Chinese Food

I'm a month post-op and I love chinese food, my favorite is chicken and broccoli. I'm looking for some insight as to what experience people have had with chinese food or what to stay away from. Thanks for the help.

I think the chicken in that dish is a good choice..but be careful of the broccoli...make sure its cooked well enough...if not...throw it in the microwave and chop it to bits! Enjoy! Just stay away from the fried foods...chicken w/ vegies is aways a good choice! Joanie

Thanks for the info, I was also thinking about chicken and green beans...I'm just worried about the sauce. I asked them what they put in the sauce but I don't think she understood me. I don't think there is suger in the sauce but who knows for sure.

I'm almost 5 months out and I am not allowed broccoli. My doc first off really doesn't want us eating anything but protein, but there are certain veggies that can cause a lot of gastric distress (and a lot of gas passing). They include all broccoli families, cabbage, brussel sprouts, corn and onions ( I still do the onions once in a while, but know the outcome). Joanie is right, string beans (cooked softer than usual) spinach or any cooked leafy greens should be ok, but after you eat your required protein. The sauces you have to work on yourself. If you order General Tso chicken or sweet and sour anything chances are you will dump because of the sugar, but their other sauces can bother you too if carbs bother you. All sauces are thickened with cornstarch. I personally never had a problem with the small amount put in the sauce, but some people do. Trial and error I guess. Good luck Tee

SEVERAL WORDS OF CAUTION FOR YOU ON CHINESE FOOD. (but, bear in mind that this advice comes from someone who gets violently ill from most chinese as a post op, so I'm more cautious...) 1. Fast food style- chinese does not tend to be they type of food that uses high quality meats...so be careful of the meat. 2. They go heavy on the oil/fats, so be careful there 3. Sauces, and sometimes veggies are loaded with MSG and sodium which makes you seriously retain water. (as a side note- I can no longer tolerate ANY MSG, since surgery. It makes me violently ill) Sauces are also potentially high in sugar in some recipies, which will make you ill. 4. Rice of any sort at this stage is not only a bad idea, it could make you ill. (though you don't mention rice) At one month, I would seriously consider holding off on the Chinese. I know you loved it as a pre-op, but trust me, it does not hold the same appeal if it makes you barf! There is really no other type of food you can order that holds so many hidden dangers for post-ops. And, veggies can be very painful so newly post op, no matter how well cooked they are. (OMG! Broccoli can still effect me badly with the gas, etc) If you do decide to try it, think about ordering steamed chicken and veggies with a sugar free, MSG free sauce on the side. Also, perhaps consider trying Thai food, they use much fresher ingredients and also higher quality meats. Good luck to you, whatever you decide. best, lisa c

Dee, I used to love Chinese food as a pre-op too. I have tried a couple of times to eat it and find that a lot of the dishes (w/sugary or starchy sauces) just looked like they would hurt me and I have been too chicken to try them. The things I can eat, like the chicken on a stick or the meat & veggie choices go down but will sometimes make me a little nauseas(sp?) I tried only about 3 TBSP of rice and it made me deathly ill later on. Needless to say, I don't enjoy it as much as I used to and Lisa is right, once you get sick from it, you don't really want it very much anymore anyway. Just think protein when you go and take it slow. good luck terri

I would follow Lisa C's advice and steer clear of Chinese. Everyone's system is different, we all tolerate things differently. If there's one constant I've found along the way, it's that Chinese food is a poor choice and seems to cause gastric distress in a majority of post-op patients. As Lisa wisely points out, the quality of ingredients in most Chinese take-out are questionable, and always loaded with salt, MSG, and high-fat sauces. I loved Chinese before surgery, but after being sick several times, I've learned to dislike it. I find if I eat something that makes me sick, I tend not to want to eat it again. At one month out, I was still doing oatmeal, a soft egg, sugar-free pudding, a small bit of mashed potato, etc. I only started experimenting with Chinese after three months. I'm just over six months now, and still can't eat it. --Steve

Thanks everyone for all the good advice. I think I will stay clear for at least a few more months. Have a good day. Dee

Hello, I'm a year post op and have just tried chinese food in the past 2 months. I use to love chicken fingers, pork fried rice, & boneless pork roast. The first time I tried it was ok. I took the chicken out of the fried batter coating. It was moist & tastey. The boneless pork roast was yummy but geesh I had to chew it so much my jaw hurt! The fried rice was great but so very dry. I didn't eat that much of any of it because I still get full quickly. I have to say I enjoyed it BUT its not something that I will go crazy for again. I now have other tastes for things that I enjoy more and give me the nutrition that I need. So last week about 2 months since the first chinese try my boyfriend said lets to get some chinese for supper. I said ok and ordered chicken low mein. It was good. I ate the chicken out of it and had a small amount of the low mein. The broccoli was very soft and flavorful still had alot for left overs to come home with. A few days later I came home from work about 7pm without having anything to eat but a protien bar at 2 in the afternoon. I was alittle bit hungry and planned on having some of the left overs for supper. While I was changing my clothes my fired department alarm went off. I'm a member and had to leave the house ASAP. Got done with that call and came home about 10 starving! Now I'm over a year out, I know not to rush when I eat. I know to chew everything very good so its like oatmeal. I know not to wait to eat til I'm so hungry that I don't listen to my head. Well I didn' tlisten to my head! I wolfed down that low mein & chicken. I did'n't chew well at all and it took only 4 bites to tell me that i was in trouble with my tummy. Even though I stopped eating I still had to take my punishment! I ddin't barf thought I begged to! Awful awful awful. Lets say that I must have needed that reminder and I threw the rest of the left overs away. I'll try chinese again someday in the far far future! good luck and god bless, Pam