My GF recently had surgery and is super restricted when it comes to eating things. Most of her calorie intake is by a feeding tube. She is allowed a little food orally but it must be smooth and thick. Think pudding or milkshakes for consistency.
99% of what she “eats” is through a feeding tube (she cannot even have water orally). The little she can get through her mouth has to be thick and smooth (think pudding). For some reason I do not understand she aspirates liquids like water which is bad.
She mentioned to me that she was craving something salty/savory. The puddings and smoothies she has had are all sweet. Tasty but always sweet.
So, I thought I would ask here. Does anyone know of a salty/savory/pudding/very smooth dish I could make for her?
Even eggs are too “solid” to work. This needs to be super-duper smooth. But it also needs to be thick…broth will not work.
I get this is restrictive but figured if anyone would know it would be the SDMB.
NOTE: Cooking/preparing something is 100% fine. No need to be out of a can/box.
What about flavoured strained yogurt? It’s pretty good with unsweetened cacao or melted dark chocolate if you like chocolate without the sweetness. And if you add salt and lemon to it it becomes labneh.
Most smooth puddings are egg custards. It should be possible to make an egg custard and flavor it with things like parmesan, black pepper, garlic, etc. Of course, you have to know how to make a custard, which can be a little tricky.
Pureed vegetables: potato, leek, zucchini, squash, etc. I like a combination of all four or at least potato, leek and another. To ramp up the flavor, crush and add a piece of a chicken boullion cube (less than half), and a little processed cheese is nice, too.
Simple, but effective and delicious: split red lentil soup.
Cook for half an hour or so with salt and spices until the lentils break down and form a smooth thick liquid. You can make it as thick or thin as you like, up to semi-solid, adjusting the thickness by adding water.
Perhaps add tomatoes (preferably blanched to remove the skins), and vegetables that will break down easily. Put it in a blender so there are no lumps.
You’ll get a very thick, nutritious, delicious, savory soup. Put it in a thermos flask or something to stay warm.
No law saying you can’t cuisinart some pita bread with that humus…or guacamole.
Is she working with a speech pathologist for the swallowing? Curiously enough, swallowing issues and swallowing therapy is a speciality within speech pathology. I’m sure a medical dietician is involved with the tube feeding but a speech pathologist approaches from other avenues beyond calories and nutrients, so could be another resource to pull in to improve her quality of life and joie de vive. Complementary, not replacing.
If there is a rehabilitation hospital or medical center near you (rehab as in brain injury, stroke, physical rehab) they would have these type of speech pathologists on staff who would also do outpatient sessions.
I know this partly because I needed just this kind of swallowing therapy from speech pathologists 3 years ago when I acquired dysphagia because of a traumatic brain injury sustained in a high-speed rear end collision. It helped greatly and I’m fortunate in that now, with adaptations, I can successfully swallow what I’d like to when I want to about 90-95% of the time. When I started out I used gel food thickeners so I could sit with friends and have a glass of wine socially for Friday afternoon happy hour. Granted I ate my wine with a spoon but it was sure better than no wine.
Yes she is. She had an esophagectomy (cancer). Basically removed her throat then stretched out her stomach and attached that to what was left…
It is nuts to me that medicine can do this and, hopefully, she will mostly recover and have a normal(ish) life (there will be some lifetime issues she has to cope with). But the recovery is a big hill to climb.
Speech pathologist is a big part of her recovery regimen.
Refried beans, puréed to within an inch of their lives, with whatever spicing she enjoys-again, with a bit of flour tortilla blended in if that ‘bean burrito’ piques her fancy.
Chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) sounds like an option, just leave out the lumps. Lots of recipes on line although they can be tedious to read - this one seems fairly straightforward Japan Centre Online.
Gazpacho is another, especially with good tomatoes (a few months away, depending on your location). Blend it up real good and run it through a sieve to make it perfectly smooth. Add bread, blend and repeat until desired thickness is achieved.
You can just get some of those prepared gravies in jars or cans. Thin them a little if necessary, you can easily find beef, pork, chicken, and turkey gravies at the grocery store. Kind of salty and a lot of starch in them but I think if I was so limited in my food choices I’d go for it.
Hope your GF gets better soon, sounds awful to go through.
My mind jumped immediately to aspic, which is pretty much savory Jello – gelatin made with meat stock or consommé. When making it, just make sure you use unflavored gelatin rather than actual Jello.
There are billions of lentil and bean soups out there that should work. They are a staple in our house. If she can do spicy and likes Indian food, what about dal? Or even just leave out the cayenne and dal would still be tasty and meet your other criteria.
You could do a boiled custard, just cut back on the sugar. That’s what my wife is sipping on during chemo. She can keep it down, and it is loaded with protein.
You could also try to make a gravy, then attack it with an immersion blender to totally smooth it out.