Top 10 no-chew diet suggestions, with apologies to Letterman

[Guest guest]

I'm in the home stretch on my no-chew diet. It's been 3 weeks since

my first surgery, and on Friday I get to go to a soft chew diet. I

wanted to give those of you who are in the begining stages, or pre-

op, a few suggestions on things I have found helpful with the

challenges of this diet.

1. Foods tend to have a stonger taste when they go through the

blender. I don't know why, but they do. If you normally salt your

food, wait to taste it. I am normally a heavy salt user, and I've

used practically none on this diet.

2. Don't assume no-chew means everything has to be a liquid or a

paste. I've found I can take chicken, ground beef, and other meats

and just grind them up. It might take a little gravy, catsup, or

water, but you can put tiny pieces of regular meat in your mouth and

swallow without chewing. You'll truly appreciate the variety in

texture. I've even had several fast food hamburgers (without the

bun) and fries in the blender. Add a little catsup as you eat.

3. Try blenderizing only a portion of what you have to eat. For

example, I've had ravioli with marinara sauce. I blend the ravs, and

then put them on the plate, and then add the sauce. I've also had it

where I put the sauce in the blender with the ravs, but that mixture

doesn't taste nearly as good as the unmixed method.

4. Soups tend to blenderize well. But don't forget about things

like pot pies. You might even be able to let the crust melt in your

mouth.

5. When you really need a different fix, try a Hershy bar or Kiss.

The chocolate will eventually melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

6. You may soon get tired of shakes, smoothies, and Boost/Ensure.

Don't forget fruit juices, lemonade, and sports drinks. When you're

early on, those may be better for you to drink than water as you'll

be getting calories in while you're hydrating.

7. Don't forget about ethnic foods. Beans and chile in the blender

come out real well. Burritos (with just a little of the tortilla)

work well, but tend to taste mostly like refried beans no matter how

much stuff is mixed into them. Salsa can be a life saver. Asian

foods also can do well in the blender.

8. Don't mix your entire dinner into one blenderized meal. One of

the joys of eating is having different tastes at one meal. Try to

have at least 2-3 different items on your plate rather than one mush

bowl. This might take a bit longer to prepare, but your taste buds

will appreciate it in the long run.

9. Try to keep your diet varied as much as possible. This is much

harder than it sounds, but even plan your meals out a day or two in

advance, and it is a bit easier.

10. Finally, some things you didn't think you would be able to

swallow without chewing will work. Don't be afraid to try them. For

example, yesterday I had pancakes with syrup for breakfast. I didn't

have to do anything different than normal, other than cut the bites a

bit smaller. Once the syrup soaked in, I could swallow without any

problem.

Hope this helps!

Dammit

[Guest guest]

Hi there,

Thanks for the tips...and for sharing your post-op story- and the

great booklet of recipes you posted as well-I have printed them off

and between all the postings I have been reading and these, I feel

confiedent I won't starve after my surgery!!:0)I love to eat and have

been worried about living on only soup, juice and oatmeal!!

Congrats on getting to the home stretch!!

Connie

> I'm in the home stretch on my no-chew diet. It's been 3 weeks

since

> my first surgery, and on Friday I get to go to a soft chew diet. I

> wanted to give those of you who are in the begining stages, or pre-

> op, a few suggestions on things I have found helpful with the

> challenges of this diet.

>

> 1. Foods tend to have a stonger taste when they go through the

> blender. I don't know why, but they do. If you normally salt your

> food, wait to taste it. I am normally a heavy salt user, and I've

> used practically none on this diet.

>

> 2. Don't assume no-chew means everything has to be a liquid or a

> paste. I've found I can take chicken, ground beef, and other meats

> and just grind them up. It might take a little gravy, catsup, or

> water, but you can put tiny pieces of regular meat in your mouth

and

> swallow without chewing. You'll truly appreciate the variety in

> texture. I've even had several fast food hamburgers (without the

> bun) and fries in the blender. Add a little catsup as you eat.

>

> 3. Try blenderizing only a portion of what you have to eat. For

> example, I've had ravioli with marinara sauce. I blend the ravs,

and

> then put them on the plate, and then add the sauce. I've also had

it

> where I put the sauce in the blender with the ravs, but that

mixture

> doesn't taste nearly as good as the unmixed method.

>

> 4. Soups tend to blenderize well. But don't forget about things

> like pot pies. You might even be able to let the crust melt in

your

> mouth.

>

> 5. When you really need a different fix, try a Hershy bar or

Kiss.

> The chocolate will eventually melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

>

> 6. You may soon get tired of shakes, smoothies, and Boost/Ensure.

> Don't forget fruit juices, lemonade, and sports drinks. When

you're

> early on, those may be better for you to drink than water as you'll

> be getting calories in while you're hydrating.

>

> 7. Don't forget about ethnic foods. Beans and chile in the

blender

> come out real well. Burritos (with just a little of the tortilla)

> work well, but tend to taste mostly like refried beans no matter

how

> much stuff is mixed into them. Salsa can be a life saver. Asian

> foods also can do well in the blender.

>

> 8. Don't mix your entire dinner into one blenderized meal. One of

> the joys of eating is having different tastes at one meal. Try to

> have at least 2-3 different items on your plate rather than one

mush

> bowl. This might take a bit longer to prepare, but your taste buds

> will appreciate it in the long run.

>

> 9. Try to keep your diet varied as much as possible. This is much

> harder than it sounds, but even plan your meals out a day or two in

> advance, and it is a bit easier.

>

> 10. Finally, some things you didn't think you would be able to

> swallow without chewing will work. Don't be afraid to try them.

For

> example, yesterday I had pancakes with syrup for breakfast. I

didn't

> have to do anything different than normal, other than cut the bites

a

> bit smaller. Once the syrup soaked in, I could swallow without any

> problem.

>

> Hope this helps!

>

> Dammit