Grocery shopping for after surgery

I just got home from the grocery store and I was very disappointed by the soup and broth options. Super high in sodium and almost no protein (I know I can add powder). What did you eat on all liquid diet before and after surgery? What brands? Thanks in advance.

I went to Au bon pain and bought their broth from their chicken soup. They charged me very little because it was just the liquid. Taste surpassed anything in a can. (Blah!) Sodium was probably high- but I wasn't concerned about that then.

Broth, Yogurt, protein shakes, popsicles, sf jello and pudding etc are what I 'ate'.

If you have a blender, there are a lot of creamy soups you could make yourself! Better than the canned stuff.

The protein was really coming from protein drinks. Honestly Premier is the easiest in the beginning as it is thin and low volume for a lot of protein.

I, like Peach liked to go out for my broth. I got mine from the Chinese restaurant.

I only had 2 days of clear liquids only in the hospital. They gave me isopure but I hated it. No protein for 2 days didn't kill me. Fluids are more important. I was able to add protein once I got home.

Once I got to creamy soups I ran Cream of mushroom through the blender to get rid of any bits and added plain protein powder.

I aldo enjoyed SF popsicles as they were the only solid food I could have,

I made my own chicken broth so I could control the sodium content. It's super easy and makes the house smell great.

My liquid diet pre op was Optifast protein shakes, clear soup broth, and 1 serving of green veggies per day.

Post op, it was premier protein and clear soup broth, and water. For the first two weeks after surgery I drank premade soup broth, usually Campbells, for the convenience. I could only drink a medicine cup size portion so I wasn't worried about the sodium. After that, I made my own soup broth.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! I guess I didn't take into account that I will only be drinking a little bit so the sodium won't matter as much.

It looks like you are doing really well overall since your surgery. Any other tips you would be willing to share?

I found sipping slowly over a long period of time worked best. It was like a full time job to get in the protein and water, one small sip at a time, and at first I could only stand cold drinks or luke warm, but not hot. Once I was able to tolerate hot drinks, I bought a mug warmer and I love it and still use it today. I have a bowl that holds exactly one cup of food (my limit) and it fits perfectly on the mug warmer, so i use it to keep my meals warm as well as my beverages. It's super helpful as it takes so long to eat, although I'm much faster now at almost 9 months out than I was early on.

If you can find bone broth, it has a bit more protein than standard broth or boullion. I usually find it in the health food sections, and my local Target carries bone broth.

I also got my broth from the Chinese place... I loved getting the hot and sour soup and straining it out and just drinking the broth... it was like heaven at that point!

Mostly just worry about fluids in general those first few days and into the first two weeks... your protein stores are important, but during that very first phase, staying hydrated is MUCH more important!

Don't stock up on too many things before surgery. You may find after the surgery your taste buds have changed and what you thought would taste good will not....