Be careful how much fat and what kind you eat, and where your nutrition comes from. Being thin does not equal being healthy. You could weigh a normal weight but have high blood pressure and cholesterol. Eating a well balanced, health diet is better for you than trying to pack on too many pounds with empty and nutritionally bad calories. ;o)

With the compromised carotid arteries LDL cholesterol should be kept under 100 for a decrease in stroke risk. Ironically, however, cutting back too much on fats can contribute to nerve issues and/or neuropathies. I understand why doctors don't like to track oral cancer survivors because of the dichotomies like this.

I should have added a bit more explanation about myself when I asked concerning the recipes.

Nearly ten years ago I had a gastric bypass surgery to deal with my 400 pound weight issue. That's made the nutritional side of cancer recovery to be incredibly tough to manage. I get a syndrome called "dumping" if I eat a high sugar or high fat meal, basically making you vomit and feel like you have food poisoning for 30-45 minutes.

Because of this I'm even more limited in what I can tolerate and it's made this battle really tough. I'm down a lot of weight now and not slowing, no matter how hard I try. I'm getting a bit desperate to be honest. It's aggravating because I bought a kayak to help my physical recovery but I'm always too exhausted to use it. I took a beating on my shoulder nerve with the neck surgery and I need badly to get it strengthened (hence the kayak). I can't afford to not have full use of my right arm since I am a mailman and spend all day reaching for boxes out of the truck.

I think I'll call my doc and get a nutritionist meeting.

Hi Kelly. Life is cruel. Having had the courage to go through the gastric bypass it is very unfair you now have to deal with this additonal eating burden. I hope you are seeing your nutriionist and also following Christine's earlier post. Finding high calorie/protein drinks that you can tolerate are really important. I was lucky in not losing too much weight, but my saving in getting off the Fortisp bottles (similar to Ensure) was in buying a juicer and a magic bullet blender. Experiment and keep using something like Ensure until you are more stable. Keep us posted on how things are going.

Hi there -:) welcome. And it's got to be scary! The tables have turned and instead of being overweight your having trouble keeping weight on. Life can be weird sometimes. Sugar for anyone is not a good thing either is high fat, but then the problem remains what to do to gain weight - for me the response is to eat healthfully - whatever is an average sized meal - and have it as frequently as you can. Then try supplementing it with shakes that you make. There are plenty of protein shake mixes out there that use alternative sugars - which affect your glycemic index minimally (stevia is usually the base - try to avoid the ones with fake sugars - aspartame and white sugars) you can add a bit of fruit, then a milk of some sort (almond or whatever) that is low fat and maybe a small scoop of peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa etc...have these in between meals. Try alternative pastas - maybe kamut, quinoa, not white flour pastas - they may be more tolerable. I gather your problem is not eating but the amount and type of foods. So eat all the time but eat stuff that will not set off the dumping. Ultimately frequent healthful meals - if our not a Veg head (I am!), then maybe lean chicken, fish, in a wrap and a smoothie chaser - vegetable pasta (preferably non white flour pasta), with a bit of chicken - and a smoothie chaser. Carry it with you if you can and drink constantly that way your not overloading your system with a big meal but rather feeding yourself calories (healthful) all the time. hopefully this helps!

[quote]There are plenty of protein shake mixes out there that use alternative sugars - which affect your glycemic index minimally (stevia is usually the base - try to avoid the ones with fake sugars - aspartame and white sugars) you can add a bit of fruit,[/quote]
Cheryld,
I am trying to get my own protein shake powder formulated and having some confusion on the carbohydrate side of things. In terms of adding some sweetness do you have an ingredient list sorted by sweetness and type of carbo? For example, HFCS (High fructose corn syrup) has the greatest sweetness per volume but also is the most simple carb, mono-saccharide. Regular granulated sugar offers good sweetness but is classified as a di-saccharide. Maltodextrin has less sweetness and is a oligo-saccharide.

There is an index called the DE (Dextrose Equivalent) that is the "sweetness" factor for various carbohydrates.

I saw your mention of stevia and I just came across this yesterday as a sugar substitute and wonder how well this works for you? It seems it might impart its own flavor which some find off putting.

Of other natural sweetness ingredients to mix with protein powder to lift the sweetness factor, what else do you suggest?

don

Don,

One of the lowest glycemic indexes is agave nectar, 30. It also has one of the lowest glycemic loads, 9.6. Low GI = 50, low GL = 10.

http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm is a link with a bunch of foods listed.

Ed

Hi there - agave is second to stevia in terms of glycemic impact (second lowest) has a honey like texture and similar taste. There is a glycemic index list available that tells you in order which is the best and worst. I have yet to find a complete list or carbohydrate values for them though,,, I'll post if I do. Not everyone likes stevia it's an acquired taste but mixed into a fruit smoothie its not that bad. It can be very sweet so only small amounts are needed.

Cheryl,

Any idea on the glycemic load of stevia? Can't find it anywhere. I don't like the taste but I know stevia is also zero calory and it is believed that stevia also helps regulate blood sugar. I used to use brown rice syrup too but it is a bit funky tasting over time.

If you know the net carbs of stevia the formula for glycemic load is GI/100 x net carbs.

Thanks all.

I'll head to store for the agave nectar, that seems to be something fairly common in the canned juice section.

This is what I will try first using it:

1 OZ Whey protein concentrate (80% protein) 23g protein, 100 cal
1 OZ Maltodextrin (100%) 28g carbo, 112 cal
3 OZ Agave nectar (6tbs) 90g sugar, 360 cal.
Total calories about 570

This might be a bit dense so may need to cut with milk or water. Milk of course adds calories and protein and carbs, all good things so likely a better choice.