is out including deli I continue to try something old and something new meat wise each week I used to love eating meat. I smell it now and gag.

I'm okay better with the egg sub and cheese. I use cheese made from skim or 1% milk. The PB and crackers are on days where I can't eat the egg after I've made it and sat down and can't eat it. I use a high Protein low sugar PB and very few crackers I intend to replace the crackers with apples as soon as I can keep them down. The Bacon is what I want to replace turkey bacon isn't much better for you then center cut pig bacon so I don't see it as a valid option. I DO NOT want to eat Peanuts and Goldfish for lunch. I am cutting out the Goldfish completely but wanted to be honest about what I am eating.

I will try making Soup, I'm thinking a ham(extreme lean) and bean chowder/stew would be chalk full of Protein and if I cut the ham small enough I might be able to eat it. I'm hoping that if I can eat bacon I can eat ham. It's really the texture that gets to me... bacon can be made extra crispy and Ham can not... I'll try it anyways maybe if I beat it to death and slow cook it for 800 hours it will be soft. :crosses fingers:

I hope the soup works out for you. Good luck! How far out are you? Does your surgeon or nutritionist have any suggestions? Maybe adding some unflavored Protein powder to your soup?

[Miss Mac 6,261]

if you are two months out like your profile suggests, your plan may allow you to eat chunkier Soups like chili. The spicy Beans will help disguise the meat flavors. Wendy's chili with Beans was my first cooked food in Phase 4. I stopped by on the way home from the bariatric clinic.

Chili with cheese is my "go-to" when eating at a restaurant. You get meat and beans and cheese for Protein, plus some to take home for later. Skip the crackers. I used to put spaghetti or macaroni in my chili pre-op, but no more. Sigh........

[James Marusek 5,244]

I found out that soft foods (chili & soups) work best for me. I included some recipes in a short article that I wrote. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Keep in mind that the liquid portion of the Soup will fill you up fast so you may not get in your Protein requirement this way. If you can't eat solids yet don't push yourself stick with softer foods; cottage cheese, greek yogurt, canned tuna/salmon, pureed beans(chick peas have the lowest amount of protein by the way), soft fish, thin Soups with protein powder(easy to get down). Skip ALL of the crackers, useless food right now. I also try to have a Protein Shake in the morning with at least 30 grams of protein and then I am half way there at least for the day.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

My NUT suggested adding a bit of gravy to meats to make them moister.

I eat a lot of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.

Have you tried refried Beans.

[SPettijo 40]

Well, I made Seafood Bisque for dinner... and then couldn't get it down. Which was too bad because the Soup was nice but I just couldn't get the chewing down. I took it to a potluck and everyone else loved it so I sent the leftovers home with one of my friends. They didn't know they were eating bariatric soup either, it was great. I'm really frustrated with not being able to eat meats. I'll try a bean and cheese soup tomorrow. So far today all I've had today was a few spoonfuls of bisque. I'm headed out to the grocery store to try and find something tasty and pick up my weekly try these veggies and fruits.