Nutrition on a Liquid Diet

My husband has been on a liquid diet since Tuesday, and will likely be on it through the next week or so.  I was horrified (but not surprised) by the breakfast tray the hospital sent to him:

milk....Ensure*...chocolate jell-o pudding cup (!!)....an oatmeal so sweet that the smell of it nauseasted us.....grape juice......coffee (I drank this out of desperation...he's not a coffee drinker)....

I'd packed lots of organic juices and things, but out of that meal he drank the milk--which is not our first choice, but at least it's natural--and the grape juice, which was 100% juice with no added sugar. I supplemented with juices from home.

His lunch tray was no better:

apple juice....vanilla pudding cup (for variety?!)....mystery broth..... orange sherbert....ultra-sweet iced tea......

Out of that meal, he had the apple juice.  We were both unsure of the mystery broth, and everything else was so sugar-laden that I wouldn't serve it under the best of circumstances, much less serving it to a man healing from cancer. 

Life at home is much easier.  Here are the things he's consuming to provide nutrition and calories:

*occasional fruit juices: a few pre-made, no-sugar added organic juices, and also freshly-squeezed orange-lemon-apple juice every so often

* daily green vegetable juice: primarily a greens-lemon-apple combo, but also a celery-cucumber-lime-parsley-tart apple-greens concoction

*milk--yes, a concession from his commitment to avoiding animal products, but one cup of milk does provide some protein and fat that he needs at this time

*green smoothie: frozen banana + chopped date + unsweetened, non-soy vegan protein powder + spinach + unsweetened almond milk + 2 T. flaxmeal + 1 T. manuka honey 

*berry smoothie: frozen berries + frozen banana + unsweetened almond milk + 2 T. flaxmeal = 1 T. manuka honey + spinach 

*peanut butter-protein smoothie: frozen banana + 2 T. flaxmeal + unsweetened almond milk + vegan protein powder + 2 T. peanut butter + 1 T. cocoa powder + 1 T. manuka honey 

*soups blended to perfect smoothness in the blender: red lentil-carrot-curry (a family staple).....black bean.....broccoli-potato.....and  I think I'll try a root vegetable soup next......

I plan to buy some plain Greek yogurt tomorrow to include in smoothies for an extra protein boost. I'm also going to create a couple more smoothie recipes and think up a new soup recipe as well.  

And that's how we're fueling his recovery!

(*Did you know the second ingredient in Ensure is corn syrup??!!)