Best nutritional smoothies and soups please! DH can't manage solid food atm

[coldcoldheartt]

DH's cancer has come back and he has some bulky masses in his stomach so while we are waiting for his chemo to start he is on super strength morphine which means his appetite is messed up AND solid food just isn't working for him at the mo (I'm assuming due to the masses??)
What he is able to keep down are smoothies! So...
So far, his breakfast smoothie is
Spinach, banana, dates, coconut water, hemp and chia seeds. He loves this one.
I also do strawberries, banana, almond milk, hemp and chia.
I'm looking for some more smoothie recipes that are going to hit as many of the nutrition goals as possible. Also, he's super constipated thanks to the morphine. He's taking laxatives but im going to grab some prune juice today in the hope it might help too.
I'm doing soups for dinner: roasted tomato yesterday, will do sweet potato and carrot today.
He's also eating a handful of nuts, but sadly he can't manage most solid food
Any smoothie recipes would be great thank you guys

He's lost 6kg in just over a week so I really need to make sure he's eating. Plus he will need the strength for the chemo

Hi I am sorry to hear about your DH, it sounds like you are doing an amazing job with the smoothies , very nutritional.

It might be worth asking the GP about supplements such as fortisip/fortijuice, very concentrated nutrients and fats, you can get ones with fibre so that will help his constipation. You may even be able to add them to your smoothies.

Can you add protein powder into the smoothies to increase the calories and support weight gain?

This site has some suggested ingredients and recipes easyhealthysmoothie.com/high-calorie-smoothie-recipes-healthy-weight-gain/

I’m sorry about your DH. Following as my Dad has just been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
My first thought was the soups and smoothies sound delicious but low in calories?
Could he manage yoghurt?

How about ground flaxseed for the constipation?

I used to make banana smoothies for a sick relative: bananas, milk, cream, and lots of sugar.
Soup ideas include pea and ham; lentil, carrot and tomato.
Maybe add avocados to smoothies too.

Ensure drinks are nutritionally balanced, you could ask for them on prescription, or just buy them.

Sorry to hear about your DH, and wishing you both well.

Do you have a dietician as part of the cancer team? I would maybe ask about Calogen shots, they are small but nutritionally dense, and could maybe be mixed into a smoothie.

Add things like grated cheese, full fat cream cheese or beaten egg yolk to soups.

Maybe ice cream blended into a smoothie if that can be tolerated.

Try to use liquids other than water for blending - stock, full fat milk, cream

Flaxseeds are a good source of fibre and no need to grind them first if your blender is reasonably powerful. Also psyllium husks are a good source of soluble fibre, perhaps a dessert spoonful per smoothie. Though psyllium does go a bit solid after a while (it absorbs a lot of liquid).

@FatAgainItsLettuceTime thank you, that website has some great recipes

And a blob of nut butter in the mix will add some protein too

Loads of great ideas here. Thank you so much

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Very best wishes.
Coconut milk in soup will add to calories, as will smooth peanut butter: this recipe for African peanut butter soup looks OK, but you'll need to adjust the chilli for his tolerance.
inthekitch.net/peanut-butter-soup/

You can also add smooth peanut butter to milkshakes, maybe with vanilla ice cream if he'd fancy that.

I am on antisickness meds due to methotrexate induced nausea. They cause awful constipation and impaction. I have been adding movicol to smoothies as atm I am struggling with solid food. I am finding prunes and kiwi fruit quite good. I add very small amounts of cooked oats.
Generally, I would recommend stewed fruit and veg, not raw, because it is much gentler.
I am so sorry your DH is going through this. Constipation is so painful and miserable, it makes everything much worse.

We were advised to make up double strength milk using milk powder and normal milk as if it were water (was hard to find normal milk powder, most is skimmed, but it does exist - sorry can't remember the name).
I'd make up 4pts of normal milk with milk powder and store it in a couple of 4pt cartons to then be used in smoothies, custards, etc.
Also agree about fortisip/juice - although DH didn't really like those.

Protein powder blended in smoothies for sure ! Try a natural vanilla or even flavourless one.

Peanut butter & banana?

Avocado is nice in a smoothie or maybe he could manage it mashed? Could he manage scrambled egg?

Creamy soups with full fat cream - leek & potato?

I'm sorry to hear this and it sounds like you're doing your best. we also relied heavily on smoothies and soups for my dad but I do agree with other posters - see if you can get supplements that can be added to his smoothies and soups for added nutrition and calories.

Have you tried adding avocado to your smoothies? Lots of good fat, extra nutrition and calories and adds a creaminess rather than a strong flavour - you might need to experiment a bit to find the right amount but eg can be added to a fruit or veggie based smoothie.

Soak oats overnight in water/juice/yoghurt/milk (non dairy if preferred) and add to smoothies. Again, increases calories and nutrition. Flaxseeds can be good for the constipation too.

Definitely use prune juice as the liquid. The flavour isn't fab by itself so again, you might need to experiment with the volumes.

Can he tolerate dairy? Full fat greek yoghurt can be a great addition to the smoothies.

Butternut soup can be blended smooth and is quite nutritious. You can bulk it up/add calories by adding sweet potatoes or regular potatoes and/or beans. I have a couple of recipes I made for my dad when he had cancer which I will see if I can upload shortly.

Again, if he can tolerate dairy, a great soup that is, admittedly,y quite low in calories but quite nutritious is:

Saute some chopped onions in olive oil until soft.
Add a bag of spinach and roughly 2 cups of frozen peas (or a small bag of frozen spinach). (you can adjust these amounts - when I'm dieting, I use more spinach, less peas but the peas add additional sweetness).
Pour in some hot stock to wilt the spinach. Once wilted, JUST cover the spinach and peas with the rest of the stock (I use chicken but obviously veggie stock is fine).
Boil for 10 minutes.
Once slightly cooler, use a hand blender to whiz it up. Squeeze in some lemon juice, a grating of nutmeg and some salt and adjust as necessary.
Serve in a bowl with a large tablespoon of greek yoghurt swirled in.

The butterbean soup can skip the rice and blend the beans more enthusiastically (might need to add a bit more liquid if it's too thick - or use fewer beans).

We didn't use the ginger int he second recipe for dad - he couldn't take the "burn".

This is really delicious and nutritious and calorific too

www.rivercottage.net/recipes/butternut-nut-butter-soup

Would desserts help? There are some nice tofu or avocado based chocolate pots. Also, www.easypeasyfoodie.com/butternut-squash-chilli-and-coconut-milk-soup/ this is lovely and the coconut milk ups the calories. I sometimes make it 50:50 with sweet potato.

Going through something similar with my father, and nurses today suggested we bring in 'Complan' if he'll have it. Zero appetite here so every sip or mouthful is a battle.

Wishing you the best.

Sorry to hear that OP. I agree with speaking to a dietitian as part of the cancer team, or MacMillan might have advice on increasing calories. As others suggested, adding protein powder and/or ensure would add calories and nutrients.

For the constipation, lactulose or movicol are great and not addictive to the bowel. I'd also look into the squatty potty. The idea is lifting he feet off the ground, so in a slightly, more squat like position, which in turn, straightens the bowel and makes it MUCH easier to poo. There are multiple brands available, or even just bricks, extra large jars, or those little, plastic childrens bathroom steps could be used to raise his feet up when on the loo.
www.squattypotty.co.uk/

Thank you so much everyone.
I made the peanut butter soup mentioned in this thread (sorry I can't see who to tag for it) last night and he really enjoyed it ! Only managed half a bowl but I also had bought a fresh really soft bloomer which he managed a couple of slices of.
Unfortunately he wasn't impressed with the smoothie that had hidden avocado in it dammit 😆
He's also been eating yoghurts and think we might have to buy shares in rowntrees fruit pastille ice lollies!! The only thing that gets rid of his bad taste for a while

Greek yogurt blitzed with mango or strawberries and a bit of honey make delicious ice lollies too!

Ensure compact was useful when a neighbour had similar issues. About 200 calories in about a 100ml serving. They were prescribed but can also buy in Boots I think. Adding protein powder and smooth peanut butter also good ways to up calories as is adding extra thick double cream to the smoothies. Could you try and freeze some of the smoothie mix in lolly moulds if cold is soothing?