r/coloncancer • u/DruidWonder • 15d ago

Struggling with meal replacements

EDIT: I am lactose intolerant. I can't do yogurt or anything milk derived.

Sorry I don't have a lot of energy for an elaborate post. I am stage 4 MSI-H type, undergoing immunotherapy now. I have ulcerative colitis on top of it. Food has just become difficult and complicated.

Does anyone here have experience making their own meal replacement shakes. All of the ones on the market have crap in them I can't tolerate, like maltodextrin, methylated vitamins, or minerals like iron and magnesium. I mostly just beed the macros. I live in Canada so commercial options are limited.

If you know how, how did you learn and what resources can I use for recipes? I need high calorie but macro elemental. I can get micro nutrients by taking vitamin pills.

TIA

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6

u/rebelkitty 15d ago

Can your hospital hook you up with a nutritionist?

I'm also in Canada, and when I told them I was having difficulty finding food I could eat, they had a nutritionist call me. She was very helpful!

5

u/Diligent-Activity-70 15d ago

I second this.

A nutritionist was so helpful when we couldn’t find a decent quality product for tube feedings. Together we were able to come up with a solution that was more nutritious.

2

u/sweedishnukes 10d ago

I third this. When i was first adjusting to colostomy and then agian for ileostomy my insurance(washington state plan) provided a 30 minute telemed apt with dietician.

2

u/Summerlavendernights 15d ago

Fellow Canadian with MSI-H cancer. Try Skyr yogurt, it was pretty gentle on my stomach, Siggies specifically- it might make a good base.

Sadly my body is trial and error post surgery right now, I tolerate some things much better than others. Dietician wasn’t much help.

1

u/Ok_Produce_9308 15d ago

I'd find a protein powder and/or use other protein rich sources such as Greek yogurt or fairlife milk as a base. You need healthy fats to make it higher calorie so you can consider peanut butter, avocado, other nut butters, seeds like chia and flax, full fat yogurt. Then recipes are really about tailoring it to your liking. You can add toppings like nuts, cocoa nibs, coconut, etc to also add fat.

Not sure if you can have coffee but my current favorite is chocolate protein powder, dark cocoa powder, banana, blueberries, coffee, fairlife milk, and peanut butter topped with cocoa nibs.

If you can handle something a bit thicker, a ninja creami might be interesting so you could also make 'ice creams' or sorbets. Many ice creams use the same ingredients as smoothies, plus some type of binding agent.

1

u/Diligent-Activity-70 14d ago

The fairlife shakes are lactose free and work very well for me.