So right now I’m in the hospital for a severely infected and inflamed airway, uvula, and light pneumonia(no wonder I was running/cycling so slow and drowning the past couple weeks…). I’ve been here for 4 days already. But now that I’m off oxygen and can take a deep breath, the docs are considering letting me out now, instead of another 3-7 days inpatient. Provided I stop by and get a steroid&antibiotic shot every day and stick to a liquid diet Until cleared. Probably 7-10 days.
I’ve never done any liquid diet things before-I like cooking. The only thing I’ve used a blender for is margaritas. My food processor is only 1.5 cups, so that’s not going to cut it.
So! Anybody have any favorite smoothie/puréed soup recipes to share? Blender advice? Juicing? Does juicing need separate equipment than a blender?
I need to sound like I have a clue here. If I don’t convince the nutritionist & ENT I can take care of myself this afternoon, I won’t get let out.
So if you don’t have one get a high powered blender, Vitamix and Blendtec are the big names, I have an Oster Versa Performance Blender and it works just as well as the others plus is over $100 cheaper. ($199 at costco.com). As for recipes there’s a TON of stuff you can do with these things… i mostly do fruit and veggie smoothies but you can definitely make all kinds of soups. Just google for Vitamix recipes or Vitamix soups and you’ll find more ideas then you’ll have time to try, also the blenders come with recipe books.
Also yes a juicer is different from a blender, I would think a blender would be a bit more versatile for what you need right now and more filling since you’ll also get a bit of fiber.
I’d blend. No juice. There’s absolutely no reason you need a blender that costs more than $50 for 10 days of smoothies. A basic green smoothie (spinach or kale, greek yogurt, almond butter, a frozen banana, and frozen pineapple) would be a good default breakfast or lunch. An immersion blender can make it really easy to turn any pot of soup/stew into a pureed soup without having to transfer hot liquid to a blender. I’d stick to things that are familiar as a puree (like a curried butternut squash soup with extra fat/dairy added for more calories) instead of making some sort of weird meat puree. Any semi-solid or soft foods included? Jello? Pudding? Refried beans? Cottage cheese? Scrambled eggs? etc.? Your dietitian should have a ton more info for you. I think instead of putting the burden on you to prove you can do this, the hospital should be educating you.
Glad you are recovering. Just curious, why did the Dr’s recommend liquid only? I am no medical expert…just curious about the physiology behind the recommendation. Get well soon!
I’d blend. No juice. There’s absolutely no reason you need a blender that costs more than $50 for 10 days of smoothies. A basic green smoothie (spinach or kale, greek yogurt, almond butter, a frozen banana, and frozen pineapple) would be a good default breakfast or lunch. An immersion blender can make it really easy to turn any pot of soup/stew into a pureed soup without having to transfer hot liquid to a blender. I’d stick to things that are familiar as a puree (like a curried butternut squash soup with extra fat/dairy added for more calories) instead of making some sort of weird meat puree. Any semi-solid or soft foods included? Jello? Pudding? Refried beans? Cottage cheese? Scrambled eggs? etc.? Your dietitian should have a ton more info for you. I think instead of putting the burden on you to prove you can do this, the hospital should be educating you.
Well they’re not sure if they want to release me. so I’m hoping that if I already appear competent with a liquid/soft diet, they’ll be more likely to let me go. ENT is tentatively okay, but wants to have me talk to a nutritionist first. I’m sure it’ll be educational, but I want to get out, so I want to make a good impression. Thus, questions and research.
They’re giving me jello, pudding, and ice cream. So I guess stuff like that is okay!
Glad you are recovering. Just curious, why did the Dr’s recommend liquid only? I am no medical expert…just curious about the physiology behind the recommendation. Get well soon!
Because my uvula almost completely obstructed everything behind it, so only liquid could slip through. It’s better now, but everything is still sensitive. So no solids.
I see - good for you taking it upon yourself, I was just puzzled that it sounded like you weren’t getting much support from your caregivers yet. Hope things worked out well for you. Either way - heal up!
I was on a liquid diet for an extensive period of time while training for an Ironman last year. I relied heavily on Carbo Pro and whey protein powder. I also made a lot of rice milks and nut milks in my vitamix and did a ton of juicing in my juicer (both fruits and veggies). I also made a lot of soups using my immersion blender, including lots of sweet potato soups and squash soups. Once I could handle lactose-free yogurt, I also made a lot of my own yogurt with full-fat milk and loaded it up with whey protein powder. Good luck and feel free to send me an email with any questions!
Vega One is my go to for getting a whole bunch of nutrition into a quick and simple smoothie/shake. It tastes great and has, what seems to me, to be a really good nutritional profile.
I am not in any way affiliated with them, I am just happy with the product. I get it at Whole Foods, but GNC and Vitamin Shoppe carry it too, so it shouldn’t be too hard to source close by wherever you are.
You can put almost anything in a blender. A friend of mine had his jaw wired shut for 6 weeks. One of his favorites was blended burrito. Recipe: 1 blender, 1 burrito, a little milk. Add ingredients together In a blender, blend until SMOOTH. Enjoy.
