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I recently got some of my wisdom teeth out and I'm trying to cook food that is not solid due to my oral surgeon's instructions. I have found a bunch of food I can make including pasta, mashed potatoes, ice cream (to cool the swelling), variety of soups, rice porridge, etc.

However, I am having trouble finding/preparing food that is high in protein that isn't solid. I know there are things like hummus, but it's really high in fat. I'm trying to avoid too many carbs specifically because I have so many options already. I was also suggested protein shakes but I would rather cook something rather than just throw powder into a smoothie.

Any suggestions on how I can prepare certain foods high in protein to fit my agenda? I believe the only requirements include that the food has to be soft and non solid. I think pasta is an exception because of how soft it is and it won't have issues getting into the holes of where the teeth were.

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    If you make your own hummus, it's not high in fat at all... commercial hummus is made with a lot of oil and tahini (sesame butter), which are high in fat - healthy fats, but still fat. If you make it yourself, you can control them and keep them at a level you're ok with. – Catija♦ Aug 10 '15 at 15:08
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    When I had my wisdom teeth removed and when I first had braces put on, I would puree foods. I would puree meats so they were fine, but still meat (not a paste or liquid) and mix them into runny-ish mashed potatoes. You could also puree the meat with a starch or veggie to make it a little thinner (sort of a paste) if texture isn't an issue for you. You'll still get the flavors of the food and the nutrients, just not the consistency you're used to. – Brooke Aug 10 '15 at 15:54

10 Answers 10

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Your common 'non-solid' high-protein items are:

  • peanut butter, or other nut butters
  • eggs
  • yogurt
  • cheese (cream cheese or served melted)
  • tofu

Depending on how strict you're being with the fat intake, you can go even further ... low fat or non-fat yogurts and cheese (eg. neufchâtel instead of cream cheese); whites only for the eggs, etc. Be warned that if you try to go too low-fat during this time, your body might actually crave more feed, making the problem worse. If it's not a problem with your body being unable to process fats, you might want to reduce protein but increase fats during this time.

The good news is that unless you're a body builder, having a lower protein diet for a week or two while things heal won't cause your body to start eating itself -- in fact, most American diets have more protein in it than our bodies need -- about 3-5oz of meat per day (not per meal) is enough; exact amount depends on your size and build.

As you can get away with soft foods, and not just non-solid:

  • Scrambled eggs (leave out a few yolks if you're really sensitive to the fat).
  • Pulled pork, roja vieja, pot roast cooked 'ragout', or similar (you might need to also chop it up if the bits of meat are long).
  • Pasta with an egg sauce (like carbonara, but might have to avoid the black pepper and/or crispy meat ... might be able to use a soft ham and/or add extra salt or worcestershire) or a cheese sauce (eg, macaroni and cheese, alfredo)
  • Tuna fish (canned in water; can either make into a tuna salad (avoid celery. Use a grater to extract onion juice for flavor without solid bits of onion. Pickle brine can help brighten it up while being non-solid)
  • Refried beans (make your own, and you can cut down the fat significantly)
  • Many soups. (either make a strong stock, cook the meat 'til it's soft, or put it through a blender ... or egg drop soup)
  • Cheesecake (use neufchâtel cheese, or find a recipe that uses soft tofu)
  • Flan, custards, or ice cream (made with a custard base, but low-fat milk)

You can also work some extra protein into other dishes ... thin your mashed potatoes with (pre-heated) stock a bit more than you typically would, then while still hot, blend in a egg or two. Or add neufchâtel cheese instead of milk or butter (add stock if you still need to thin it further for your tastes)

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    @aug - Consider also vegetarian proteins, such as tofu and tempeh, which can be steamed, braised, or poached for softer texture. Small-grain couscous ("Middle Eastern") is a good pasta alternative (though it is basically pasta) and whole wheat varieties are available and softer than other pasta. – hoc_age Aug 10 '15 at 12:23
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    @hoc_age : good point on the tofu -- I mentioned it under cheesecake, but didn't mention it seperately. Also, there are some high protein pastas out there (typically made with soy, lentils or chickpea flour ... some are gluten free, others (eg, Barilla ProteinPlus) also have wheat in them)) – Joe Aug 10 '15 at 12:49
  • When I had my wisdom teeth out and 2 dental implants (6 weeks without solid food) I drank a lot of smoothies with 2-3 raw eggs dropped in. So long as you drink it all right away (almost rocky style) I don't think you'd have any problems. Lots of highly acid fruits covered the weird taste for me. – BrownRedHawk Aug 10 '15 at 12:52
  • @BrownRedHawk : Growing up, my mom would make egg nog for breakfasts (about a cup of milk, one egg, either a splash of vanilla or chocolate syrup). With all of the fear of eggs these days, it might be better to get pasteurized eggs (or pasteurize your own, if you have a sous vide setup), or just get the 'instant breakfast' powder. – Joe Aug 10 '15 at 14:44
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    @BrownRedHawk : If it's sold as a liquid in cartons, then yes. But not eggs still in their shell -- they'll be away from the standard eggs and charge more for 'em. They also don't inoculate egg-laying chickens against salmonella as is done in other countries. – Joe Aug 10 '15 at 15:29
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I had all four wisdom teeth removed at the same time when was younger. The easiest things I found to eat that were satisfying and reasonable in calories:

  • Mashed potatoes
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Cream of mushroom soup
  • Tomato soup
  • Mashed cauliflower
  • Pureed garbanzo beans/chick peas
  • Lite yogurt
  • Cottage cheese
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    Note: (besides dairy, eggs and beans) These foods are not high in protein, as the OP requested. – Barett Aug 12 '15 at 21:30
  • And the poster also talked about fats and then carbs in a way that indicated they didn't know the difference. I simply posted what might be helpful. Since there was no bar for what is considered a "high protein" food, I included things that made me feel satisfied like protein supposedly does. – UnhandledExcepSean Aug 13 '15 at 3:02
  • Disagree re: OP not seeming to know the difference. – Barett Aug 13 '15 at 3:09
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One option would be "Magerquark", which seems to most closely translate to low fat curd cheese.
Quark on Wikipedia
Is is high in protein, low in fat, and you can add fruit of all kinds both for taste and nutrition.
That would admittedly not be a warm meal, but can always be served after the actual warm meal as a dessert.

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Have you tried beef consommé ?

Composition per 124g serving:

Calories: 20 kcal
Carbohydrate: 1 g
Protein: 4.01 g
Sodium: 809.72 mg
Sugars: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Calcium: 0 mg
Saturated fat: 0 g
Fat: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Iron: 0 mg
Trans fat: 0 g

This dish is easily prepared, being heated up from the can, is almost all liquid, and the salt content would be good for healing of the mouth.

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    Could you expand this into a full answer? Please look at the help center and consider fleshing this out into a answer that fully explains why this particular dish would meet the requirements of the OP's answer along with any information appropriate for cooking it if there are challenges that would conflict with the stated goal of the question. – user25991 Aug 10 '15 at 15:14
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If you still want soft protein-rich food, liver (chicken liver, lambs liver) can be mashed to a soft, spreadable consistency. Don't over cook it - that's usually why people don't like the taste and texture. If you have a butcher's nearby, get them to put a piece of steak through the mincer several times. That way, you control how much fat is in the piece you choose, and it's almost to a non-chew texture.

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  • For liver, there's also liverwurst (the Amish Market near me has an excellent one), but it's not necessarily the leanest preparation (although likely better than pâté). There are other preparations of ground meats that might not require much chewing (eg, chilli con carne ... but I'd probably favor a white chicken chilli over beef if softness was the main issue) – Joe Aug 11 '15 at 13:10
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Mung Dal Khichdi is the easiest to chew & digest for any condition and as per Ayurveda Mung Dal (protein) the easiest to digest, absorb & balance the body.

Boiled milk with Elaichi (Cardamom), Turmeric and Ginger is a great option as well.

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  • Oh right ... I hadn't even thought about lentils. There are a few varieties that can stay a little bit al dente, but most of them cook up nice and soft in well under an hour. – Joe Aug 13 '15 at 0:40
  • @Joe - As vegetarian, and follower of Yoga & Ayurveda that's the first thing that hit my mind :) – Alex S Aug 13 '15 at 6:32
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Eggs are a great source of protein. I what I used to do is hard boil some eggs, and then get a Fork and mash them all up. They'll become that soft that you won't need to chew.

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Proteinshakes can atleast help you with your protein intake. About 50 grams of whey protein a serving give and take between brands. There are even other options with purely vegetable based protein powders do some research and pick whichever one you like.

Just make sure you dont substitute your entire protein intake with this.

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Before long bike rides, my choice breakfast is "protein porridge". It's porridge with a scoop of protein powder. If you made the porridge quite milky, I think this would meet your needs.

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Cook thoroughly with a bit of extra water to ensure softness. Toss in a blender with yogurt, coconut cream, nut-milk, or soy-milk if you tolerate that. Whirl, and drink (slowly).

Similar to commercial drinks like Odwalla Protein products.

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