Question

Debb from New York asks: My daughter is 17 and has had her jaw wired due to a car accident, and she had a bone graft done. Please can you tell me what kind of nutritional supplements she can have... She is tired of the canned nutritional drink she has been using.

Answer

Sorry to hear of the accident and I hope your daughter’s recovery is going well. The answer to this applies to anyone with the misfortune of needing a liquid diet (that can be sipped through a straw) for months at a time. I am glad you have some of the canned nutritional drinks, as they can be an important base for a liquid diet. However taste fatigue like you are describing can be a problem. Investing in a good blender or food processor is suggested when someone has to eat from a straw for months. Then the problem of taste fatigue is solved, because almost anything the family eats can be blenderized to the texture needed to suck it through a straw. Liquid needs to be added to many foods to bring it to a liquid consistency. For example, the family is having chicken, baked potatoes and peas. Scoop out the potato and cut the chicken into small pieces. Heat some additional chicken stock. Put the chicken and potatoes in the blender with a small amount of hot chicken stock. Blend it with the food processor until very smooth and runny, adding chicken stock as needed. When it is the consistency that it can easily be sucked through a straw, it is ready to eat. The same thing can be done to the peas, but it should be done separately to allow another taste and smell in the diet. The canned nutritional supplement could always be used as a dessert or between meal snack, since it is sweet. If you are not going to use the canned nutritional supplements, you must make sure all the vitamins and minerals are present. Compare what you are putting in the blender to the food guide pyramid to check that adequate nutrition is provided. Any foods can be put in the blender, but don’t forget the fruit and vegetables. I have even seen salads put in the blender. Some low sodium tomato juice can be used in that case for liquid. Monitoring weight is an additional way to make sure your daughter is getting adequate calories. May your daughter have a speedy recovery. Dr. Irene