Help me help her help him!

November 5, 2012 7:45 PM

Tonsillectomyfilter: What are some soft foods that contain no fruit, corn syrup, or dairy and taste all right at room temperature?

My cousin's boyfriend is getting his tonsils out tomorrow! Unfortunately, he's allergic to fruit, corn syrup, and dairy, which rules out most everything we can think of.

What can he eat? She's a pretty great cook, so complex recipes are not really a problem.

They're mid-20s in upstate New York, if that affects anything.

posted by troika to food & drink (27 answers total)

Peanut Butter sandwiches on soft white bread?
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:49 PM on November 5, 2012

Mashed sweet potato with olive oil, no butter etc.
Cauliflower puree cooked with stock
posted by Trivia Newton John at 7:52 PM on November 5, 2012

Spiced lentils cooked until mushy
Hummus
Other bean-based dishes, pureed
posted by Red Desk at 8:00 PM on November 5, 2012

Anything puréed. Soups puréed. Anything that would serve as acceptable baby food.
posted by slateyness at 8:02 PM on November 5, 2012

The other night we made a yummy puree out of sweet potatoes and roasted parsnips. So good. Think about autumn-y root veggies, potatoes, etc.
posted by bleep at 8:06 PM on November 5, 2012

Chicken broth -- slightly warmer than room temperature, but only slightly.

Almond milk -- the kind that comes in a box (Almond Breeze, specifically, is much better than any other brand). It would need to be refrigerated after first being opened, but could also be used in purees to make them a bit thinner.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:12 PM on November 5, 2012

Scrambled eggs
Overcooked pasta
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:13 PM on November 5, 2012

If you have a blender, blend whatever foods he can eat into a shake.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:16 PM on November 5, 2012

Home-made beef or chicken broth with noodles.
Seconding bleep's suggestion of pureed autumn-y root veggies, esp roasted parsnips.
posted by Pudhoho at 8:17 PM on November 5, 2012

If he wants sweet foods, vegan rice pudding or vegan chocolate mousse (with silken tofu) are both pretty tasty.

Avocado/guacamole is also probably nice for some fat/calories.
posted by judith at 8:17 PM on November 5, 2012

Custard is perfect, and can be made with soy or almond or rice milk. This recipe looks pretty delicious, and custard is good at room temperature.
posted by xingcat at 8:17 PM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

My favorite go-to in situations like this: German roulade and potato balls.
posted by Michele in California at 8:18 PM on November 5, 2012

Rice! If I had a good excuse to eat nothing but delicious basmati or jasmine rice all day, I'd house that business.
posted by threeants at 8:22 PM on November 5, 2012

Non dairy yogurt or ice cream. Silk is the only brand of non dairy yogurt I enjoy. And the coconut milk based ice creams from So Delicious are really, really good and corn syrup free. There are also sorbets which are always dairy free and usually corn syrup free if you don't buy the cheap brands.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 8:23 PM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

If he's a person who needs savory foods to feel fed, meatloaf or meatballs. Can be served with dairy-free potato or cauliflower puree and mushy peas.

Coconut milk is a good dairy replacement. The fat is satisfying without the dairy side effects.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:52 PM on November 5, 2012

Frozen bananas mashed into a sorbet.
posted by 26.2 at 9:04 PM on November 5, 2012

Sorry - I totally missed the fruit allergy. Ignore that.
posted by 26.2 at 9:10 PM on November 5, 2012

Peanut butter is sticky. It's a bad idea on a tonsillectomy. I found out the hard way.

When I had mine, I craved salty foods. I ate a lot of tuna salad on white bread and chicken soup. The ice cream stuff coated my throat and did not feel good. Anything that seems like it would make you want to clear your throat? Avoid.
posted by Addlepated at 9:38 PM on November 5, 2012

Oatmeal with brown sugar.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:52 PM on November 5, 2012

You don't need to use a dairy substitute to make a delicious "custard". Do it the Chinese/Korean way, by steaming eggs combined with water. Combine 2 or 3 beaten eggs with about 1/2 cup water and microwave for ~2 minutes. There are plenty of recipes online; keep in mind that it truly makes no difference whether you use a microwave or a more traditional steaming method. The more eggs you use, the less silky it will be; it's just a matter of personal preference. You can add little things for flavor (the classic is scallions and sesame). It's typically eaten warm, but would still taste good at room temperature.

Similarly, a bowl of silken tofu, with any or all of the following: sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions, ginger, vinegar.
posted by acidic at 10:43 PM on November 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

He's not going to like this (lord know I didn't) but when I had my adult tonsillectomy last year, my father in law who is an ENT surgeon and his work partner who was the surgeon who removed them both told me I had to start eating normal food straight away. They recommended TOAST of all things, the rougher the better. When I complained (and probably cried) they told me it is now considered best practice to get your throat used to proper food as early as possible and toughen your throat up. No babying, no icecream, nothing. Lots of drugs though. Get the boyfriend to ask his surgeon about aftercare and see what their take on it is. He has my sympathy, he will feel like crap for quite a while.
posted by Jubey at 12:20 AM on November 6, 2012

Oh, and I lost 5 kilos in a fortnight after so there's an upside to everything I guess.
posted by Jubey at 12:21 AM on November 6, 2012

I had my tonsils out as an adult and I honestly did not want anything other than chicken broth and jello (maybe sugar free would work for you)? Because the stitches feel scratchy until they dissolve, I only wanted food that was super simple. I lost 15 pounds!

Ice cream helping after tonsillectomy is a total lie. We have been sold a bill of goods! It makes your throat feel horrible when there are stitches in.
posted by dottiechang at 12:46 AM on November 6, 2012

masoor dahl- red lentil soup. just made some mmmm

if you want a non-spicy version, look up 'mercimek' which is the turkish preparation.
posted by saraindc at 2:52 AM on November 6, 2012

I would go for something like soft cooked vegetables or large pieces of pasta, rather than a thick soup or pureed ANYTHING. When I had mine out in college, it wasn't so important to be eating soft things as to be eating whole pieces of things that didn't stick in my throat, because that felt absolutely awful. Really though - he can eat whatever normal foods he feels like eating except for really crunchy/chewy stuff. It's more important for healing that he eat some food, rather than eating specific textured food.
posted by sarahnicolesays at 3:19 AM on November 6, 2012

Tomato juice. Try to remember to get some fibre. Post surgery constipation is no fun.
posted by kjs4 at 5:11 AM on November 6, 2012

Use coconut milk instead of dairy. Delicious and the coconut oil kills off germs.
posted by Neekee at 6:27 AM on November 6, 2012