Question:
I need some ideas on FRESH veggies i can have.. i'm craving them bad!

i'm 11 days post op.. have been eating soft foods like cottage cheese, apple sauce, soft scrambled eggs with cheese and tuna fish... but i'm craving veggies.. green veggies.. any ideas on what type of veggie and how to prepare to meet this craving?    — Ann W. (posted on March 22, 2002)


March 21, 2002
I have not had a problem with any Veggies. Just chew them good. if you have problems with raw veggies then try cooking them to soften them up. raw veggies give more gas, so be prepared for that.
   — sbinkerd1

March 22, 2002
At 11 days post op fresh veggies probably arent the best idea for you. I just recently became able to handle salads. I'm 18 weeks out now. However, at about 4 weeks I started eating canned veggies, because they're soft. I ate a lot of canned asparagus with a peice of melted cheese on it. Also carrot chips, a little corn, and any other soft canned veggies would probably be ok for you. Good luck!
   — Monica H.

March 22, 2002
My doctor started me off on "OVER COOKED" veggies. The first was green beans. It seemed to be the easiest on my stomach. Please be sure that the veggies you choose are veggies. A lot of people think that corn is a veggie, it is not!!!!! Corn is also very hard to digest and hard to get thru the tiny hole to your new stomach. Good Luck and remember, this is only my opinion. Check with your dr or nutrition for the best advice!!!
   — RODEO CLOWNS S.

March 22, 2002
Actually corn is a vegetable. It is a starchy vegetable, though, and probably not the best choice. Other starchy vegetables are potatoes and peas and a few others.
   — garw

March 22, 2002
Corn is difficult to digest for people without surgery... bad idea to start with but if it stays down for that other person, it works for her. Try a few tender baby lettuce greens... like the ones that come prewashed in a bag at the grocery store. I was doing well with the tuna salad puree and a small piece of tender broiled salmon after teh second week and would put the small piece or spoonful of fish on a plate with a very small pile of the baby greens that I had tossed well with a little salad dressing to coat. I love the taste of the Ken's Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette. The leaves of baby lettuce are so tender and chew up so easily that there is no chance of having a problem... they really satisfied the urge for 'greens' for me without the bulk of vegetables. I also found early on that frozen baby spinach leaves would go down easily. I would put a teaspoon of olive oil in a non stick pan and saute a sliced clove of garlic in the oil until it is light brown, then add a handful of the frozen baby leaves, stirring until softened then season with salt and pepper. Then I would pour it on top of a small piece of broiled salmon. The greens would moisten the salmon and flavor it... plus the spinach satisfied my urge for vegetables. I still eat lots of baby spinach even at 9 months post op and always saute it with garlic and olive oil. Even people who hate spinach like the way it tastes like this. Ciao, Suze
   — SusanMaria

March 22, 2002
I would not have been able to handle veggies at only 11 days but around the 3-4 week mark I started with creamed spinach. I'm 6 weeks out and have had well cooked cauliflower, lima beans, and asparagus. The key is to get it mushy. At 4-5 weeks I had a salad with lettuce, tom, onion, cuke, beans, egg and cheese-it was the best thing I had tasted to date!! Don't do raw yet as your pouch is still so new and healing-give it time.
   — Cindy R.

March 22, 2002
Early onn a great choice is canned peaches in light syrup. There not a veggie per say, but are easy to digest, AVID stringy stuff like spincah and lettuce at first. Tomatoes were GREAT! Good luck your on your way!
   — bob-haller

March 22, 2002
One thing that I had at your stage that seemed to satisfy that craving was V-8. I used the low sodium kind, only because I prefer the taste. Shelley
   — Shelley.

March 22, 2002
I had a craving for canned green beans with LOTS of salt. Limas would work too if you like those. How about split pea soup? Zucchini would probably be fine if you peeled it and cooked it til soft. With a little butter or olive oil . . . Where's my skillet? I'm hungry!
   — ctyst

March 22, 2002
Bob H. - I have a question regarding your answer, or maybe someone else can help. I'd love to have some tomatoes. I even bought some. But, then I remembered how my doctor said I can eat fruit, but I must peel it first. I can't even have grapes, because you can't really peel them. I was pretty disappointed when I thought about that because of the peel on a tomato. Do you think that counts, or should I be all right? I bought some fat free feta and grilled chicken strips and would love to add my vine ripened grape tomatoes to the mix! I am five weeks out. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
   — PaulaM

March 23, 2002
Actually tomatoes are pretty easy to peel. Get a pot of water boiling. Needs to be big enough to hold a whole tomato. Then stick a fork in the tomato, lower it into the boiling water and leave it for a minute or so. When you take it out, the peel will slide right off. Same thing applies to peaches.
   — garw

March 23, 2002
Gar, thans for your response. But, I know I can peel tomatoes...I wouldn't want to eat one like that though. What I am wondering is, if the peel on the tomato would be as difficult to digest as a fruit peel, and therefore should be avoided at this stage???
   — PaulaM

March 23, 2002
I wish I knew the answer to whether the skin on tomatoes is as hard to digest as, say, the peel on an apple. I do know that the dietician who taught my nutrition classes, said we could have oranges without the membrane. I was thinking she meant that white, soft 'stuff', but she meant that you would pull the sections apart and then peel off the outside of each section. I don't think I'll be eating a lot of oranges post op. I love them, but that sounds like way more work than I would usually have time for.
   — garw

March 23, 2002
This information is for Gar: It's pretty easy to section an orange. First, remove the peel and outer membrane with a knife (like an apple). Next, with the same knife, cut each section next to the dividing membrane, each section will come out quite easily. I never knew about this until I was married and this was how my husband expected to be served his oranges. ( I had always just peeled and ate the membrane along with the fruit). However, his mother was a home ec major in College and I learned pretty fast what he was used to eating!!LOL!! Anyway, hope this helps. Shelley
   — Shelley.

March 24, 2002
Try steaming or boiling them that makes them soft and maybe you can tolerate them. Just Chew Chew Chew! I have been eating carrots,brocolli,Cauliflower,cabbage, and squash since early on and I have tolerated them fine.
   — Lynda T.




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