Hospital Food

The day after my surgery I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything at all - not even water. It was tough. I was so dehydrated, but with all the handling of my intestines etc. they said it was all in a very fragile state, so nothing.

On Monday I was allowed only a few sips of water, a bit of juice, and some clear broth soup.

On Tuesday they said I could eat soft foods ... when they brought in my tray I was absolutely shocked at what I saw they had served me for breakfast --

A HUGE croissant, two slices of bread, cream cheese, an assortment of jams, apple juice, and some tea.

I hadn't seen that many carbs in front of me for ages. I had to double check with them to make sure they got my food right ... and they said yes - it's all soft.

I managed to have a quarter of the croissant with a bit of cream cheese, and I sipped on the apple juice over a few hours.

Lunch was a cup of boiled rice, three cups of different boiled vegetables in light tomato sauce or something like that, a cup of vegetable soup, yogurt, cocktail juice, another very large bun of bread, butter, and a small piece of cake.

Again, I only managed a few spoons of rice, soup, and maybe 3-4 pieces of carrot.

Dinner - pasta?! More veggies, more bread, more of all of the above ...

I was really shocked at the amount of food they were giving me. There was no way I could eat even a fraction of the food they were serving ... but I was told that I needed to make sure I ate properly in order to help the healing process. My body needs nutrients and energy to heal properly/quickly ... it's still been a bit of a struggle though. I don't have much appetite, although I have to say that the hospital food was prepared really well.

Although they were serving a lot of food, I could tell that it was low fat - no oil, nothing fried, all the veggies were just cooked in tomato sauce ... simple, but as I said, well prepared.

Breakfast Wednesday morning:

A chocolate cream filled donut? Strawberry milk, eggs, salami - and the picture doesn't even show the big bun of bread and cream cheese to the side ... Again, didn't eat even half of it, but tried to eat a bit more. The nutritionist came in to see me and talk a bit about the food - she reminded me of the importance of eating properly and having a well-balanced meal. That means that everything is important - protein, carbs, fiber, and fat -- you've just got to watch the proportions. She told me not to be afraid to eat, but just to be sensible. It's going to be a challenge over the next few weeks with limited mobility.

Seeing the donut on my breakfast tray does not mean that it's ok to have a donut every morning for breakfast - but it does mean that as long as everything else is kept in proper proportion (seriously proper proportion) that having a donut once or twice a month is not going to hurt.

I totally understood what she was saying about being sensible and careful. You've still got to use common sense and realize what's good for you and what's unhealthy. A chocolate donut and strawberry milk are never going to compare in nutritional value as a poached egg and some apple juice!

It was a good nutritional note to leave on ... it's always about balance.