Question:
Is it ok to spice up your food a little when your 4 weeks out?

I am now i stage 2...off liquids and on to pureed...... I made tofu and put a little cheese and avacado on it.....with a little hot sause...Is this bad? It goes down fine....    — christina L. (posted on June 4, 2003)

June 4, 2003
i DON'T THINK A BIT OF SPICE HURTS TOO MUCH OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE DONE IT AND IT FEELS FINE ALTHOUGH YOU ARE OUT A LITTLE EARLY DON'T OVERDO IT AS YOUR TENDER AND HEALING AND DON'T WANT TO IRRITATE THE HEALING PROCESS HAVE SOMETHING LIKE MILK WITH IT IF YOU CAN PLAY IT BY EAR i KNOW IT IS DIFFICULT AND WE TEND TO START GOING FOR FLAVOUR.
   — Rhonda K.

June 4, 2003
I was told by the nurse, if spicy food didn't bother me pre surgery, it shouldn't bother me post op. So far it hasn't.
   — Gail O.

June 4, 2003
Spicy foods in the beginning helped me deal with the restriction of alot of foods i was used to eating pre op. I did and still do have to be careful of certain spices though...it will cause discomfort. Hope it helps! Rose
   — rwormington

June 4, 2003
From weeks 2-4 I ate 2T fat-free refried beans, cheese and hot sauce (hot) every morning for breakfast...it was my favorite food...being that it was the only thing that really 'tasted' like anything at the time. I never had any problems with it. I still find that my 'hot' tolerance is much higher than it used to be...I now even eat hot sauce made with habanero (scotch bonnet) peppers with no mouth or tummy troubles. So spice it up and enjoy!
   — eaamc

June 5, 2003
Blended (or pureed) doesn't have to be bland! Go ahead and use seasonings. I drank a lot of V-8 juice - but could only tolerate it if it had a liberal addition of Tobasco sauce added - never had a problem with it, either.
   — koogy

June 5, 2003
I don't think it's bad, I think a little spice can really make you feel like you're eating "something", especially in the early days. I absolutely can't stand bland food--must have spice! Since pretty early on post-op (read: as soon as it was "legal"), I was eating spicy fat-free refried beans. Today, one of my favorite foods is the uncooked red salsa at a local Mexican restaurant--very spicy and fairly low-cal. I've never had a problem, but certainly, YMMV, so proceed with just a bit of caution. Good luck to you!
   — Laurie A.