Need help finding something to snack on

[Kassia]

I recently had intestinal surgery and have to eat low fiber foods for a while.  My favorite snack prior to surgery was popcorn because I could eat a large quantity of it and it was filling and low calorie.  But I can't eat popcorn now for a long time (no nuts, seeds, etc that are hard to digest).  I am eating a lot of protein and fats to keep me satisfied but I miss volume and find myself binging (I have a long history of eating disorders) on cereal and crackers to fill me up.  I can't eat raw fruits or veggies for a while either.  

Any suggestions on what I can eat that's a large quantity without eating a ton of calories?  I feel hungry so much of the time and want to eat but once I start I can't stop.  It's so frustrating.  I miss my popcorn.  I've been trying rice cakes with a little peanut butter and that does help.

[BarbecueMom]

23 minutes ago, Kassia said:

I recently had intestinal surgery and have to eat low fiber foods for a while.  My favorite snack prior to surgery was popcorn because I could eat a large quantity of it and it was filling and low calorie.  But I can't eat popcorn now for a long time (no nuts, seeds, etc that are hard to digest).  I am eating a lot of protein and fats to keep me satisfied but I miss volume and find myself binging (I have a long history of eating disorders) on cereal and crackers to fill me up.  I can't eat raw fruits or veggies for a while either.  

Any suggestions on what I can eat that's a large quantity without eating a ton of calories?  I feel hungry so much of the time and want to eat but once I start I can't stop.  It's so frustrating.  I miss my popcorn.  I've been trying rice cakes with a little peanut butter and that does help.

Can you have those popcorn flavored corn puffs?  Or is all corn out for now?  My dad has diverticulitis and can’t eat regular popcorn, nuts, seeds, but can eat that.

[Katy]

The first thing that comes to mind is crustless protein powder pumpkin pie. If you make it with egg whites and splenda instead of sugar and full eggs it's very low calorie and very filling.

Another option is mixing sugar free pudding mix with several scoops of protein powder and skim milk. That has slightly more calories but is still filling.

You can top both with fat free whipped cream or cool whip.

I'm sure there are more options on the types of sites for clean eating/bodybuilding/fitness competition prep.

[Katy]

I'm not sure how this might work with surgery, but another option might be pureed vegetable soups. For example, you can mix V8 with chicken bouillon, zucchini, a bag or can of mixed diced vegetables, parsley, a pinch of thyme, garlic, and romano cheese and get something that tastes a lot like minestrone from Olive garden.  If you puree it you may be able to handle a lot more vegetable fiber than you could eating it whole. Obviously if you have fiber limits you may have to weigh ingredients and figure out exactly how much you can have, but it's filling and delicious.  I often make this with diced cabbage and zucchini noodles when I feel like we haven't had enough vegetables recently.  Everyone loves it.

[Kassia]

49 minutes ago, BarbecueMom said:

Can you have those popcorn flavored corn puffs?  Or is all corn out for now?  My dad has diverticulitis and can’t eat regular popcorn, nuts, seeds, but can eat that.

 

I could eat those but I've never seen them before.  Do you know what brand your dad eats so I can look for them? 

 

 

41 minutes ago, Katy said:

I'm not sure how this might work with surgery, but another option might be pureed vegetable soups. For example, you can mix V8 with chicken bouillon, zucchini, a bag or can of mixed diced vegetables, parsley, a pinch of thyme, garlic, and romano cheese and get something that tastes a lot like minestrone from Olive garden.  If you puree it you may be able to handle a lot more vegetable fiber than you could eating it whole. Obviously if you have fiber limits you may have to weigh ingredients and figure out exactly how much you can have, but it's filling and delicious.  I often make this with diced cabbage and zucchini noodles when I feel like we haven't had enough vegetables recently.  Everyone loves it.

 

Thank you but I'm looking for something I can crunch on.  I was on clear liquids, then liquids, and then soft foods for a long time and really want hand to mouth food I can chew now!  But I am clearly eating the wrong foods now and overeating them and I'm gaining weight.

 

[BarbecueMom]

5 minutes ago, Kassia said:

 

I could eat those but I've never seen them before.  Do you know what brand your dad eats so I can look for them?

 

No idea.  We were at a Meijer when he bought them.  I think I’ve seen something similar at Aldi though.

[Pippen]

4 minutes ago, BarbecueMom said:

No idea.  We were at a Meijer when he bought them.  I think I’ve seen something similar at Aldi though.

Mikesells makes popcorn puffs.  https://www.amazon.com/Mikesells-11-oz-Puffcorn-Delites/dp/B076DLGLK8/ref=sr_1_7_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1529711811&sr=8-7&keywords=mikesells+puffcorn+delites

If it's just the popcorn hulls that you can't eat, you can nibble around them. It's really slow going though.

 

[BarbecueMom]

29 minutes ago, Pippen said:

Mikesells makes popcorn puffs.  https://www.amazon.com/Mikesells-11-oz-Puffcorn-Delites/dp/B076DLGLK8/ref=sr_1_7_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1529711811&sr=8-7&keywords=mikesells+puffcorn+delites

If it's just the popcorn hulls that you can't eat, you can nibble around them. It's really slow going though.

 

That’s probably it!  We used to eat Mikesells potato chips all the time when we lived in the same area my dad lives in, but they don’t have them where I currently live.

[Liz CA]

Can you eat egg whites, hard boiled? I keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge for a quick protein snack. Often I only eat the whites and hand the dog the yolk. :)

Raw cheese may also work (filling) if it's allowed.

[Um_2_4]

would those pirate booty puffs work? They are pretty "light" and fluffy.

Or those flavored quaker popped rice snacks?

[Kassia]

7 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

Can you eat egg whites, hard boiled? I keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge for a quick protein snack. Often I only eat the whites and hand the dog the yolk. ?

Raw cheese may also work (filling) if it's allowed.

 

I eat a lot of egg whites already - I make one or two egg white omelettes a day with lowfat cheese and garlic powder (yum).  But I'm still hungry!  

 

6 minutes ago, Um_2_4 said:

would those pirate booty puffs work? They are pretty "light" and fluffy.

Or those flavored quaker popped rice snacks?

 

Yes, they both look good! 

 

 

[Pippen]

Avocado toast isn't low calorie, but a little goes a long way in terms of filling me up. 

[Tap]

For crunchy, I would make toast bites.  Toast cut into small bites that can be eaten like popcorn.  You can add garlic salt and just a skim of butter, coconut oil or what every cream you can have.  You can even make mini open sandwiches with avocado, bruchetta topping *if tomatoes are allowed,  or a bit of jelly (not jam) for a touch of sweet.

For savory, I like kalamata olives. I find that 6 or seven with cheese and crackers really make me much more satisfied that cheese/cracker on thier own.

Pickles are a great crunchy snack.  Especially the refrigerated ones.

If you can have peperoncini peppers, those can be tasty and crunchy as well.

I know a few of those have seeds, but if you can't have them, then you can sometimes cut around them.

Have you tried something like gum, for a bit of chewiness without the calories of ingesting food? It know it is definitely not the same, but maybe will get you over a few hurdles on rough days.

 

[Kassia]

6 hours ago, Tap said:

For crunchy, I would make toast bites.  Toast cut into small bites that can be eaten like popcorn.  You can add garlic salt and just a skim of butter, coconut oil or what every cream you can have.  You can even make mini open sandwiches with avocado, bruchetta topping *if tomatoes are allowed,  or a bit of jelly (not jam) for a touch of sweet.

 

Have you tried something like gum, for a bit of chewiness without the calories of ingesting food? It know it is definitely not the same, but maybe will get you over a few hurdles on rough days.

 

 

I chew gum all day long to try to hold off on snacking!  

Love the toast bites idea.  Will try that, too.  

[happi duck]

Pretzels?

Dry Rice Krispies?

[Kassia]

17 minutes ago, happi duck said:

Pretzels?

Dry Rice Krispies?

 

Those are both great.  Rice Krispies are so low in calories and I can eat lots of them.  I was looking at Kix, too.  And puffed wheat/rice but I couldn't find them in the store.  Pretzels are good, too - maybe I should get those little stick ones so I can eat a lot of them in one serving.  I have an issue with portion control, too.  

[SamanthaCarter]

Pirates Booty!