Food suggestions for someone with a sore mouth on a camping trip?

September 4, 2014 6:53 AM

I have stitches in my tongue and eating anything that's not completely smooth is painful. I've spent the last two days subsisting on broth and ice cream, but this evening I'll be going on a trip to a remote cabin and I need some help deciding what food to bring.

The cabin has a kitchen, fridge, stove, and basic amenities but no fancy kitchenware, so "blend everything!" is out as a strategy. There's a long boat ride to the cabin so frozen things like ice cream will melt before they get there. That's okay - I'm getting pretty sick of sweets.

I need food that I can swallow without chewing - not because chewing is a problem, but because chewing things leads to bits and pieces of food all around my mouth, and my tongue is not up to the task of shepherding that food towards my throat.

The one idea I have so far is mashed potatoes, so I'll be getting supplies for that. I can live off that if I have to - my ancestors did! - but I'd prefer a bit of variety. Suggestions?

posted by galaxy rise to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

Best answer: Bananas, applesauce, eggs, yogurt!
posted by xingcat at 6:59 AM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

You can blend vegetables into the mashed potatoes - boiled broccoli, steamed kale, etc.
posted by something something at 7:01 AM on September 4, 2014

Aspergum.
posted by srboisvert at 7:02 AM on September 4, 2014

Best answer: I just had oral surgery last month (gum graft) and had stitches in the roof of my mouth for three weeks. The stitches came out last Thursday.

I personally found both yogurt and mashed potatoes very irritating at the start; just because they are soft does not mean they won't get caught up in your stitches (at least if your stitches are in the roof of your mouth, like mine were--if yours are on the outside of your gumline, you might have more success).

I would personally recommend staying with smooth soups--cream of tomato, potato leek, broth, etc.

Good luck. At week three--by which time my stitches were pretty loose and dangling in my mouth--I was almost beside myself with frustration. The first meal after I got them out was like a banquet.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:05 AM on September 4, 2014

Oh, I also drank a lot of Ensure and yogurt drinks (which were much more liquid than cups of yogurt). Basically, I was just eating things that I could knock back without any real time in my mouth. It was like doing shots for the first two weeks.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:06 AM on September 4, 2014

Best answer: I am not sure where you are located but Trader Joes has many nice soups that are in those resealable cardboard boxes. Bring a little butter to melt in to make them really satisfying.

Also the Bolthouse farms juice section has many smoothies. You could select a variety of those.

(I had stitches on my tongue, too!)

Have an awesome trip.
posted by beccaj at 7:11 AM on September 4, 2014

Best answer: I had a very difficult wisdom tooth experience. When I got them out my mom blended all of my food--all of the family meals--into smoothies for me. Broccoli shakes. Steak slurry. Baby food consistency peas.

It was kind of gross, like, texturally and conceptually, but I ate well and did not starve and managed to get through it with minimal mouth pain.

If you have a fridge I presume you have electricity. This may be a perfect time to invest in an immersion blender, which will help you not only in the coming days but also be super useful in real life, too.
posted by phunniemee at 7:12 AM on September 4, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I'd suggest bringing an immersion blender with you, as that will expand your options for including some of what other people are eating.

In terms of bringing things of your own, I'd go with the thicker smooth soups (squash, tomato, etc) If you're not a cook, you can find cans or boxes of pretty tasty soups; even if they're not totally smooth (chunks of potato, or cream of broccoli with broccoli bits in it) you can apply your immersion blender and fix that.
Another thing that's delicious is vegetable purees - that's my favorite way to eat parsnips, and kohlrabi. You could make that up ahead of time, and bring with you a selection of "dips" (like hummus) except the only thing you'd be dipping in them is a spoon.
posted by aimedwander at 8:02 AM on September 4, 2014

Best answer: I'd suggest a can of Amy's brand refried beans. When warmed up and mixed with shredded cheese, it's soft and good, and provides needed protein and fiber. Amy's brand also is not spicy (to avoid spice-related pain where your stitches are).
posted by shortyJBot at 8:05 AM on September 4, 2014

Response by poster: My housemates actually have an immersion blender I can borrow. I'd been imagining dragging a big stand blender with me on the trip, but the immersion blender should pack nicely.

I'm also adding eggs, hummus, and applesauce to my shopping list. And I'll take a tour through the soup aisle.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Keep them coming. :)
posted by galaxy rise at 8:15 AM on September 4, 2014

Best answer: How about pudding? Kozy Shack premade containers (the big ones) or snack packs or make your own.

Have fun!
posted by danabanana at 8:47 AM on September 4, 2014

Best answer: I was all about cream of wheat when I had the world's worst oral surgery for wisdom teeth. I had it sweet sometimes, but more often plain with butter and salt or with savory add-ins: finely grated parm, finely minced herbs, a swirl of pesto.

Anything from the congee/juk/okayu family of rice porridge (just rice cooked in double water until it falls apart) and mix- or cook-ins as desired.

Very well-cooked polenta or hominy grits.

Pureed soups—butternut squash, leek/potato, broccoli/cheese; boxed tends to be better than condensed and canned if you don't want to make them from scratch. Second the immersion blender for making particles smaller if they still bother you.
posted by peachfuzz at 9:28 AM on September 4, 2014

Best answer: Mashed potato with masked pumpkin and sweet potato plus lots of olive oil and cheese.

I got so sick of sweet things when I had oral surgery.

Plus another vote for soft scrambled eggs.
posted by Youremyworld at 7:42 PM on September 4, 2014

I like smooth peanut butter when I get to the "sick of sweet" point.
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:20 AM on September 5, 2014

Best answer: instant oatmeal, butternut or hubbard squash, protein shakes, ensure, jello, greek yogurt, pancakes with lots of syrup
posted by Jewel98 at 9:57 PM on September 5, 2014

Response by poster: My mouth ended up healing pretty quickly, so I'm back to eating normally. I didn't end up trying everything, but thank you for all the suggestions - scrambled eggs, immersion-blended soups, and mashed avocado ended up being lifesavers.
posted by galaxy rise at 7:55 AM on September 8, 2014