Q: Do you have any ideas for healthy meals to make for a recovering cancer patient? My mother is in remission, but she has trouble swallowing and therefore has a hard time eating food. I'm only home for one month and I want to make lots of meals for her that are easy to eat and can be frozen.
Sent by Rachel
Editor: Soups of all kinds tend to be easy to eat, freeze, and re-heat. Roasted and boiled vegetables, wilted greens, and soft-cooked porridgy grains might also appeal to your mother. Best wishes on her recovery!
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I submitted a yet unposted similar question a week or two ago but without the 'easy to swallow' requirement so most of the ideas of come up with on my own won't apply to you. The primary things that seem to come up when researching the best diets for chemo patients are low-acid and high nutrient value.
For your mom and swallowing issues smoothies come to mind. I've recent seen several avocado smoothie recipes recently that would provide nice variety from standard fruit ones. Also, you can add in peanut or almond butter for protein, a handful of spinach or other greens for nutrients. You could have everything prepped and combined into freezer bags that she would just need to partially defrost and blend.
Pureed soups that are made without high-acid tomatoes would be good to have as well. I am thinking cucumber soups for while you are there, since I don't think they freeze well. Then for the freezer squash soups, potato soups and pureed bean soups.
Other things that may not freeze well but will allow you to provide her with some diversity while there to cook for her. The zuchinni butter recipe from this site; polenta; risotto; tapioca or rice pudding
This baked gnocchi is not necessarily healthy but was one of my Mom's favorites when she had trouble swallowing from cancer treatment: http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com/2009/11/baked-gnocchi-with-spinach-and-goat.html
Gnocchi in general is really soft and you could make it from scratch with sweet potatoes, etc. I recently had sweet potato dumplings with creamed spinach at a restaurant and it was excellent.
Pot pies also freeze well, and this is a healthier version: http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/
I also like the freezer meal section of this blog: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/freezer-friendlymake-ahead.html
Has your mom received a screening to assess the extent of her difficulty with swallowing? Is there any risk of her having food/liquids "go down the wrong pipe?"
It's important to find out because of the risk for aspiration (food going down the wrong pipe). Food particles can become trapped in lungs and cause a serious infection, especially if her white blood count is low. Thin liquids like soups may be difficult to swallow. Thickened liquids might be a better substitute, like smoothies, yogurt, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, or oatmeal. Thickeners can also be added to soups juices. The important thing is to ask your mom what SHE wants to eat and work with it. It's common for people to develop different tastes for things after chemo - the things they used to love might taste weird now.
To prevent aspiration, make sure she eats slowly and without distraction. Take small bites and chew carefully. Sit upright for at least 30 minutes after eating.
It's best to talk to a professional to see if your mom's swallowing function is something that needs to be checked out. A dietitian can also help her with her meal options.