What do I eat?
I have an interesting development as I age. I have suddenly begun to eat much less. I get full very quickly, and I stay full for hours.
I do not want to add an ultra-processed food like Ensure or Boost to my diet. I much prefer to eat real food.
My best friend, a chef, recommended cottage cheese. I remember my mother eating that with maraschino cherries mixed in. He told me about deluxe jarred cherries available at Costco that sound delicious.
I would probably prefer to eat yogurt. I like it, and I like mixing things in it.
What are foods that I can add that are sources of good nutrition and are easy.
IMPORTANT I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I eat no meat, and I avoid those cheeses made with rennet enzymes like traditional Parmesan cheese. I love all other dairy products and eggs.
I’m asking this, because I had a regular check up with my doctor yesterday, and he literally asked me if I’m eating. I’ve lost weight.
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You can get some tips from YouTube. Enter Raw veganism. I started watching the topic for a couple of months now.
I would add walnuts. I would do Greek yogurt, either a whole milk one or a no fat or low fat, whichever you prefer (but if you’re trying to gain weight, then I’d do the whole milk one) and add fruit and chopped up walnuts or other nut of your choice which adds protein and gives the yogurt/fruit concoction a little bulk and crunch, and roughage which we all need as we age. :)
As we age we typically need fewer calories, but that is not the case here, because you are actually losing weight.
Your stomach might not be moving the food out as fast as it should, which is called gastroparesis.
You could try avoiding raw vegetables to see if it helps. Cooking softens the veggies so that should help. Limiting the bulk might reduce the need to add some sort of liquid with calories to your diet.
I think there is a drug for gastroparesis also, I’m not sure all of the treatments.
Smaller more frequent meals.
You haven’t mentioned heartburn or nausea so I assume neither is present.
If the change is very significant I would get a second opinion. Fullness can be an indication of some more serious diagnosis, you might want a specialist to evaluate you, I’m assuming you talked to a GP not a gastroenterologist. At the same time, you might not want to deal with any tests right now if they suggest them. I’m not saying I think it’s something more serious, only that the possibility is there.
High fat foods will help you gain weight, but lots of fat isn’t usually good for people. Avocados might be an exception. If nuts don’t bother you they are high in fat.
@jca2 He needs less bulk, he’s getting full too fast. I mentioned nuts because they are high in fat though.
Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese and salsa !
Avocados
scrambled eggs and cheese with toast or beans
I would add avocados to your diet. They are calorie dense and nutrient rich, and versitile. They can be seasoned with almost anything!
Make a sushi roll with 3x the recommended amount of avocado. Yum!
It sounds like gastroparesis. I have a similar issue, and I think it helps to only eat 2 meals a day, and I don’t eat after 5PM. Also would help to take digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid with your meal (I take them at the beginning of the meal). I try to stay upright for several hours after I’ve eaten, so gravity can help push things through. I don’t drink fluids during my meals, so the digestive supplements will not be diluted.
PM me if you are interested in the specifics of the digestive supplements.
I’d go with blueberries, açaí, apples, walnuts, almonds, pecans. All good mixed into yoghurt and oatmeal. Filling and healthy.
You could also make smoothies with yoghurt, oat milk, and fruit.
^Thank you. There is such a thing as vegetarian Parmesan cheese that I buy and devour. They simply use a different enzyme source.
Microbial rennet. My child has a friend in the microbiology-food-research business. It’s cool that they can do that!
Beans and corn will give you all the protein of meat.
I thank you all. I went to the NIH website to look up gastroparesis. I have no nausea or vomitting, so I think that’s unlikely. I eat a lot of fat and will continue to do so (mostly from dairy sources and nuts). My cholesterol is only slightly elevated.
I’m looking forward to eating more yogurt. It’s something I like, but for some reason, I haven’t bought it in months. I like adding stuff to it.
Avocadoes! Bring them on!
I just thought to mention that some medications squash appetite, so if you started a new drug recently that might explain it. Also, a slow thyroid reduces hunger levels, and if you have been very thirsty you might check for diabetes.
If you are losing weight but eating the same calories as usual that should not be ignored.
All of those don’t sound like something you are experiencing, but wanted to mention them because some have easy fixes and some are very serious.
Eat plenty of those apple bananas !
@Hawaii_Jake what did your doctor say in reference to your weight loss, other than asking if you are eating? Did he have some thoughts about it?
@jca2 It wasn’t the reason for my visit, so after assuring him I eat plenty of food, we moved on.
I have a somewhat similar problem (my weight is fine, but it’s hard for me to eat [often] enough, which is affecting my energy levels).
The most useful advice I’ve gotten for this:
1) All calories are good calories when you’re struggling to eat enough. – K. C. Davis
2) Drink your meals – a smoothie made with yogurt, coconut milk, and berries is filling and delicious. Cocoa is good, too.
3) When pets aren’t eating, vets advise feeding them treats like tuna, chicken, shredded cheese, etc. This would not be healthy long-term, but it’s necessary in the moment.
So, while you’ve gotten great nutritious options already, I’d encourage you to find your “shredded cheese” – something you will basically always enjoy eating – and stock up on that. When I realize I haven’t eaten enough, I eat the first thing I’m in the mood for. If that’s ice cream, it’s fine. I am currently eating some crisps and drinking chocolate milk.
I really care about nutrition, but I think it makes more sense to aim for a nutritious week, not a nutritious day or meal. Our bodies store the nutrients we need, so it’s not actually true that five portions of vegetables are necessary every day. And I often find that if I had ice cream for dinner, I want more fruit and vegetables the next day.
I hope you feel better.
@longgone Thank you! Excellent post. I think I’ll go to the office break room right now and get a donut.
^way too much food for one person.
Wait, if you eat plenty of food and are losing weight that seems like something worth looking further into. I thought you weren’t eating a lot, because you felt full quickly.
@longgone That’s pretty much the way I eat although I don’t have an issue with not eating enough.
Great advice!
@JLeslie thank you for your concern. I’m eating about half what I’m used to historically, because I’m getting full very quickly. I got what I wanted from this thread.
@Hawaii_Jake ”^way too much food for one person.”
Yes, of course. It keeps in the fridge and reheats well in the microwave. It’s also an excuse to invite some friends over or to share with your neighbors.
You could also look into cooking risotto and just replace the parmigano with a cheese that’s compatible with your diet.
As for foods to add to yogurt, granola and blueberries are two classic options. I’ve also heard of people adding honey (the goal is to increase your caloric intake in a healthy way, right?).
^yes.
I’ve added granola to my shopping list.
I just saw the cherries photographed in a Costco group on FB and they’re 35.2 ounces for 18.99. Not sure if that same price is in Hawaii but it gives you an idea to work off, if you’re going to look for them in Costco, @Hawaii_Jake.
I can’t remember from past posts, but you don’t have diabetes, do you? There is something that you can develop with diabetes called diabetic gastroparesis. I had it once. You start feeling full all the time and eventually you get to the point where you can’t keep food down at all and, similar to pancreatitis, you start throwing everything up, even water. It has something to do with the fact that your body starts processing the food slower and slower so that when you would normally eat, your stomach is still full. I’m not totally certain that you can get it if you don’t have diabetes, but you might want to Google it and look.
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