If you’re anything like me right now, you are icing your face in pain after getting your wisdom teeth pulled…and you’re a little hungry.
What they do tell you before the procedure is that you’ll be on a liquid diet or surviving on Jell-O for the next one to three weeks, which feels like a lifetime. But here’s the thing: I am on day five, and I think I’ve cracked the code
I’m a huge foodie. How was I supposed to go days to maybe even weeks eating Jell-O, pudding and smoothies? I knew I couldn’t. I just understood that I needed to stick to soft foods. So my creativity kicked in.
Don’t get me wrong. On day one, I barely ate. The anesthesia and antibiotics made my stomach turn. I drank water and swallowed things whole without chewing.
But here was the issue: I was prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection, and antibiotics do not agree with my stomach. I had to eat more to take them, and if I didn’t, my stomach would cramp all night.
So, I made it my new life mission to find foods that were soft, filled my stomach, and tasted amazing.
On day two, I tried scrambled eggs. I mean, very liquidy eggs. I added more milk than usual so they would slide down my throat. Not very glamorous. But it gave me the protein I needed. I also had brown sugar oatmeal with a mashed banana on top, which is already one of my favorites.
By day three, I went to mashed avocado with an egg. Delicious. As someone who loves avocados, this felt like a small win. Mac and Cheese also made an appearance once or twice…or ten times. Once I could chew gently on my left side, I was ready to raid my fridge.
But again: soft foods.
So, I went to my favorite Mexican restaurant and ordered a chile relleno with beans and rice. A chile relleno is a classic Mexican dish that is really popular where I am in Colorado. It is a pepper that is cooked in egg batter, making it the perfect soft dish for me. I smothered it with green chile, mixed the beans with the rice, and felt full for the first time in days.
Now, I am eating pancakes! I made protein pancakes specifically. Something that will give me that extra protein that I am missing. Mixed with some maple syrup from Vermont, how could you go wrong?
That said, even though I’ve been pushing the boundaries of what “soft food” means, the most important thing is listening to your body. If you just got your wisdom teeth out and your jaw is telling you that you are not ready to chew, don’t push it! Everyone’s healing process is different.
I am not completely healed yet, but I have a list of the foods I am excited to eat again. There is a rack of ribs in my fridge that are calling my name. An ice-cold Sprite waiting to be cracked open. Straws that I’m not allowed to use yet.
But for now, I am finding small victories in eggs, oatmeal, pancakes and Mexican food. And it is just enough to get me through this week.