Sweet potatoes hold up well in the fridge. I bake them squeeze out of the jackets and mash. They don’t turn gummy and pasty like white potatoes. So when you feel good do some stuff ahead to have when you don’t feel good. The seeds of change lentils are good and microwave in 90 seconds. If you can tolerate ice chips they help, chew on them while you’re doing the chemo and it helps with the chemo neuropathy. Of course I have the opposite textural problem, I have difficulty with soft stuff like bread, so I have to get it crunchy to get it down. I have made eggs every way conceivable as for the first month or so after I started eating again it was the only food I could tolerate in the morning. I have done ramen with fried egg on top, soba noodles with egg on top, poached eggs with hollandaise on top, and Bearnaise on everything. At this point, calories are your friend, so while eating “healthy” is important, getting calories in is the main goal. So don’t feel guilty about that extra butter on that tater. You earned it.
My cancer lottery ticket was a relatively good one, 96% cure rate, but lots of after effects that tend to last forever. An interesting stat for mine is that folks survive the cancer but end up with malnutrition and that’s what gets them. So I have to focus each day on getting enough food in. I weigh less than I did in college. My nose did go into hyper-drive. I could smell an oaky chardonnay from across the room.
I’d focus on things that are comfort foods for you. Personally, I like creamier beans when I don’t feel well (ie, normally larger types that have a lower skin to flesh ratio). How about cannelinni beans with rosemary, garlic, lemon and olive oil? Protein plus complex carbs, and creamy and comforting. If you have a crock pot, it’s super easy to make as well so you don’t have to fuss in the kitchen.
Hope you’ve tried appetite enhancer aka indica or sativa.
I’ve never been in your situation but have always found pureed soups, yogurt, lentil, hummus, peanut/almond butter as sources of protein that are doable when much else isn’t. Cheese and eggs are next in line for me though I’d guess they’re more challenging. I’m not a tofu fan, but obviously that fits the bill.
At the extreme, I get the chocolate protein shakes at Costco for my elderly mom. IIRC they have significantly more protein than Ensure.
I would more likely do a weight lifting type protein powder. Ensure is pretty crappy nutritionally speaking. I need to rely more heavily on eggs. Again, beans not so much with my type of cancer. And yes, I am using appetite stimulants.
Don’t know if you have a champion juicer or some other heavy duty food processor, but if you do, a banana/dried fig purée might be appealing for your current needs. I bet you could add also put in almonds for protein.
Milton beat me to the suggestion to see if you can consult with a nutritionist/dietician who works with cancer patients. They work through these issues all the time.
The one product suggestion for you is 100% Food. A friend of mine has been using these for several months (not for cancer dietary reasons, though). I tried one that he gave me, and it was pretty decent:
History as i understand is some tech guys came up with it so they wouldn’t have to stop working to eat and still get sufficient nutrition…I think reviews called it bland, boring, etc…
I don’t know how much it helps but when I’m sick I always reach for Farina which is about as bland as it comes. To a great extend it’s comfort food for me as I remember my mother making it. It always makes me feel better
