Food For Thought

Another bout with oral procedure this week. This time: wisdom teeth. Yep- I got my wisdom teeth removed, just in time for my birthday! You can thus imagine that my week has not been the most productive, nor the most exciting. However, sitting there reading magazines and textbooks for four straight days has taught me something (nothing from the text books, I can assure you). I learned how much time we spend eating-- when we can, that is. I had such full days and so much time without meals; just a sip and a slurp here and there sufficed me, and to be honest, I felt fine. I also found out, though, that chewing without your molars is virtually impossible. I also discovered how easy it was to avoid chewing altogether, and be completely satisfied!
Most people who get their wisdom teeth out sustain themselves on pudding, jello, and ice cream (people like my sister.) Those people also get a potbelly in a week. I, on the other hand, actually lost some weight with other, more nutritious staples. Firstly, I prepared before my surgery, and made a curried cauliflower soup that I could eat all week, and another onion and leek soup, both of which I pureed and tasted very good. As my salad? V8. It was a great option, and really broke the monotony of sweet and creamy stuff. Another food item I lived off of? Nonfat yoghurt. I got a good quality one, so that the nonfat actually tasted just as good as the regular yoghurt, without all the icky and unhealthy stuff. It was also really fun to flavor. Of course, I drank a lot of my smoothies, which were a hit with me, as well as anyone who came over during the week, and- yes, I ate the occasional scoop of ice cream as a treat ;) Anyhow, it was fun figuring out what I could eat, from soft banana-stuffed crepes to refried beans. With all that time on my hands anyhow, I could take a few minutes to think up what I wanted, cook it, and enjoy every (teenie tiny) bite.
In other words, if you just got any type of oral surgery, and you can only eat soft foods, don't think of it as a death sentence. It's an opportunity to be creative in the kitchen... and a few days off, too! But be careful when in the kitchen: remember that you're taking some medicines that might fuzz you up or slow you down a bit. Have someone in the kitchen with you-- it makes cooking more fun anyhow!