My surgery is on January 10th. I have always had texture issues. It took me years to be able to eat things like oatmeal and tapioca. I can't drink almond, oat or soy milk. The thought of pureed meats gives me an actual physical reaction. How do I get through this short period of time and get enough protein?

i am just on the other side of surgery, starting the soft foods tomorrow, i am following this post I have the same questions about pureed/soft foods.

I didn't puree any meats. I had a lot of hummus, fat free refried beans, Greek yogurt, pureed cottage cheese - I forget what else. The thought of pureed meat kinda grossed me out.

I had no idea going in about puree either, but realized it's no big deal. I was never was a cook. I am a microwave type of guy. But I pureed a big can of white chicken meat with my little Ninja blender. Added a some light mayo, greeek yogurt, pickle relish, no flavor protein powder, and some spices and put them in little 4oz containers for the fridge. I was pleasently surprised that it tasted like a quality dip with that type of texture. I woud eat 1-2 pureee per day, the rest was yogurt, cottage cheese and of course shakes.

Puree isn't forever, just a short time to let your gut heal. I acually still like my chicken pureee delight for a snack now that I'm in my 2nd week of "soft food" phase.

30 minutes ago, Old Salt said:

I had no idea going in about puree either, but realized it's no big deal. I was never was a cook. I am a microwave type of guy. But I pureed a big can of white chicken meat with my little Ninja blender. Added a some light mayo, greeek yogurt, pickle relish, no flavor protein powder, and some spices and put them in little 4oz containers for the fridge. I was pleasently surprised that it tasted like a quality dip with that type of texture. I woud eat 1-2 pureee per day, the rest was yogurt, cottage cheese and of course shakes.

Puree isn't forever, just a short time to let your gut heal. I acually still like my chicken pureee delight for a snack now that I'm in my 2nd week of "soft food" phase.

This sounds interesting. How thick of a consistency is it?

It’s the same as how babies are transitioned from milk to purées to soft. Just way more quickly.

You can purée a lot of meats but just add enough liquids to keep it pretty runny still. (Think dollop at thickest.) Gravy, stock, mayo, sauces, etc. are good liquids to use. The only issue I had was my changed taste buds. Some things just tasted plain awful like tinned fish. Mashed boiled eggs, puréed soups & milky rolled oats were my favourite go tos. I did try baby food a couple of times.

In soft food, I cooked a lot of mince dishes (savoury mince, meat balls bolognese sauce), slow cooked stews & meat & vegetable soups, scrambled eggs & omelettes, soft flaky fish (poached or steamed). Keep it moist & the meat fall off the bone soft & tender. I also added a variety of vegetables in my meals: onion, tomato, celery, mushrooms, peas, capsicum, carrot, etc. Any I could cook in with the slow cooked dishes.

Oh yea, I am a texture person too so I completely understand. I was also worried about the pureed stage but it proved much easier than expected.

I made egg salad and pureed it and it was good. Really just like the filling of a deviled egg.

I tried chicken salad, but the texture was a smidge off but I ate it and just didn't make it again.

My GO-TO's were ground turkey with taco seasoning (basically taco meat) pureed. Refried beans, chili pureed was good too. Pureed soups are good too because it doesn't really change the texture but makes them a little thicker. I had broccoli cheese soup and tomato soup a few times.

At this stage I barely at anything, so I might have had 1 or 2, 2oz. servings a day then got in my protein from shakes.

I skipped it. The thought of puree made me gag. I made foods like Indian Dhal, [ without the whole spices] celery and stilton cheese soup and butternut squash and lentil soup. I blitzed them with a stick blender and managed them fine. I also ate cream cheese, crushed boiled egg and mayo.

I had and still have taste issues. Hummus still is a no no for me

Pureed phase was the time I really regained my taste for proper food. My surgery was cancelled the night before my original date and I made a decision to stick to my pre-op diet (and lost 25lbs while waiting for my new surgery date!) By the time of my pureed phase I hadn't had proper food for 2 months. I pureed EVERYTHING! Meat was my fave because it added so much flavour. Basically I made dinner for my family and then put a few spoons into a blender and had that along with them. The best thing I have ever tasted EVER was a lamb roast Sunday lunch about a fortnight after my surgery - all the veg, all the lamb, lots of gravy, just a tablespoon or two. ?

On 12/12/2022 at 5:04 PM, Merida said:

I can't drink almond, oat or soy milk.

Try FitLife fat-free milk. It's ultra-pasturized and lactose free--plus it tastes good. It also froths like a dream.

I also encourage you to buy a few bariatric cookbooks. There are many on Amazon. They give ideas for all stages post-surgery.

Try FitLife fat-free milk. It's ultra-pasturized and lactose free--plus it tastes good. It also froths like a dream.

Google says FitLife milk is available in India only.

14 hours ago, Spinoza said:

pureed phase was the time I really regained my taste for proper food. My surgery was cancelled the night before my original date and I made a decision to stick to my pre-op diet (and lost 25lbs while waiting for my new surgery date!) By the time of my pureed phase I hadn't had proper food for 2 months. I pureed EVERYTHING! meat was my fave because it added so much flavour. Basically I made dinner for my family and then put a few spoons into a blender and had that along with them. The best thing I have ever tasted EVER was a lamb roast Sunday lunch about a fortnight after my surgery - all the veg, all the lamb, lots of gravy, just a tablespoon or two. ?

This sounds amazing. A roast dinner is in my pureed future, for sure!

If you have a food processor and you cook your meat until it flakes you don’t have to “purée” it.

My favorite is chicken, refried beans, salsa, and white Mexican cheese. Then put it all in the food processor again and magic!

I do the same thing with my pad Thai chicken. I have a gluten allergy so I already had to use rice everything. I make my pad Thai without the noodles and put it all in the food processor and it is heaven! And I don’t feel like I am missing meals with my family!