Have you ever been stuck having an all-liquid diet? If so, what was the solution to keep energy up?

[DishLady]

Long-story short, for medical reasons I had to shift to an all-liquid/mash diet. What can you recommend to keep my energy up? I was ok the first week or so, but now it's been almost a month and energy is starting to fade, esp since I'm still prepping normal meals for other people at home.

[exitseven]

The only liquid diet I ever had was this,.

[DishLady]

Hahahaha. Lovely. I can't partake, unfortunately.

[exitseven]

I had a sustained liquid diet after I got my wisdom teeth removed

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO😎

[TrueConfection]

Herbal teas, electrolytes, applesauce

[TrueConfection]

Oh, and yes. I had that diet for a while and was so weak I could barely stand.

[DishLady]

Yes the applesauce, but it's sugary so the energy crash is pretty hard. i tried mashed bananas yesterday also (the potassium).

[exitseven]

@TrueConfection Oh My!

[TrueConfection]

I buy the unsweetened applesauce, but don’t get the “sugar free” garbage that has artificial sweetener, it’s worse for you than sugar. Also, vitamin C is an amazing thing! EmergenC packets are powdered and your body can absorb more C as opposed to capsules or tablets. The packets also contain electrolytes.

[TrueConfection]

@exitseven It was a rough year, but I mostly recovered.

[DishLady]

Sometimes I have the vitamin c and sometimes I have to skip it. PTSD from
being at the tail end of the generation that drank TANG daily. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[TrueConfection]

Hahaha!

[exitseven]

@DishLady I used to love Tang. I lived on it in college.

[DishLady]

Yes, that is it.

[DishLady]

@exitseven Lol. I think I lived on it till high school then my gran's dishwasher broke down and the repair guy told her it was just clogged and just run it empty with a scoop of tang to unclog it. She did it... it worked... and we never had tang at the table or in the fridge again.

[TrueConfection]

Yikes! I might have had tang once? We weren’t allowed to have it.

[TrueConfection]

Thank you for the MHO 🩷

[HawkPerception]

There's 2 recipes I highly recommend.

Ginger turmeric shots... these aren't about energy, but for me, or the rare occasion when I do have them, they're extremely refreshing and make me FEEL like I have more energy.

Recipe:
Fresh ginger 1/4 cup chopped
Fresh turmeric 1/4 cup chopped or 2 tsp powder (I personally prefer fresh)
Citrus 2 small lemons juiced and 1 orange peeled for vitamin C and flavour
Black pepper 1/8 to to 1/4 tsp fresh ground (freshly ground black pepper is essential to boost turmeric absorption by up to 2000% no exaggeration)
Liquid base 1/2 cup water, coconut water, or orange juice (I usually just do water, but coconut water can make it even more refreshing. I find if I add orange juice it just tastes like orange juice with spices added)
Optional 1 tsp honey and 1/4 tsp olive or coconut oil

Now my secret sauce recipe... this one is all about energy. It's a Trinidadian specialty... PEANUT PUNCH. This one I think would be your Holy Grail in an all liquid diet. This is the main one I'd hope you try.

Recipe:
Whole milk 2 cups (If you're lactose intolerant then coconut milk or almond milk work, though coconut milk tastes better than almond milk)
Smooth peanut butter 7 tablespoons
Banana 1 to 1 1/2... I usually add 1 1/2 to mine
Ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp
Fresh grated nutmeg or powder 1/4 tsp
Vanilla 1 tsp

And ice to make it chilled or use frozen bananas like I do. All the spices are optional, but add some nice flavour. I usually just make mine with milk, peanut butter, frozen bananas, and nutmeg.

Wish the best for your energy levels DL!

[DishLady]

Aww. You're a sweetie. I do the first one already. I need something with a little more sustenance. The PB one seems ok but i don't consume PB often.

[HawkPerception]

Might be a game changer for you. I personally love it and have it almost every other day. It's high in calories and protein which is exactly what you need. Add some whey protein isolate for an even higher hit

[worldscolide]

Just once, and not by choice. My wisdom teeth almost killed me. They were so infected that i couldn't open my mouth more than a CM. The doctors, because i had no insurance dragged their feet on getting me proper care, until they found the GIANT puss sack on the left side of my jaw. But for weeks i was liquid only, when i came out, solid food actually made me sick for a few days. Oh and side note, they wrote off all of my surgery fees because of how i was treated and the fact that their refusal to set me up with proper care nearly killed me. After the surgery i spent nearly two weeks in ICU

There was more to it but basically they were afraid i would come back and sue so everything was written off.

[DishLady]

Oh! I know that pain as well. This one is a similar facial recovery situation. Dentist says it'll still be a few more weeks. Grr.

[worldscolide]

Ouch!!

[SixFootSexy]

I tried several meal replacement shakes. Huel, Soylent, Basically Food, Ample Foods, etc.

Ample was my favorite, I started my day with it and would eat one or two "real meals", but they haven't shipped in ages.

[DishLady]

I would have to read the labels really carefully bc there's stuff that's ok for guys to consume when they're trying to bulk up and stuff that (for women my age) has to have WAY lower sodium etc.

[SixFootSexy]

basicallyfood. com
You can read the labels, I've done hours and hours of research and this is one of the best bang for buck and still pretty clean. Main ingredients are Oat Flour, Organic Brown Rice Protein.

[bowenw]

I tried to keep the protein intake as high as possible. Consider meal replacements like Boost / Ensure.

[DishLady]

Some of these prefab ones are very high sodium. So far I've been tossing a handful of chia seeds in a cup of bone broth and cumin and blending it well.

[bowenw]

Homemade bone broth is a good choice.

[DishLady]

Thanks. The chia seeds are supposed to make it more filling, but I'm always hungry again in an hour.

[bowenw]

Are you allowed to have milk?

[DishLady]

Yogurt and goat cheese are ok. Cow-based dairy has been bugging my sinuses so I stopped.

[DishLady]

I tried a bit of cream cheese yesterday and it messed me up. :(

[bowenw]

That is too bad that cream messed you up. At least you can have yogurt and goat cheeses as they can be filling.

[xawyx-3]

I tried it once, it was ok. Yogurt, Kefir, various types of juice, tea, and stuff like that.

[DishLady]

Yeah but it's been a month like this.

[xawyx-3]

Is it working?

[OlderAndWiser]

Fortunately, I've never been forced into that position. Sorry I can't offer any suggestions.

[AgentG111]

Yeah due to dental issues. Protein shakes

[Abbycado]

Can you have energy drinks?

[DishLady]

Oh no. Those are like poison to me. Makes me shake like a leaf. Better to just have a cup of coffee in the morning or a green tea in the evening.