DiET - Now (rad/Chemo just ended) - and LATER

about antioxidants during treatment....so I stayed away from them.  When I finished treatment, I started experimenting about 2 weeks out with anything that sounded good.  Some things (like spicy foods I knew better than to try)....but soups, bread slathered in butter and dipped in that soup was really good to me .  Chances are the taste buds aren't going to kick in for a while, so most of what I ate was for the sheer pleasure of not using my tube....I waited till my first PET scan to go back on actual supplements (Multi-vitamins, extra D, etc....never did go back to extra Vit E or C.....).

The first really GOOD experience I had eating was a Chinese Buffet.....something about the flavors, and the fact that I could jump from one dish to another allowed my taste buds to experience different flavors over and over.  That was about a month out.

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So I started thinking....and then remembered a couple rules of thumb I learned when I first started eating again.  Blander is better...for some reason, things like cooked veggies with butter were waaaay better than something that was seasoned...Things I didn't like before treatment became "go to's" after treatment, like cauliflower and cheese soup.  Fruits are off the menu for a while (maybe a long while)....but veggies....darn near all of them taste really good.   

Thank you for checking in with us.  It might still be rough 1 month out.  Some were living on smoothies (greek yogurt has more protein).  You might have frozen fruit and bananas to make the smoothies.  I ate a lot of cream of wheat.  We eat what we can.  Don't be upset if something tasted good one day and horrible the next, for that matter one bite is good and the rest has no taste or tastes bad.  I used to love cottage cheese, now it tastes sour.  Meat is a challenge, fish worked the best.  Veggies need to be cooked as well as fruit in the beginning.  I agree with Phrannie, a buffet was a wonderful way to explore tastes.  Sauces or gravey help food go down easier.  It's hit and miss, don't take it personally.  Enjoy your visitl  He might need to rest more than usual also.

Just stick to the most nutrient rich food you can.  We can't eat much at this stage of the game so make it count. Some of us prefer warm soups and others cold smoothies.  I would just give him whatever he wants but try and work with whole foods.  I live on soup but always healthy and fresh.  When I could only ingest cold smoothies I blended beets and carotts in the vitamix with avocado and goats yoghurt.  Adding scoops of whey and a raw egg yolk really help with protein.

Mom & Dad,

Congratulations to your son and to you for a task that is hard to do and hard to watch.

Whichever way his eating goes (soft, bland, eggs, soup, smoothies, etc.) is mostly dependent on his taste buds and what he can handle.  What he wants to eat will quickly become clear and this he should exploit. 

For many of us the diet choices grows till it reaches the “new normal”, which in my case is most anything I want (now days).  I rode the smoothie train for 7 months, then click my taste buds switched on and I was golden.

 Relax and good luck!

Matt

CivilMatt said:

i just had a Snickers

Mom & Dad,

Congratulations to your son and to you for a task that is hard to do and hard to watch.

Whichever way his eating goes (soft, bland, eggs, soup, smoothies, etc.) is mostly dependent on his taste buds and what he can handle.  What he wants to eat will quickly become clear and this he should exploit. 

For many of us the diet choices grows till it reaches the “new normal”, which in my case is most anything I want (now days).  I rode the smoothie train for 7 months, then click my taste buds switched on and I was golden.

 Relax and good luck!

Matt

It took about 3 months before my taste came back just a little and the first things I remember tasting was some Popeye chicken. That was it from then on, I could not pass up a fried Chicken place, the wheel on my truck would automatically turn in for a box of whings.

Hondo      

My doctor told me that you need to ingest or get infusion of tons of antioxidant to counter the effect of oxidation coming from radiation so he said it was OK for me to keep taking antioxidants: I take curcumin, fish tail mushrooms, acai, ala,elderberries, vegetable pills, carotene, vitamin C, omega, resveratol and fish oils.

I also read a lot of studies on antioxidants and in Europe they suggest to take them to fight cancers

I can honetly say my healing is going fast and even with my kids taking tons of germs home, I am the only one with no cold in the house. So to me antioxidant are good

scarytimes said:

smoothies

Is there anyplace we could find some recipies? I suppose on here somewhere.

I am placing an order for the Liquid Hope for him but it's expensive. I thought he can at least get one a day and get started with real food (even though he is still eating albeit less than before). He is eating things at room temp so I think any smoothie would need to be the same.

Thanks much!!

You might want to Google "bone broth". My cancer team recommended it because of the high protein content. If you have ever made soup from scratch, the process is similar. It can be made in a slow cooker and simmered for two or three days. I made soup, gravy, or mixed it in potatoes or vegetables. Canned soup tended to be too salty or spicy. No salt added green beans were easy to eat at first, too. I'm sure you will get many more suggestions on this site. It's been a blessing for me!