Hints for Food Preparation, Cooking, and Eating

The following are the suggested kitchen equipments:

• A food processor and/or a blender
• A mini-processor and/or a mini-chopper
• Non-stick cookware
• 8 4-ounce ramekins
• 4-quart Dutch oven or soup pot

A microwave oven is a real convenient kitchen appliance, as it allows you to cook in larger quan­tities which can be pureed or blended and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, and then just reheat in minutes using your microwave.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR COOKING:

Some of the things that may help you while cooking are:

• Switch to cooking sprays which will not really change the taste of the dishes. Infact, using the flavored cooking sprays (like, butter-flavored, olive oil, or canola oil) enhanced the taste of the dish.
•  Spices, herbs, garlic, hot sauce, and mustard have almost no calories and they can make a lot of difference in the taste of the dish. Add a little curry powder to yogurt as a base to puree chicken. Garlic can revive up the taste of just about anything.
• When using artificial sweetener for a recipe, avoid using aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet) while cooking or baking as aspartame breaks down when heated. Instead use Splenda or Sweet n’ Low. Use aspartame for non-cooked dishes.
• There are few recipes in which butter or margarine is necessary. In those recepies, use light mar­garines. Even though the manufacturers of "heart-healthy" lighter margarines (which have half the calories of butter or regular margarine) recommend that they should not be used for cooking, you can use them for quick sautéing, like making eggs.
• When a recipe has eggs as an ingredient, use an egg substitute (such as Egg Beaters or Better ‘n Eggs). When whipped egg whites are required, use egg-substitute whites (like All Whites). Egg substitutes are pasteurized, so using them in uncooked recipes is really safe.
•  Most of us have our own personal favorite ingredient. For example, if you like the chicken or the beef flavor, add a teaspoon or two of chicken or beef broth to the recipes for maximum flavor.
•  If you freeze and store excess food in ice cube trays, it is easy to defrost and reheat small portions.
• When a recipe calls for fresh lemon or lime juice, heating the fruit in the microwave on HIGH for 10 seconds. It makes it easier to juice
• Fat-free, sugar-free ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt are good. You might not like the taste but when you top them or layer them with the dessert sauces, you will love it. But be careful of the diet desserts as they are made with sugar alcohols (sorbitol and manitol, for example), which can cause gas, diarrhea, and bloating.

TIPS FOR EATING

Some of the helpful hints for eating are:

Since you can only eat a small amount at each meal, instead of a dinner plate use a salad plate, and a salad fork and teaspoon instead of a dinner fork and soup spoon. Use small dessert-sized bowls for the soups and purees.

If you need to slow down your eating, try using chopsticks and also remember to chew each mouthful atleast twenty-five times.

When socializing with people who can have regular-sized portions, try to pace your­self to match the other person so that you don’t finish eating before he or she does.

TIPS FOR DRINKING

The nutritionist suggested that you should not drink any liquids immediately before, after, or during meals. Drinking liquids with meals makes the food wash down more easily, so you may actually end up eating more than you should. Obviously, this will defeat the purpose of the surgery.

But even though you can’t drink liquids with meals, you have to drink at least six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water or other non-caloric liquid each day. So, keep a bottle of water or a glass of diet iced tea within reachable distance at all times except mealtimes.