>> Pureed stage, Weeks 2 through 4.
After surgery starting after your two week office visit, you'll start pureed foods
to start training your pouch to tolerate more texture.
At this stage, all foods must be pureed or blenderized [phonetic].
You will start with two tablespoons of food at a mealtime and your goal will to be consume two
to three meals per day of pureed foods.
Whatever you can finish in 20 minutes is enough.
After 20 minutes, the pureed food will start leaving your pouch and entering your intestines.
So, if you are eating after 20 minutes,
you'll be consuming more food than your body can handle.
Stop before 20 minutes if you feel satisfied.
Remember to go slow and take baby bites.
Over the next two weeks, you'll work up to about a quarter cup of pureed food at a mealtime.
Keep drinking three shakes per day and getting in at least 64 ounces of water per day.
At this time, you will be again separating liquids from your meals or pureed foods.
Some tips for pureeing foods include using a blender,
making sure you add enough flavored liquid to cover the blades and blend efficiently.
All foods should be smooth like applesauce or baby food.
Add seasonings, herbs and spices to improve the flavor of your foods.
Puree in larger volumes.
This will also help the food to blend
and preparing foods before surgery so that you're ready to go.
You can freeze the foods in an ice cube tray and then reheat or thaw a couple of ice cubes
at a time when you're ready to eat.
At this time, it is important to avoid certain foods because your pouch is not ready for them.
Do not have any high sugar or high fat foods or drinks, any foods that are not blenderized,
bread, rice or pasta in your blenderized foods, any raw veggies, lettuce, corn, peas,
or nuts in your blenderized foods, beef or pork, skins or seeds from fruits and vegetables.
It is also not advised to make protein shakes into fruit smoothies at this point in time
because it adds too much volume to the shakes.
You will continue to eat or drink a protein shake every three hours throughout your day.
This will help you get in enough food and protein after surgery.
See the schedule to the right for an example.
Remember, you should aim for three shakes per day
and two to three meals of pureed foods per day.
You may have to set timers to remember to eat.
Make this work for your schedule.
Make sure you're separating liquids from your pureed foods,
stop drinking 30 minutes before pureed foods, no drinking with pureed foods,
or 30 minutes after your pureed foods.
Keep pushing fluids between your meals and snacks.
Sip, sip, sip.
Here's a list of pureed food ideas that you can try after surgery.
There's also a pureed foods grocery list available online.
Try to experiment and make sure you're getting
in protein foods first and some high fiber foods.
You can try pureed oatmeal, pureed cottage cheese with pureed fruits, refried beans,
mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, pureed steamed or roasted vegetables, pureed fruits,
pureed cooked vegetables, Greek yogurt as long as it doesn't have chunks in it,
otherwise through it through a blender.
You can have applesauce.
Make sure to add protein powder to it to make it a higher protein food.
You can try pureed tuna salad or fish salad or chicken salad, pureed hard boiled eggs
with salsa or avocado or light mayo, ricotta cheese, nut butters as long as they're smooth
and not crunchy, and pureed soups.
With pureed soups, make sure you're not using any noodles
or rice and make sure it's thick enough.
You may have to pour off some broth.
Remember, it should be applesauce or yogurt like consistency.