I broke my jaw last February, in a terrible yet pitiful accident involving a skateboard and hubris. I went to the hospital, had a surgery the next morning, and had medical braces installed that would rubber band my mouth shut for the next six weeks. In order to ensure that the breaks would set properly and heal well, I wasn’t allowed to move my jaw to chew. Not being able to eat is really tough. Here are my tips and tricks for surviving a liquid diet you never even wanted.
1. Make Sure You’re Still Drinking Enough Calories for Breakfast
This was the worst part for me because I hate the taste of protein and nutrient rich drinks, such as Carnation Instant Breakfast. There are more liquid breakfasts than you might think, such as hot cereals. If you don’t like oatmeal, porridge is a good alternative. And of course, grits can be mixed with a lot of things that make it even more nutritious and flavorful.
2. Smoothies Are a Life Saver
Fruit smoothies are definitely the best, and even if you aren’t a fan of the classic strawberry-banana, you can make a smoothie out of any fruit or vegetable. Again, it’s really important to have variety because you’ll get bored of everything quicker than you may think.
Some things are just not meant to be blended though. Like pizza. Take my word for it, blending pizza isn’t worth it. Don’t think that blending tasty foods will necessarily taste as great liquified as they do normally.
3. Try New Things
Drinking water, Gatorade, tea, milk, juice, or literally anything other than coffee like all the time is super helpful. It helps keep you full, flushing out bad stuff that builds up, and since you have to drink everything getting as much in you at all times of the day is really important.
4. Listen to Your Body
You’re going to be hungry a lot, and craving weird things because your body is trying to make sure you get all the nutrients it needs. Express this to people. If you’re on your own, listen to your body and make sure you go out and buy what you want, when you want it.
It was tough for me to be on a liquid diet against my will, and it makes me wonder how people actually do it because they want to. Regardless of the reason, be sure to experiment with different varieties of getting nutrients through liquids. You always want to make sure your body is getting the fuel it needs.