Eating Challenges

I’m facing food challenges this week.

First, I had to have a tooth extracted, my first. Plus a bone graft. Oh joy.
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Because I hate having any kind of dental pain, I opted to have the oral surgeon put me completely under--general anesthesia.  After the assistant inserted my IV, she said, “I’m just going to give you something to help you relax.” And that was the last thing I remember until the surgeon woke me up and assured me, “You did great.” 

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 At the end of the procedure, they also injected a recently-developed  analgesic (numbing agent) called Exparel, which is supposed to keep the area numb and pain free for three days, eliminating the need for a narcotic pain reliever. This is day 3 and so far, so good. We’ll see what tomorrow is like when the Exparel wears off. I filled the prescription for the pain killer just in case.

So, now I’m on a no-chewing, soft food only diet for the next week. Soft food is limiting enough, but I’m also diabetic, so my diet cannot consist of mashed potatoes, yogurt and applesauce. I need to continue to eat low-carb and protein rich meals to regulate my blood sugar and to make sure my bone graft “takes” for the upcoming tooth implant.

Here’s what I’ve found that adhere to the doctor’s guidelines, my personal needs, and still taste good. Note: They don’t all look good, but oh well, for this week, appearance is secondary. The main thing is that all of them are hearty enough to eat before taking antibiotics, ibuprofen and other meds that can cause nausea on an empty stomach.
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·       Mashed avocado and cottage cheese. Add a little balsamic dressing and garlic powder and it’s tasty.
·       Whipped sweet potatoes, summer squash or cauliflower with butter and favorite seasonings. Just not red or black pepper or dill weed, which get caught in the teeth.
·       Green Smoothies with healthy ingredients (any of the above stuff, plus peach, squeezed lime, blended baby spinach, cucumber and carrot juice, plus a favorite seasoning (I prefer celery salt and garlic).
·       Fruit smoothies with a little frozen banana, strained strawberries and blueberries (the rest of the berries are too seedy), silken tofu, squeezed orange or lemon, and vanilla almond milk. If all of the ingredients are frozen before use, the smoothie is nice and creamy. I freeze almond milk and coconut milk in ice cube trays, and then take them out as needed.
·       Creamed soups with some added quinoa for bulk.
·       Sloppy Joe without the bun. A whipped veggie on the side with a little very finely grated cheese.
·       Cold Gazpacho soup, made creamy style, with a dollop of sour cream and lime juice on top. Yummy! This one will definitely stay in my diet when I return to solid food.
In a few months, after the bone graft is complete, I’ll get to go through all of this again.
 
So, let me leave you with this bit of hard-earned advice: First, don’t skip a year with your dentist, no matter what. And, second, if you have any tooth pain, don’t assume it’s gum sensitivity and try to cure it with Sensidyne toothpaste. Get it checked out. Trust me—an extra visit to your dentist for a cleaning and x-rays is so much more pleasant and cheaper than the alternatives!
 
When this adventure in eating is over, next week I’ll share my investigations into “raw eating” with the dogs. And, maybe, cats too.
 
Here’s to your health. And remember—brushing and flossing is not enough. Get those check-ups!