Stupid Salad Question

My nutritionist last week (at my 6 week visit) told me I should expand my diet and try to get in a serving of vegetables and fruit each day. Yesterday I cut up a plum tomato and a tiny seedless (salad type) cucumber to take to work. I mixed in a separate little container olive oil, vinegar and lemon for dressing. Good thing I didn't get a chance to eat it until I got home from work or I would have given my co-workers the opportunity to see me throw up in the bathroom. I'm guessing maybe the oil and vinegar dressing was too liquidy to be eating with the tomato and cuke?? Does that sound right? I get the no eating and drinking at the same time but maybe I should be trying the salad with a more thick type of dressing? Help! What do you think out there? Or was I just having a bad moment? Thanks!

I don't know. I never know what will sit well with me and what won't. I can't eat tuna salad or eggs unless it's soft boiled. I can eat chili. My pouch is very particular and grumpy, and I mostly stick to soft cheeses like cottage cheese and real mozzerella...some diet, huh? Could it be that you ate it too fast or didn't chew well enough? Hugs, Nancy

It's so weird - I can eat chili also but tuna salad has barely stayed down. Finicky pouch! Unless I really, REALLY concentrate when I eat I will swallow after a few chews - like I've done all my life - and then I realize that I messed up and hope for the best. Sometimes I get lucky and other times not so much. Thanks for your thoughts! Adrienne

Boy, wish I could help. I eat cooked vegetables but raw kinda scares me. I'm sure I will try eventually but something inside me says wait so I will a little longer. I haven't throw up yet and kinda like it that way. I know I'm a coward. Good luck--let you know how my maiden voyage on the USS salad boat goes when my ship comes in! Love, Bunny

You are doing very well if you haven't thrown up yet! Congratulations. I cannot say the same, unfortunately. I will however, hold off on the raw veggies a bit longer. I'll think of you when I take my (next) maiden voyage on the USS salad boat!!! That was too funny! Thanks!!! Adrienne

I have been lucky in that I can eat those things, although I have avoided oil and vinegar. I would be careful, though, the cucumber has very little nutritional value. I try hard to eat some kind of green vergetable every day (ie: steamed broccoli or spinach) which have a mush higher vitamin content. Good luck!

The only thing my nutritionist said about the cuke is to make sure not to eat the seeds. I've been eating spinich (sauteed in garlic and a tiny bit of oil - yum!) with no problem. I'm going to stay away from the raw veggies a bit longer. Thanks and good luck to you as well!! Adrienne

I am craving salad in the worst way. I am craving raw veggies in the worst way. I swear I have dreams about it! I'm just too afraid to go that step (also my surgeon doesn't include this in my diet for several more weeks). Despite my cravings, I am so afraid of getting sick from them. I am doing very well on other foods and have not been sick to the point of vomitting at all since surgery. I know my day will come that I will dump, but I'm not anxious to introduce such raw foods anytime soon. I would be inclined to think the oil/vinegar might have been too much for your tummy, but then again maybe your pouch is not ready for such whole raw foods yet? I think maybe you should give it another week or two, then introduce each item slowly (like a small piece of tomato, small piece of cucumber etc). If it stays down and your pouch accepts it well, have a bit larger portion the next time and watch yourself again. I do know that once I introduce salads, I'm going to first try each ingredient on it's own. I'd hate to have a mixed salad, get sick and then worry about and avoid all the ingredients out of fear my body won't accept them. I can just picture eating a salad, getting sick because the green peppers are too much for me, and not knowing, therefore giving up salads forever. I just enjoy them too much to risk that. So maybe you should try that. One ingredient a day in small amounts to see how it works?? I personally don't enjoy the oil/vinegar type dressings anyhow, but I'd tend to want to stay away from the acid nature of vinegar in my pouch, and the greasy content of the oil ?? A small amount of a creamy type low fat/sugar free dressing may just make all the difference. Hope you figure it out soon! Salads are just too yummy to have to give up on! Melissa

Hi Melissa, Yep - I will work around not eating the mixed raw veggies for a while longer. So did I have the biggest craving for a salad for at least the last week. My friends thought I was totally nuts. But the next time I do the salad it will be with a creamy type of dressing I think. There's absolutely no way I'll even allow myself to think that I may not be able to eat them again. Nope - not going to happen!!!! Take care. Adrienne

I've been eating salad for about 3 weeks, and I haven't had a problem with it. I use full-fat dressings, because honestly, how much of it will I REALLY eat anyway? I tend to pick out the chicken pieces first, then eat some of the cheese and other stuff if I have room. Ok, so maybe I'm not really eating a salad...it just LOOKS like a salad when I order it