My Dietitians Advise for Mushies

[Rhiain]

Here is my Dietitians Advise for Mushies:

Week 3

Start by thickening the foods you have been taking for the first two weeks. The consistency you are aiming for could be compared with baby or “mushy” food.

 Prepare soups so that they are thick enough that they would NOT pass through a straw. There is no need to puree soft, well cooked soups.
 Trial well cooked legumes (dried beans and peas) and baked beans
 Use thicker consistency low fat yoghurt eg: Fruche or Jalna
 Replace fruit juice and vitamised fruit with thick pureed fruit or soft fruit (peeled) eg: tinned fruit
 Replace vegetable juice with well mashed (and peeled) vegetables. Alternatively vegetables can be over-steamed and chewed very thouroughly, ie: broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin and zucchini
 Try introducing and egg but ensure the yoke is “runny” (scrambled eggs is okay too)
 Try fresh fish that has been baked or cooked in the microwave. Tinned fish (flavoured sauces are suitable too) will require mixing with massed potato or white sauce.
 Introduce soft cereal such as porridge, semolina or Weet-Bix

Meal Ideas Week 3

Breakfast:
• Well Cooked porridge or Semolina
• High Fibre Weet-Bix or a similar consistency cereal well soaked with skim milk
• Low fat yoghurt and peeled soft fresh ripe fruit i.e: banana, kiwi fruit or stone fruit
• Scrambled Eggs
Lunch & Dinner:
• Fresh fish fillet baked in foil or cooked in microwave ie: salmon or tuna casserole/ salmon mornay/ fish patties
• Poached eggs (runny) or soft scrambled eggs
• Silken Tofu or tinned spaghetti (no other pasta) or baked beans or Lentil Dahl
• AND mashed or well cooked vegetables / soft salad items ir: peeled tomato, potato, potato salad (peeled), beetroot, avocado
Dessert:
• Thick/homemade custard or tinned fruit (drained and mashed with fork) or low fat Fruche

Week 4

Once you are confident that you are able to tolerate the foods described for week three, you should be ready to further upgrade your meals to a more solid consistency. You will need to take small portions fro a range of options at lunch and dinner to ensure variety.

 Trial dry crackers (such as Ryvita or wholemeal Salada) and extra light hard cheese.
 Trial various shapes of pasta and ensure it is soft and well cooked.
 Eggs and fish may be consumed as desired.
 Minced meat and chicken allowed
 Soft fruits and vegetables permitted (peeled)
X No bread, rice, whole pieces of meat at this stage.


Meal Ideas Week 4

Breakfast:
• High fibre cereal (no dried fruit or nuts) with just enough skim milk to soak cereal AND
• Soft fruit or low fat yoghurt
Lunch & Dinner:
• Baked potato (not jacket/skin) with low fat sour cream or low fat cheese or
• Steamed Vegetables or soft salad ingredients
• Dry Crackers with a lice of extra light low fat cheese and a soft salad topping such as sliced tomato and avocado
• AND Cantaloupe / Strawberries or other soft fruit
Dinner:
• Fish or
• Omelette or
• Minced meat or minced chicken dish Eg: meatloaf, rissoles, shepherds pie (without the pastry base) spaghetti bolognaise or chow mein or
• Legumes ie: lentil Dhal or Baked beans
• AND Softly cooked Vegetables


Week 5

Your band should be securely positioned by this week, so you can afford to be more experimental with foods.

 Introduce bread, rice, fruit & vegetable skins and red meat GRADUALLY as described.

If a particular foods leads to and indigestion type feeling, alleviate the discomfort by washing it through with fluid ie: ½ glass of water. If this doesn’t work for you, ½ glass of flat diet coca-cola can unblock your lapband. This is not ideal as you need to be able to take solids without liquid, so take caution with the problem food.

Intolerances:

There are particular foods that may cause discomfort in some individuals.
These include:

x Tough steak; buy good quality tender meat and don’t overcook it, or use mince meat. Meat can also be marinated to tenderise. Add a pinch of bicarb soda to the marinade. Curries or casserole are a good method to use in cooking meat.
x Soft “doughy” breads and bakery items. Try and use wholegrain breads and toast bread where possible.
x Sticky white rice such as sushi or plain boiled rice.
x Thick skins on fruit and vegetables expecially apples and baked potato. Be careful with coleslaw and stringy vegetables eg: celery, snow peas.
x Tough seafood ie: octopus & calamari.
x Under-cooked or al dente spaghetti – chew very carefully or overcook.


Meal Ideas Week 5

Breakfast:• High fibre breakfast cereal (dried fruit and nuts permitted) and low fat milk.
• AND Fresh fruit with skin
Lunch:• Wholemeal/rye toast or fresh bread with lean cold meat/fish/low fat cheese and salad items ie: sliced tomato / peel or thinly sliced cucumber
• AND Fresh fruit with skin
Dinner:• Fish, Chicken or Pork OR
• Minced red meat or tender cuts red meat
• AND well cooked vegetables with skin

[cara511]

Rhiain,

Thanks SO much for your excellent meal suggestions for mushies. I have realised my dietitian did very little to help me through this so I went searching and found this. You have some great ideas. Thanks again
Cara

[skuzie]

thankyou so much, we got a booklet but we dont have a dietician, thats really helpful

thanks again

sus

[tarzapan70]

Awesome work on the meal suggestions for the Mushie stage. Thank you for that. About to go onto it next week, so this will be extremely helpful
Cheers
Tara

[pommywog]

I am in week 2 and not really sure what i should be having, today I've had mashed potato carrot and pumpkin with a poached egg,that was yummy. Can we have any vegies and also can we have cooked meat and fish pureed, I'd love to get some help please.

[Marion]

Can we have any vegies and also can we have cooked meat and fish

Yes you can blend up anything use gravy to water it down...like baby food .. I blended chicken with potatoes carrots and green with gravy ....and it was Yummie