Question:
What is a clear liquid and I need help on food that travel well.

I have to go on clear liquids before the surgery. I always thought that clear liquids were anything you can see through but someone told me popcicles are ok. Can someone give me a list of clear liquids I can have? Also, I travel alot with my job and they always have continental breakfasts (ie donuts and bagels). I know the sweets and all that bread won't go down well. Can someone give me a couple of ideas of food I can take in my hotel room that I can eat that doesn't require refrigeration.Thanks.    — Daphne S. (posted on January 7, 2002)

January 7, 2002
yes dapne, clear liquids is just that...clear. broth, tea, black coffee, kool aid, & yes ice pops. as far as traveling, can u take a small cooler with u? u can get small containers of what u like & they will stay cool in the container with ice from the hotel ice machines. continental breakfasts r hard but in my travels i have found that they have instant oatmeal pkgs.
   — sheryl titone

January 7, 2002
I am assuming that you won't be traveling with your job for a while after your surgery and will be on full liquids before you are able to go back to work. Full liquids are liquids that you cannot see through...creamed soups, yogurt, sugar free puddings, protein drinks, SF cocoa, Carnation Instant Breakfast, etc. Clear liquids are beef and chicken broth, SF popsicles, SF jello, crystal lite, and any other liquids you can see through. Thankfully the clear liquid stage doesn't last too long. The choices on clear liquids are pretty scant but full liquids are much easier to do. When do you plan to return to work and to traveling with your job? There are lots of choices depending on the phase of the post op diet you are on. If you are having rny, don't even plan on bagels and donuts being in your diet for a while if ever. I have just started to tolerate breads and even though I might be able to handle them, I don't want to because they are not the same anymore! Truthfully, they do not appeal to me anymore because when I try to eat them they form a ball in my pouch and yuck! Also there is no room in a little pouch for such things. We have to fill it with wise choices...i.e., later when you are progressing in the diet....cheeses, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, and mostly protein. Not to say you can never enjoy a continental breakfast again but for me, I would stick to crusty breads (if you want bread) and maybe cream cheese. I also like yogurt which is usually available. Much later into the post op diet, you can choose hi protein cereals and/or meats. I have never had any trouble finding something nutritious in hotels and/or restaurants. The choices are so wide and the room in the pouch so little! Good luck and don't worry, it will work out for you.
   — Marilyn C.

January 7, 2002
I agree with the first poster. Get a small cooler or even an insulated lunch bag and buy freezer gels or use ice and take along yogurt, string cheese, unsweetened applesauce, cottage cheese, etc. If that isn't acceptable, you could try those little snack paks that contain tuna and some crackers or cheese and crackers that don't need to be refrigerated, but be careful with the crackers and maybe not even eat them. Most continental breakfasts at hotels have milk, so if you can tolerate milk products, you could carry along a protein mix and some hotels provide hot water for tea, so you could carry along cup-o-soup mixes as well.
   — Susan M.

January 7, 2002
Hi, I am assuming that the question about travel foods are for after post op travels when you are on a full diet....I fill snack size zip lock bags with home made travel mix...I include soy nuts, sun flower seeds , dried banana chips and raisens. You can use any dry foods that you tolerate well..sometimes I mix in granola, cranberries etc...the combination of sweet and salty is very satisfying. I keep one bag in the glove box in case I get stuck in traffic and need a protien boost. the soy nuts are a great protien source. I hate protien bars but if you like the taste these are good for travel. The ziplock snack size bags are perfect for any foods that you use at home.You can always get hot water from the room coffee makers for dries foods such as oatmeal, cream of wheat,cup of soups etc. I also take yougart and cheese sticks when I am on the road...either in my mini cooler or use the ice bucket in the hotel room to keep things cold overnight! Good luck!
   — Diane Z.

January 7, 2002
For the purpose of my pre-op clear liquids, my surgeon included any fruit juice that DID NOT have pulp in it - grape, apple, cranberry, or any of the juice drinks that are so readily available. I could also have any kind of soft drink (didn't have to be sprite or 7-up)plus the broths, Jello, etc. This is different from post-op clear liquids - no carbonated bevarages at all. After surgery, I was only on clear liquids while in the hospital - I left the hospital on full liquids and was on them for one week then started soft foods. For traveling, I think the other posters pretty much covered most of the options. I am six weeks post-op and always have some peanuts or pistaschio nuts handy for a quick hi-protein pick me up. I keep plain instant oatmeal at my office so I can have it for breakfast if I want. But sometimes, my breakfast is a glass ov V8 - wait 30 minutes and then have som nuts. My surgeon approves this and it works for me because I am not a big breakfast food eater. I also know a lot of people who eat peanut butter (either out of the spoon, on a couple of low-fat crackers or spread on a banana or piece of fruit. Best of luck with your surgery. Patty
   — Patty_Butler

January 7, 2002
Peanut butter would travel well. You could get toast from the continental breakfast and put your own peanut butter on it. Also other nuts and--this is probably a little weird--easy cheese (I used to be an easy cheese snob but I looked and it has the same nutritional value as "real" cheese with slightly more sodium. It took me like a month to go thru a can, too!) The fruit-to-go paks would be ok too as long as they are packaged in their own juice. And you can always grab milk from the breakfast line and have a little cereal that you can tolerate (grape nuts even have protein).
   — ctyst

January 8, 2002
Cheri - I used to be an easy cheese (cheese in a can) snob too. On a camping trip last year I was tired, cold, and wet and I swear my friend saved my life with some triscuits and cheese in a can. Through my exhausted fog I read the ingredients, and was amazed that Eazy cheeze is actually CHEESE. Look at the ingredients, they start something like milk, whey, etc. Lower in fat than cheddar, but much higher in sodium. Don't buy the Food lion brand, trust me. I camp a lot, it is a godsend.
   — M. A. B.