I love cooked kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, etc. Have them at least once or twice a week, as well as a fresh salad at almost every dinner. Some nites, dinner is only a large Chicken Caesar Salad.

Collard Greens??

I assume these are not fattening, but what do they taste like??

I always wanted try these.

Mel

I wish I could eat all the good stuff - I love(d) to eat! But, peeps with gastroparesis cant digest fiber (so a salad would be deadly) - and very little fat - thus the liquid and extremely restricted diet for those whole can tolerate some food (this is from autonomic neruopathy)

Do you make chicken soup? One thing I do sometimes is add in spinach in the last 10minutes or so (sometimes cabbage works) just before serving. It wilts, but keeps its green color and nutrients.

I like colorful soup...so I add all kinds of things. Chunks of buttnernut squash work well, instead of potatoes and absorb the flavorings nicely too. (squash needs at least an hour in the soup).
Curry in the chicken soup is also very tasty and provides the anti-inflammatory actions of tumeric to help with pain.

You can add swiss chard to sandwiches instead of lettuce. That is easy too.

There is a shredded broccoli slaw now in stores, makes a nice salad instead of plain old cole slaw.

I understand why kmeb cannot eat fiber...this post is for the others reading here.

Seems that a juicer might work for kmeb however? Have you tried that? If you liquified the veggies,
that would be one way to get the nutrients without the fiber.

I'm just jealeous I cant eat!!! Melody - ever watch the food channel? Lots of yummy ideas there! And Mrs. D - never had butternut squash until I tried the baby food recently - its good!

My family told this story about me...that I loved that baby food squash.
So they would have to alternate spoonfuls of it, with everything else or I wouldn't eat! I have always loved it ...

Kmeb -- I would try the juicers...you might feel alot better getting all the
antioxidants, and trace things you must be missing from the Ensure.
The juicers keep the fiber out. And since the fiber is what gives you problems, I'd consider it.

Mel, Similar to cooked spinach, but each has a slightly different taste. I like them cooked from fresh, but also the different tasting ones that are 'seasoned', in a can. Seasoned usually with smoked ham, bacon, or such. I like them with malt (or wine) vinegar sprinkled over them, too.

I bet if you use a juicer, then something like a coffee filter to get the extra fiber out, you'd get the 'essence' fresh and unadulterated? Next issue would be after going to the expense of getting the machine and then foods to be 'juiced', could you drink the end products? What all would be ideal for your particular system? Could you stand or live thru the trial and errors? From what all you've said, sounds 'iffy'. Pity tho, Could be interesting otherwise?

Just a random thought. - j

Let's start with Bob and collard greens.

THESE COME IN A CAN????? Really??? I must look for them.
I never knew that I could buy collard greens in a can.

So I gather I just heat them up, add a bit of fresh garlic, and some lemon, salt and pepper to taste, and I'm good to go!!!!??

Sounds interesting. I am sipping decaf green tea all day for my cold. Loosens everything up. I now like Green Tea (something I never thought I would).

Oh, kmeb. can you try juicing? Imagine, all the stuff you can't put in your tummy, but you might be able to put them in the juicer and it comes out all liquid. I gather you have to run this by your doctor. Not too much, but you'll get SOME of the taste.

Like this morning, when I juiced our juice. There's a produce stand near Cornell (in NYC),and yesterday I bought:

1. 4 boxes of blueberries,
2. 1 box of raspberries,
3. 1 huge box of strawberries,
4. 2 bunches of asparagus,
5. 3 heads of Romaine Lettuce,
6. 2 nice pints of grape tomatoes,

AND IT ALL COST JUST TWENTY BUCKS. This will last me the whole week.

Took it all home on the Access-a-ride.

If I went to my local supermarket, the asparagus alone would have cost me $10.00..

This morning, I just added some berries to the carrots and a bit of apple and it was the nicest anti-oxidant drink I ever had. Just 4 oz for me, but I loved it. Cornell said it's okay to do this. They don't approve of oranges when you are diabetic and they also said "it's better if you eat the fruit than if you juice it". But in my mind. I got a bit of ALL OF THE BERRIES, and the other veggies, so to me, I liked it.

mel

Mel, you'll put - 'V-8' ........ out of business
Yes, in a CAN !!
Look where you find canned spinach.