Hi all, I wonder if any of you have ideas for smooth foods for my husband, recently been diagnosed with throat cancer. Treatment will start soon and eating will be difficult. There is only so much custard, yogurt, smoothies, scrambled eggs are bloke can take. Any ideas appreciated.
davidt4,
Nov 18, 5:58am
When my husband was in the same situation he was able to eat very lightly cooked fresh salmon, and the other benefit of salmon was that although he had lost most of his sense of taste the salmon did register as having some flavour. Buy salmon fillet and make absolutely sure that you have pinboned it and it is completely bone-free. Cook it in butter or olive oil over low heat until it is just heated through and still slightly translucent. Season with salt (and try a little lemon juice to see if he can tolerate it).
Mild creamy soup is another option - using your own fresh chicken stock for its nutritional value. Carrots, leeks, spinach and onions are all mild and should be tolerated. Let me know if you want a recipe.
My sympathies to you both - throat cancer is awful.
livinginsin,
Nov 18, 6:03am
Thanks so very much davidt4, I would love the recepie please. We were lucky enough to be gifted fresh schnapper this week, he absolutely loved that, no bits gettting stuck.
cgvl,
Nov 18, 6:33am
If you buy salmon for him ask for the tail end it shouldn't have any bones in it. Its the piece my mother buys as she has trouble with the pin bones on other pieces.
herself,
Nov 18, 8:42pm
I am thinking souffles would be another idea. I made this one a lot when my DH had his teeth out. Cheese Souffle 2 eggs ¼ t mustard 60g butter ½ c milk 4 t flour ½ c cheese ½ t salt and shake pepper Melt butter Take off heat and add flour and seasonings, mix and return to low heat until it resembles sand. Take off heat and mix in milk Return to heat and stir until smooth, add grated cheese. Cool slightly Beat egg yolks till light , gradually stir into sauce Beat egg whites until short peaks form. Add to sauce , fold in with metal spoon – do not over-mix Pour into 2 or 3 greased ramekin dishes Place ramekins into a meat dish with a little water Bake in moderate oven approx 25 minutes. The mixture can be refrigerated in dishes overnight then cooked
eljayv,
Nov 18, 9:41pm
What about putting vegetables through a mouli or stick blender with a little butter or cream Cooked vegetables that is
davidt4,
Nov 18, 9:44pm
Smooth Nourishing Soup
Make chicken stock with a whole boiling fowl or a kg of wings or drumsticks. Cover amply with water in a large pan, bring slowly to a low simmer and maintain at a low simmer for 4 -5 hours (boiling fowl) or 2 hours (wings/drumsticks). Strain through a sieve, keep meat for another purpose such as chicken croquettes or a chicken & vege gratin. The stock will keep in the fridge for three days or freezes perfectly if you don't need it all.
For soup:
30g butter 1 onion, chopped 1 - 2 carrots, diced 1 potato, peeled and diced 1 leek, sliced or 500g spinach leaves 500 ml chicken stock a few handfuls of parsley, tarragon, chives - whatever is available 2 egg yolks 150 ml plain cream salt
Heat butter in a large pan, add onion and cook over medium hear 5 minutes. Add rest of veges, stir in butter a few minutes. Add carrots, potato and leek/spinach, pour in stock, bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes or until veges are completely tender.
Meanwhile mix egg yolks, cream and salt.
Add herbs, pour into a blender or a food processor and whizz until completely smooth. Return to pan, bring back to a low simmer, stir in egg yolk mixture and stir a few minutes until it thicken slightly. Check salt level, serve warm or tepid.
jan2242,
Nov 18, 9:48pm
Blend up everything? No reason why you can't blend up a roast dinner with gravy etc?
davidt4,
Nov 18, 10:35pm
It's disgusting. Food needs to be appetising for someone who is ill and having difficulty eating.
lythande1,
Nov 18, 11:22pm
[quote=livinginsin There is only so much custard, yogurt, smoothies, scrambled eggs are bloke can take. Any ideas appreciated.[/quote] Pureed soups. Also why not do "baby food", as in put his meat or such through a blender then sieve it. He'll have to watch deficiencies as well otherwise.
245sam,
Nov 19, 12:57am
I recall from when I had my teeth out that everything blended together is IMO "disgusting" however if each food item to be served (e.g. as in a roast meal) was individually blended and served on a plate the same as if whole pieces, then it would/should be no less appetising than if served in their whole piece format and I believe would appeal, especially as it would/could be the same as others in the household are having at that time.
Our daughter used to work for a catering business that supplied food to a local hospital, elderly and Meals on Wheels and she has told us how they had some clients who needed their meals blended and that included roast meals so the meat would be blended and served on to the plate as if sliced, and so would each of the vegetables - a full plated roast meal but easily consumed by anyone having chewing and/or swallowing problems. :-))
buzzy110,
Nov 19, 1:20am
I couldn't live on that either. I'd be dreaming of savoury food and would probably try and remember that I had teeth that could be used in place of a blender. Would masticating food to a paste render it sufficiently smooth or does it have to be smooth and lump free from the start?
*How about cheese sauce and blended cooked vegetables as a suggestion. *Homemade tomato sauce made with bone broth (as davidt4 wisely suggested) with blended vegetables. *I love fish stock which could be used to make a buerre blanc or roux sauce to go with the fish. *Homemade mayonnaise (egg yolk, seasoning, lemon juice, olive oil) with mashed boiled eggs that are just cooked till the yolks are no longer runny but still not really hard. *Pumpkin soup made with bone broth/stock and some used to blend up cooked mince and added back. It doesn't taste too bad that way. *Is mashed potato acceptable? It can be made smoother and 'looser' with the addition of cream/milk/butter/chicken stock *Many people swear by juicing. Have you considered getting a juicer?
buzzy110,
Nov 19, 3:01am
Oops. I forgot that pulses, a good source of protein, can be made into lovely smooth foods - i.e. hummus. I know that is supposed to be a dip but nothing wrong with spooning it in as it is.
livinginsin,
Nov 19, 5:54am
Thanks so much, got some ideas off here :)
fefeoc,
Nov 19, 6:02am
I second the comment about pureeing meal components separately. This is what my grandmother did for herself after she had surgery on her throat and mouth, and she said that with plenty of proper, homemade gravy not only could she eat 'normal' meals but they tasted the way they should. She retained her appetite, more or less, and her surgeon told her she was recovering well because she was eating properly.
nauru,
Nov 19, 7:43am
To get a super smooth mashed potato or other veges, I find using a potato ricer is best.
yavalila,
Nov 19, 8:20am
I lived on 3minute oats or KFC potato &gravy for the 7weeks radiation treatment on my throat, throat is so beggared during treatment there is no taste there, just need smooth, moist light foods, even water tastes funny while having treatment, but it does come right in the end. Good luck to your hubby
livinginsin,
Nov 19, 10:09pm
Thank you, I am glad you have come right, its hard the people without the disease are more concerned than the patient about eating!
buzzy110,
Nov 20, 2:13am
We are and not just for throat cancer, but for any illness that puts people off their food. We all panic thinking that people require food in order to get better but the real truth is that when we go without food our bodies are free to produce much more human growth hormone (HGH) which is the hormone that repairs, replaces and heals damaged parts of our body. We are actually better off eating less, rather than trying to eat food our bodies are telling us it doesn't want. But try telling that to someone who has responsibility for caring for someone they care about and you'll get kicked to touch for daring suggest such an outrageous thing.
socram,
Nov 20, 2:25am
Every sympathy. When my wife was going through chemo, just about any soup was palatable. There are 100's of different options. I have eaten stuff as a soup l wouldn't even touch whole!
First exposure to hotel home made soups about 45 years ago was broad bean and hazelnut. Second was cream of cauliflower soup.
This was a real Eureka! moment as far as soups were concerned, as in typically British fashion for those days, apart from Heinz tomato, Maggi's chicken noodle or minestrone packet soup or tinned Campbell's Scotch Broth or Oxtail, the thought of home made soup didn't even exist.
Favourite now would probably be left over pumpkin stuffed with chilli con carne from a pot luck dinner, turned into a soup.
asue,
Nov 20, 2:32am
I was very ill for awhile and struggled to eat. I found baby food good as an extra as there was a huge variety available and good when I only could handle a few spoonfuls every few hours without a lot of waste. Also used tins of creamy rice, added food (fruit etc) and an egg to make a smoothie with a food supplement as well. Talk to the hospital dietician for ideas. Good luck with it all, not an easy time for you both.
zeta7,
Nov 20, 3:53am
I have the difficultly getting food down I find any meat with sauce easy to eat and dosnt get stuck on way down and mashed veges and fills me up
yavalila,
Nov 20, 8:14am
Yes, gravy and butter are my best friends, help everything slide down, Waterdrops make the water taste better as well, different fruit flavours
twindizzy,
Nov 21, 12:34am
The hospital has a variety of textured diets for patients - maybe you could steal a few ideas if you happen to come across one or get admitted briefly :)
sticky232,
Dec 1, 8:15am
Yes my husband drank a lot of chocolate milk when he had it
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