Meal Ideas

Here are a few ideas and examples to help develop mealtime options that could suit you. We have split these into the following:

We also recently conducted a patient meal survey on popular foods which is included at the bottom of the page.

Drinks

Tap or bottled water, if possible, filtered to reduce impurities.
Full cream milk, organic unsweetened oat or almond milk.
Tea and coffee, made as you like.
No added sugar fresh fruit juices.
Natural fresh fruit milkshakes or smoothies, ideally home-made from fresh produce.
High protein, low sugar nutritional supplement drinks available from chemists/supermarkets, as advised by your dietitian.
Alcohol is OK - medication permitting / in moderation (6-9pm!).
Avoid or drink fewer sweetened fizzy drinks.

Orally taken liquid foods

Cream or butter added to strained soups – vegetable, chicken, tomato, onion.
Jelly, ice cream, sorbets - carefully reduced in the mouth with sips of water.

Pureed foods

Remember to season savoury foods well

Pureed cauliflower cheese - well cooked, with garlic and or spices.
Pureed macaroni cheese.
Smoothly pureed soups of any flavour.
Pureed avocado, chicken and potato – blended or in separate portions.
Pureed skinless fish fillet, with pureed peas and pureed mash potato in separate portions.
Guacamole, cheese dips, taramasalata.
Unsweetened yogurts.
Pureed trifle with extra cream and full-fat custard, egg custard puddings.
Tiramisu.
Creamed rice pudding with extra cream, honey or syrup.
Pureed fruit shakes (no sugar added) and a small amount of ice cream.
Ice cream chocolate sundaes (no nuts).

Soft Fork 'mashable' foods

Soft scrambled egg (added butter/cream) with finely chopped smoked salmon, sea salt.
Oat cereal breakfast with whole fat milk and soft fruit – banana, blueberries.
Blended crispy bacon Spanish omelette or the many other omelette variations.
Soups with cream, fresh herbs, whole meal fried croutons topped with grated cheese.
Steamed skinless fish fillet with mashed potato and softly cooked vegetables.
Finely chopped chicken mixed with avocado and mash potato.
Trifle with extra cream and full-fat custard.
Bread and butter pudding with extra cream or ice cream.

Whist we don’t recommend any single ‘ready meal’ provider, here are some options: ‘Wiltshire Farm Foods’ offer a range of online pureed ready meals that many patients try and get on with; ‘Iceland’ in the high street sell inexpensive soft ready meal options, such as cottage pie, fish pie and lasagne, as does the online company ‘Parsley Box’.

Between-meal snacks and small treats

For when you are getting past the pureed and fork mashable stage or for a general boost, though the textures of these may not be suitable for everyone, especially for those that still need to be on a liquid/pureed diet :

High energy protein bar .
Nut and seed snacks.
Other Protein rich snacks.
Simon’s nutty biscuits.
A small slice of your favourite cake – not too sweet.
A square of your favourite chocolate bar.
Full-fat yogurt with fresh fruit.
Wholemeal crackers and cheese.
Wholemeal bread sticks and a savoury dip.
Walnuts or hazelnuts.
Blueberries, red grapes or a banana.

Breakfast Options

Wholemeal, wholegrain toast, butter and a small spread of jam (ideally but not exclusively, organic brown wholemeal or whole grain with organic/ homemade jam or marmalade).
Unsweetened shredded wheat or oats, low-sugar granola with full cream milk or organic oat/almond milk, light sprinkle of sugar or fresh fruit.
Porridge or instant hot oat cereal with full cream milk or organic oat/almond milk and a sprinkle of sugar, honey or jam.
Bowl of organic natural oats with no additives, organic unsweetened oat milk, with blueberries, bananas and or red grapes spread over the top.
Poached or scrambled egg (try duck eggs – very high in protein), boiled eggs, poached eggs with well-buttered wholemeal, whole grain toast (be aware that white bread in particular maybe troublesome, can be lumpy and cause bloating) occasionally with a grilled field mushroom, seasoned with a pinch of Maldon sea salt and pepper, no butter.
Smoked salmon or haddock – chopped over scrambled egg.
Grilled organic tomatoes and field mushroom on brown wholemeal or whole grain toast, seasoned with a pinch of Malden’s sea salt and pepper, no butter.
Stewed fruit with full-fat yoghurt.
Fresh fruit salad or slice of melon.
Wholemeal muffin or crumpet with a small spread of honey or jam.
Cup of tea – normal tea with organic unsweetened oat milk or green tea.
And a small glass of unsweetened fresh fruit juice with a dissolved soluble vitamin C tablet.
And a vitamin supplement – e.g. ‘Centrum Performance’.
And two of each – Cinnamon and Turmeric tablets.

Lunch Options

Tap-filtered water, or with unsweetened cordial e.g. Ribena.
Fresh fruit – pear, banana, red grapes.

And

Fresh salad and cheese ploughman’s, with brown wholemeal/wholegrain bread, butter and pickles.
Caesar salad with red grapes, walnuts, anchovies and small toasted organic brown bread croutons, squeezed lemon and olive oil dressing, lightly seasoned with sea salt.
Freshly sliced tomatoes on wholemeal toast lightly with sea salt or balsamic vinegar.
Organic brown wholemeal/whole grain sandwiches with fillings such as tinned tuna and sweetcorn, salmon, chopped cold meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, grated cheese, egg and cress, mayonnaise or pickles.
Your choice of soup with added cream, wholemeal bread toasted croutons lightly seasoned with Maldon sea salt and pepper, occasionally a small grating of cheese.
Small baked potato – normal type or sweet potato, mash the centre of the potato with extra butter and add a filling such as; grated cheese, low sugar baked beans, chilli beef mince, chopped chicken or tuna home-made vegetable chilli, served with lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad – with balsamic dressing.
Steamed fish with vegetables remembering to add butter to the vegetables.

Teatime snacks

Tea with organic oat milk or black decaf coffee or green tea.
Slice of homemade cake or nutty flapjack – made from organic wholemeal flower or organic oats, olive oil, egg, brown sugar, fruit and spices.
Wholemeal cracker with cheese and chutney.
Small tin of oily fish, e.g. sardines, skippers, or my favourite - sild.

Evening Meal

Generally, it's a good idea to have evening meals early – no later than 7pm – in order to give time for them to settle before bed time.

General options

Pasta (e.g. fresh wholemeal spaghetti – supermarkets are expanding their range) with a sauce - bolognaise, cheese, tomato, macaroni cheese or lasagne with a side salad.
Moussaka, fish pie, shepherd’s or cottage pie with vegetables.
Small portion of chopped roast chicken or shredded lamb with roast potatoes and buttered vegetables.
Mild or medium spiced shredded lamb, chicken or fish curry with pulses with fresh fruit and salad condiments and spicy pickle.
Chinese style stir-fried fish, prawns or chopped chicken with wholegrain egg and red onion pilau rice.

Vegetarian options

Wholemeal tagliatelle with mushroom or tomato and red onion based source, fresh herbs, lightly seasoned with Maldon sea salt and pepper, lightly grated parmesan cheese, with a steamed portion of broccoli, asparagus or purple sprouting on the side.
Vegetarian cottage pie, using Waitrose vegan haggis as the base – oven baked with a dash of Worcester sauce before layered beneath a mash potato topping, baked till brown, plus a steamed portion of carrot, kale, broccoli, asparagus or purple sprouting broccoli on the side.
Vegetable chilli with kidney beans on steamed wild brown wholegrain rice, plus a steamed portion of broccoli, asparagus or purple sprouting broccoli on the side.
Curry: vegetable – parsnips or potato, or white fish curry spiced to taste, with a small portion of wholegrain, steamed wild brown wholegrain rice, with either a small homemade red onion kulcha on the side, or bhaji made from okra or cauliflower, with cucumber, tomato and banana condiments.

Fish options

Grilled or steamed fish with a sauce (white, mild cheese, parsley, hollandaise) and buttered vegetables or wholegrain/wild brown rice.
Oriental steamed, lightly seasoned white fish with fresh herbs, garlic, ginger and chilli with water chestnuts, a small portion of rice noodles, steamed vegetables e.g. pak choy, mange tout or mini corn cobs.
Oriental sliced squid (defrosted from frozen) or prawns (not farmed) stir fried with fresh green beans, chilli, ginger and fresh coriander, a small portion of steamed wild brown wholegrain rice mixed with peas and topped with a small amount of crispy fried red onions in garlic.
White fish and or prawn pie – chopped fish or prawns in a sauce made from organic wholemeal brown flour, butter and organic oat milk, lightly seasoned with a sprinkle of either cayenne pepper, or 1⁄2 teaspoon of English mustard - all topped with soft mashed potato, baked to a crust on top, plus a steamed portion of carrot, kale, ‘pointy cabbage’, broccoli, asparagus or purple sprouting broccoli on the side.
Luxury prawn cocktail – ocean caught cooked and peeled prawns on a bed of lettuce, chopped tomatoes and red onion, topped with a small amount of marie rose sauce – spoon of low-fat mayonnaise, coloured with tomato sauce, drop of mustard, squeeze of lemon and pinch of sea salt.

Post Meal Pleasures

Glass of beer (or wine if you like), and
small snack bowl of walnuts, or
one chocolate.

Eating Out

There are a few ‘challenges' when eating out, such as portion sizes (where it can be useful to ask for small portions and/or choose a starter or a main course, sharing a pudding and explaining your constraints to serving staff) the need for suitable levels of moisture in a meal, and difficulties with certain menu items such as red meat. Alongside this the need to not feel embarrassed at leaving part of a meal. However, after time this will become easier.

Possible ideas/options are:

Drinks

Bottled still water.

Starters

Wild caught fish or seafood, vegetarian or vegan options.

Main course

White fish options, preferably grilled but occasionally battered is OK, with salad or vegetables instead of chips.
Waldorf (with walnuts!) or Caesar salad with beetroot, anchovies and a dressing.
Open crab or tuna sandwich with salad.
Stilton ploughman’s lunch.
Vegetarian or vegan options – especially mushroom dishes.

Puddings

Small portions of fruit trifle, crumble or pie with ice cream or custard.
Milk pudding such as rice, tapioca or semolina either tinned or made with full cream or organic oat/almond milk.
Small scoop of full fat ice cream topped with fresh fruit, cream and a dash of rum!
Jelly with ice cream.
Full-fat or Greek yoghurt, or Fromage Frais.
Mousse, instant whips or blancmange.
Custard, egg custard or crème caramel.
Soft fresh, tinned or stewed fruit with cream, yoghurt or custard.

Poll of Popular Food

In March 2023, OOSO conducted a patient meal survey, both by inviting votes on a Zoom call, and polling attendees at a Café Catch-Up. Our survey revealed:

Meals

Fish Pie is tops – five nominations representing 20% of responses (and it was mash each time, not pastry).
Three votes for Salmon and (plus a sea bass).
Eggs are popular, either scrambled with smoked salmon, or poached with spinach.
Cottage pie was nominated twice.
As was Lasagne (somebody said it must be runny!).
Lentils figured in three choices (casserole, soup and mujaddara).
Chicken casserole, soup, nut roast, Chinese curry, Haloumi burger and chips also appeared.

Snacks

Cheese is front of the pack – with crackers, oat cakes, bagels or thin bread (and ham).
Energy/Protein bars come a close second (with 'Nature' and 'Deliciously Ella' named).
Wholemeal toast with marmite, peanut butter, cold beans.
Nuts, crisps, 'Hoola Hoops'.
Lentil soup.
A couple of sweeter suggestions:
- Greek yoghurt with honey and fruit.
- Brioche (less sugar than conventional cake).
Ginger infused black tea helps with nausea.