Post-surgery food
I've managed to go 27 years without ever having had real surgery or having to undergo anesthesia.
Tomorrow, that surgery-less stretch comes to an end.
I'll be having my one wisdom tooth extracted, lest it continue growing and yield infections or crooked teeth.
And although we have a fridge full of delicious, crunchy vegetables from our CSA and from the farmers' market in Springfield, Illinois (where I was last week--more on that soon), I don't think I'll be eating any of those with my raw and impaired mouth. So, this leaves me wondering just what exactly I will be eating.
What are some favorite soft foods that carried you all through wisdom teeth surgery? Any general advice?
So far, I'm thinking: oatmeal, mashed sweet potatoes, refried beans, applesauce, smoothies, avocado, pureed soups. And I've read that pineapple juice is good for healing?
What else, to keep me nourished and fed?
Tomorrow, that surgery-less stretch comes to an end.
I'll be having my one wisdom tooth extracted, lest it continue growing and yield infections or crooked teeth.
And although we have a fridge full of delicious, crunchy vegetables from our CSA and from the farmers' market in Springfield, Illinois (where I was last week--more on that soon), I don't think I'll be eating any of those with my raw and impaired mouth. So, this leaves me wondering just what exactly I will be eating.
What are some favorite soft foods that carried you all through wisdom teeth surgery? Any general advice?
So far, I'm thinking: oatmeal, mashed sweet potatoes, refried beans, applesauce, smoothies, avocado, pureed soups. And I've read that pineapple juice is good for healing?
What else, to keep me nourished and fed?
Being a mutant with no wisdom teeth, I can't speak from experience. But, it sound like the blender is your friend. It's time to embrace the cold, summer soups. Apart from gazpacho, my favorite is to puree an avocado or two with a few cups of frozen corn, with cilantro and lime. Its like guacamole, but in soup form.
ReplyDeleteUntil then, crunch while you can!
Also, let me know if you need anything, of course!!
ReplyDeleteWish I were a mutant like you, Megan! The avocado soup sounds awesome...I'll have to try it.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember mannaya kasha? It helped Aaron through his surgery.
ReplyDeleteWill call tomorrow.
Love,
tvoya mama
Mannaya kasha! How could I ever forget? (For the English speakers: Malt-O-Meal or Cream of Wheat).
ReplyDeleteAt least you only have one wisdom tooth! That sounds like a pretty good mutation to me - I had four (and perhaps you can avoid the all-out anesthesia? I got mine out - two at a time - with local anesthesia, which is usually much easier on the stomach. The surgeon told me it couldn't be done but I insisted and I couldn't feel a thing - the worst part was having to listen to the surgery. The general anesthesia can be hard on the stomach, so it might be worth avoiding unless that idea just freaks you out).
ReplyDeleteAs far as foods... I just remember jello, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend that! I would second Megan's cold soup idea, though (although maybe not too cold in case your mouth is feeling sensitive - room temperature soup?)
I'm thinking smoothies (also not super-cold) might be good too. Do you have radishes in that CSA box? In case you do, here's a recipe from a CSA here in Denver (I haven't tried it yet but I did make last week's radish green pesto and that was good, but maybe not mushy enough when combined with pasta): http://heirloomgardens.blogspot.com/2011/06/recipe-radish-tops-antioxidant-smoothie.html
Good luck with the surgery/recovery!
I was also thinking about smoothies. Another choice is to take the opportunity to fast, or just do a fruit-juice fast, and give your system a little cleanse. Then again, maybe while you're in recovery isn't the best time.
ReplyDeleteAn update: Day Two after the surgery and I'm already on the mend! My first meal for lunch yesterday after the surgery was applesauce, cream of wheat, a peach-banana-cherry smoothie, and some mashed sweet potato. For dinner: refried beans, avocado, mashed sweet potato, some coconut milk yogurt. For breakfast today: mashed banana with applesauce and yogurt, cream of wheat. Lunch plans: pureed tomato and red pepper soup, scrambled eggs.
ReplyDeleteI always heard that baba ganoush got its name from an Iranian folk story about an old grandfather of a family named Ganoush. His devoted grandson, out of love and devotion, invented the mushy dish for his "Baba". I read this somewhere awhile back (in a cookbook maybe) and have always accepted it as gospel, but I can't find any trace of it with Googling. Either way, homemade baba ganoush is delicious.
ReplyDeleteUsing fruits to make homemade baby food might be nice. Seriously, avoiding all that solid food for a while would be good, since your teeth are in no condition to be chewing after going to the dentist to get your wisdom tooth removed. Of course, your dining experience shouldn't suffer because of that. It might take a while, but you'll eventually get used to eating softer food while you're waiting for your teeth to heal.
ReplyDeleteCustard. My mom made me custard when I had my wisdom teeth out, and I basically lived on the stuff for a week afterward. It's a good way to get protein when you can't chew. I've since made custard for several friends who have had their wisdom teeth out, and it has always been a hit. I usually do a baked custard in custard cups, so that you can just put them in the fridge and grab them as you need them. You can put bits of soft fruit, such as berries, in if you want. You could also do a savory custard with cheese or somesuch. But I've just done the good old standby baked custard from the Joy of Cooking, and it's served me well in tending to the recently detoothed.
ReplyDeleteGood homemade mac and cheese is a good one after some chewing capacity has returned.