Why did the doctor say only clear fluids? That will help people with recommendations.

It's just going to be boring! Popsicles ought to be OK. Your only variety might be temperature. Spicy is probably out too if he's protecting his gut.

I was on all clear liquids when I had pancreatitis. I ate loads of broth, black decaf coffee, popsicles, ginger ale, apple juice and jello.

It's not really exciting, and I couldn't wait for my first solid meal. It was BBQ brisket, broccoli and a dinner roll from the hospital cafeteria. At the time, it was the best thing ever.

I'm thinking why not add various spices and herbs to the broth to it different flavors? Or, why not make some really nice soups that feature clear broths, such as a tuscan vegetable soup for instance, and then give him the broth, and eat the solids yourself. The broth will taste better having been cooked with other ingredients.

In case this helps other commentors - the full list of allowed foods from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/clear-liquid-diet/my00742 is:

Plain water
Fruit juices without pulp, such as apple juice, grape juice or cranberry juice
Strained lemonade or fruit punch
Clear, fat-free broth (bouillon or consomme)
Clear sodas
Plain gelatin
Honey
Ice pops without bits of fruit or fruit pulp
Tea or coffee without milk or cream

Any foods not on the above list should be avoided.

Guess there's not much variation in that. I had lots of miso soup when I had pancreatitis and the doctor said it was okay. Not sure about your boyfriend's specific situation.

I think boring is going to be unavoidable, but at the very least you could make very different flavored clear broths for a little variation. For instance, french onion broth, sage-mushroom broth, chicken-basil-cilantro broth, tomato-garlic broth, and so on. You just filter out whateveer you simmered in the broth to flavor it.

You can do the same thing for sweet things, I'd think. Simple clear juices can be made more interesting by simmering them with various flavors. You can simmer cinnamon sticks in apple juice, or orange rinds in cranberry juice, or mint and basil and lime rinds in some sweetened water, etc.

Also, can he chew ice? Can you do things like shaved ice or slushies? Freeze juices in ice cube trays and then blend them for fake Icees? At least that would have some texture.

Knorr-Swiss has a chicken and tomato bouillion cube that tastes pretty good. Also canned beef consomme. I like it chilled so that it jells.

Chances are the person is not going to feel like much real eating for a few days anyway.

Go ahead and make chicken soup just like you would---and vegetable/beef, but make it with LOTS of extra broth.Then run the broth through a tea strainer, then through a coffee filter. It will be clear enough, but still taste good. Also, you might buy wonton soup from a Chinese restaurant, and strain it, too.

Try some aspic, which is basically a rich, savory Jello.

Get packets of dry gelatin at the grocery store. A basic aspic is 1 packet unflavored gelatin, 1/4 cup cold water, and 1+1/2 cups hot broth. Sprinkle the packet over 1/4 cup of room-temperature water. Let "bloom" for 10 minutes. Strain!!! the hot broth before adding to the gelatin (pour it through a coffee filter or a wet cloth napkin in a collander). Add the clear stock from things like broth, boullion cubes, reconstituted dried tomatoes liquid, vegetable cooking water, or from boiling fish or crab or shrimp. Season with garlic, herbs, salt, pepper. Strain again if it is murky. Stir, and let it set for another 10 minutes. Pour into a pan or individual cups. Chill for 3-4 hours.

I had to do this too. Make apple juice into popsicles so he feels like he is consuming something solid. Gingery chicken broth, mushroom broth. Yellow Gatorade and the light blue Gatorade Frost were the only ones that didn't taste disgusting to me after five sips. Good luck!

I bet some of the mocktails that were recently posted might add some variety. Note that clear liquids does not include alcohol ;)

Can he have congee? So comforting.

Grab a mojo chicken from your local grocery store and make broth with that - spike it up w red pepper and lime

Fruit juice + plain gelatin = tastier and more nutritious jello.
Also second the idea for aspic. You can also mix gelatin into hot broth to thicken it so it will feel like a more substantial soup while still being clear. Homemade popsicles using juice are good. You could also probably make an italian ice with clear juice if you have an icecream maker. Just whatever you can to mix up the textures since honestly that's the worst part of having to be on clear liquids.

Does liquid diet include soups thicker than broth? My husband had jaw surgery last year, and I would run potatoe soup through the blender for him. He was only on liquids for a day, then he couldn't chew food for several weeks...and at the time it was hard enough getting him to take all his medicine! Good luck!

Try a vegetable stock for some variety. I found the BEST recipe and some tips on the following blog. I always make my stock this way now. I throw in some salad greens (spring mix) sometimes too and I really think it adds something to the flavor.

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/05/7-tips-for-full-flavoured-vegetable-stock/

What about egg drop soup? If you make it at home, pour scrambled eggs into boiling chicken broth super slow while whisking very quickly, and the egg bits should be super super tiny. I might check with the experts if the eggs are acceptable at all, though.

As someone who is currently on a clear liquid diet, let me tell you that clear means clear. Any particles can mess up your digestive system, especially if the surgery was on that system. It's dull, but I've found popsicles help and decent broths (not the prefab crap served at my local hospital).