Devondancer update

[SteveShaw]

Lesley's checkup went quite well, although she is not yet released from my care! I will continue to curb her enthusiasms! She was very tired after it, and slept most of the afternoon, but got up for supper.

I need to fatten her up. I have said this before, I know, but further advice will be welcome. She eats very little yet, and I want to pack as much nourishment into a small helping as I can. As you know, my cooking skills are limited, although not as non-existent as they were! She will eat most things, except curry, and she is not keen on fatty oily food. Do I add lentils, chickpeas (both of which I have found in the cupboard), more meat - she will not eat it in large quantities? Her care is very much "play it by ear", "if it tires her then don't do it", etc, and I feel meals are the same. I have just been told to "build her up". More protein? More carbohydrate? More icecream!? How do you fatten someone who eats like a bird? She tries, I know, but has not the energy to eat large meals yet. I will get some of those "build up " drinks tomorrow, but she may find them too sweet. She likes soup, but it is a whole meal for her, rather than a fattener! Help!!

Thank you.

Ro

Covent Garden soups aren't bad, and they're on offer in Morrisons for a quid at the moment! A few decent flavours to choose from, and how about a slice or two of nice, buttery wholemeal bread to dunk into the soup - I find that to be an alarmingly-efficient way to get the calories in. Breakfast cereals can be a bit sweet, but, except for Shredded Wheat (which is like eating someone's wig anyway), they're enriched with added vitamins. I eat mine with unsweetened soya milk (Alpro Light), and that's vitamin-rich as well. Anything that has tomatoes in, like Chili or spag bol, is good as well. Peas (gotta be Bird's Eye for me) are rich in vitamins A and C and are a good source of folic acid, and are high in fibre and pack more calories than most veg. For protein that's easy to digest and not too packed with fat, you can't beat fish. You can poach Marks 'n' Sparks plain cod fillets in milk for 20 minutes and have 'em with mashed spuds.

[Cork]

It might help if a number of substantive snacks were left as continuously available, a wide variety, maybe some hot and maybe some cold, all kinds of tasty things. That way, no "formal" meal is involved, yet perhaps such snacks could serve as a nutritive supplement.

The psychology being to get her into the practice of eating, just as a matter of enjoyment.

Eating is good for a person, after all!

:-)

[DCrom]

Cheese?

Britain has many fine cheeses, and a few slices of wholemeal bread or crackers (savory biscuits in the UK, I think) and a good cheese makes a decent hearty snack or light meal (isn't this essentially the ploughman's lunch on offer in pubs?).

Of course, that depends on how she feels about cheese - I know that in my family only our younger daughter and I are really fond of it. But I also know that when I'm watching my calories (trying to keep weight OFF, not ON, alas) that good cheese is my most deadly temptation. I can ignore candy, and ice cream, and most other high-calorie treats, but I can't keep cheese in the house without eating some.

Also, how does she feel about spicy/savory foods in general? Our family tends to love spicy foods and one of the biggest complaints about hospital food is how BLAND it often is. Even something as simple as a spicy gingersnap (US cookie/UK biscuit) is remarkably appealing after a few days of institutional fare. And our family's traditional first-day-out-of-hospital meal request is usually for a pizza - not especially healthy, but the antithesis of what we'd been eating.

I know that none of my suggestions are terribly healthy by themselves (and may not appeal to Lesley - de gustabus, etc), but of they can tease her into eating a bit . . .

[devondancer]

That is all wonderfully helpful! Thank you! I shall be shopping tomorrow. No Morrisons here, Steve, but I will get some of those soups - and i had not thought of buttering the bread, as we don't, usually! Not too good at this stuff yet, you see! And she likes cheese, and ginger biscuits, tomatoes, porridge, peas, fish - all things I haven't really thought about. Getting lots into small portions is so hard, so I will try Cork's tempting snacks! It is not that Lesley won't eat - she enjoys her meals and always has done. Just that she has been able to eat so little, over such a long time now, that I assume her stomach has shrunk and she just can't eat a large amount. And we eat pretty healthily, when she cooks, so I don't think about adding butter to potatoes, bread etc. Must think about butter! She doesn't really eat sweets and chocolates, so they are no good, and I don't want to clog up her arteries and give her a heart attack after all the trouble she's had (!) so I'm trying hard for healthy and fattening. I have just remembered she does like pizza (thank you DCrom) but rarely eats it because I don't like it. That is good fattening stuff.

Mute, I will ring the hospital tomorrow and ask about nutritionalists - another thing I hadn't thought of! Looking after this dear lady is a full time job! And one I do with the utmost pleasure. But I would like to do it right. It is a big responsibility.

Beth, I am not really sure of her favourite flavours! When Lesley cooks we have mostly salads in summer, with meat of some sort. In winter she cooks stews and casseroles, with lots of veg. I think probably veg is her favourite thing and she cooks meat for me! But vegetables will not make her fat, unfortunately. Are there vegetable flavoured sweets? She doesn't like crisps, incidentally. Apparently they make her mouth sore!

Thank you all.

Ro

[lalit]

Welcome home, Lesley and Ro!

Ro, the suggestions given so far are good ones. If Lesley loves vegetables, you can cook them in ways that have more fat. Don't let her eat her veggies plain. My favorite fat is heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil. It's worth it to buy a bottle of good quality extra virgin olive oil. The flavor is very compatible with vegetables. You can saute cabbage and garlic (or any other good vegetable combo) in it. You can add a little to soup for some extra fat. You can sprinkle it over salad greens with a little salt. Drizzle it over roasted potatoes with rosemary. Add it to casseroles. It's good on popcorn, too.

OK, that's all for now. I'm hungry.

[djm]

Are there vegetable flavoured sweets?

Mmmm, you are getting into my territory - candied ginger. Better yet, candied ginger coated in dark chocolate.

Did someone mention chocolate? It's a veg, isn't it? How about a big mug of hot cocoa (real cocoa made with boiled milk, not that powdered filth). And marshmallows are veg, but I don't think you can buy the real ones anymore. But a marshmallow melting into your cup of cocoa is fine on a cold winter's night.

Oh, man, I believe I just put on another ten pounds even thinking of this stuff!

djm

[anniemcu]

Welcome home, Lesley and Ro!

Ro, the suggestions given so far are good ones. If Lesley loves vegetables, you can cook them in ways that have more fat. Don't let her eat her veggies plain. My favorite fat is heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil. It's worth it to buy a bottle of good quality extra virgin olive oil. The flavor is very compatible with vegetables. You can saute cabbage and garlic (or any other good vegetable combo) in it. You can add a little to soup for some extra fat. You can sprinkle it over salad greens with a little salt. Drizzle it over roasted potatoes with rosemary. Add it to casseroles. It's good on popcorn, too.

OK, that's all for now. I'm hungry.

Ditto that! It's a good fat. But i would sure check with the nutritionist, as with the heart transplant, it may be that they will want her to avoid too much fat. I don't know.


Oooh... somehow I'd never put cabbage and garlic together!! I'll have to try that!

[SteveShaw]

I wouldn't use extra virgin oil for sautéeing as it alters chemically at relatively low temperatures. You can use a light, non-virgin olive oil (if you can find one that isn't greasy - not easy) or just use groundnut oil (Waitrose or Marks 'n' Sparks), which is much cheaper, very healthy and which makes the most sublime and healthy home-made oven chips!

Scrub spuds (organic ones definitely best) but don't peel. Cut into wedges of generous size. Boil in salted water for no more than five minutes. Drain. Rough them up a bit to make the edges all fluffy. Toss in a goodly amount of groundnut oil and spread out on a baking tray. Bake in hot oven for about 25-30 minutes - be guided by colour, and move them around once or twice. Gorgeous just on their own or with anything - eggs, steak, fish, bangers, something or other to dip 'em into - you name it.

[devondancer]

Lesley has enjoyed her meals today, so thank you all for improving our menu! I have an appointment with the nutritionalist next week when we go to Exeter again for Lesley's next checkup. Such good advice on this forum! And I shall have to make Steve's chips - for me if not for Lesley!

Ro

[lalit]

I wouldn't use extra virgin oil for sautéeing as it alters chemically at relatively low temperatures.

You've got me curious now. I usually cook at relatively low temperatures, although that's not how I see it done on TV! What kind of temperatures/heat settings are we talking about here?

[SteveShaw]

I wouldn't use extra virgin oil for sautéeing as it alters chemically at relatively low temperatures.

You've got me curious now. I usually cook at relatively low temperatures, although that's not how I see it done on TV! What kind of temperatures/heat settings are we talking about here?

From wiki:

The higher the temperature to which the olive oil is heated, the more one should prefer the use of refined olive oils. When extra-virgin olive oil is heated above 350°F (180°C), the unrefined particles within the oil get burned. This leads to deteriorated taste and even toxicity[citation needed]. Also, the pronounced taste of extra-virgin olive oil is not a taste most people like to associate with their deep fried foods. Refined olive oils are perfectly suited for deep frying foods and should be replaced after six uses.

When it says refined oils it means grades of olive oil sold as "light," etc., with the words "extra virgin" omitted. They don't smoke until a much higher temperature. Frying/sautéeing often achieves a higher temperature than 180C, so it's best to avoid extra virgin for this. Anyway, most of the mass brands of extra virgin we get here are horrid and greasy. Extra virgin on the label is no guarantee of good quality. Unfortunately, most of the lighter, non-virgin ones I've tried are horrible too. The hardest thing to avoid in olive oil is greasiness, and I can't afford to experiment with all the expensive ones until I find a good one. This is why I use groundnut oil for cooking these days. It's pretty neutral, it isn't greasy, high in polyunsaturates, and it makes lovely oven chips.

[hyldemoer]

I wouldn't use extra virgin oil for sautéeing as it alters chemically at relatively low temperatures.

You've got me curious now. I usually cook at relatively low temperatures, although that's not how I see it done on TV! What kind of temperatures/heat settings are we talking about here?

Perhaps they're talking about heat cracking the carbon bonds?

Ro, if the Mrs. likes vegetable soups and stews, maybe its a good time for crock pot/ slow cookery.

A few bay leaves, some oregano, and other herbs season vegetables cooked in crock pot cookery nicely
and usually without needing extra salt (if salt levels are an issue)

and while its slow cooking all day it perfumes the whole house with a lovely aroma to spike the appetite.

Soups go down easy, especially if you "cream" or mash them up just before serving.
Stews using root vegetables are what the Japanese wrestlers eat to bulk up.

If you don't season the soup or stews with a bit of meat, you might want to try adding some "healthy" oil after you've put the meal in a bowl for serving.

That way you get the lipids (fats) without exposing them to high heat.

[Redwolf]

Just to add, good snacks to have around the house, if she likes them and can tolerate them, is nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts, even peanuts...whatever she likes). Lots of calories and nutrition in a small package, and they're good for the heart besides!

I don't know how widely available avocados are there at this time of year, but if you can get some and she likes them, an avo sliced (or mashed) on a sandwich or cut into cubes and added to salads adds a lot...nutrition-wise, flavor-wise and calorie-wise.

Redwolf

[djm]

groundnut oil = peanut oil

djm

[SteveShaw]

groundnut oil = peanut oil

djm

Yes, but we don't call it peanut oil here. I always try to be helpful rather than obscurantist.