[Hoi Polloi]

While doing research on post surgery diets I have found plenty of references to cream of wheat. Almost all online wls diet guidelines include cream of wheat, and even the literature I've received from the hospital says to include cream of wheat, however the nutritionist told me to not eat cream of wheat. What are other people's experiences with this? Cream of wheat is high in iron and I'm already anemic, but will it cause problems post surgery?

[judijo]

I ate cream/wheat and "wet" instant mash potatoes, per my nutritionist, for maybe the first 3 weeks...it dilutes easily, like baby cereal, and helps in the retraining of the pouch. It is savory, not sweet, which I craved after eating & drinking so many sweet tasting stuffs.

Once on solid foods, cream/wheat and mash is discouraged because it is high-ish in carbs without a lot of protein.

[DeMarie]

My understanding was that it wasn't so much the cream of wheat that was needed - it was that we were still in need of soft foods, cream of wheat is a healthy choice, and the skim milk you used to make it mushy was where the protein was coming from. It was a way to get some flavor, start trying new things, but by no means a life long staple. Why does your nut say no?? It's not like it's a bad choice, it's not like having sugary captain crunch (!) - at the soft stage there are limited choices.

[Hoi Polloi]

I've always cooked cream of wheat in milk to begin with so there is added protein there. It is high in carbs and I know some people like to put sugar in it. I find when made with milk it really doesn't need anything else and tastes great all by itself.

It may be because of the carb content plus most like to add a sweetener to it. I hate sweetened cream of wheat.

Originally Posted by DeMarie

My understanding was that it wasn't so much the cream of wheat that was needed - it was that we were still in need of soft foods, cream of wheat is a healthy choice, and the skim milk you used to make it mushy was where the protein was coming from. It was a way to get some flavor, start trying new things, but by no means a life long staple. Why does your nut say no?? It's not like it's a bad choice, it's not like having sugary captain crunch (!) - at the soft stage there are limited choices.

[GinaGurl]

my nut told me to eat it once or twice a week i make it with skim plus milk and it is pretty good it has protein in it plus the milk gives you protein also

[ragdolldude]

MY surgeon OK'd Cream of Wheat too. He just said to stay away from regular cooked oats for a breakfast, as the larger oat pieces were hard to digest. I did however eat the 1 minute Quick oats at about 2-3 months. These are oats ground finer for quicker cooking, and are easier to digest. DAVE

[Trulykath]

they brought me cream of wheat in the hospital the morning I went home....I don't eat it any more...occasionally, I have the sugar free oatmeal...with artificial sweetner on it...

[judijo]

I eat the "weight control" instant oatmeal...it has twice the protein of regular instant. I have it with a slice of cheese, pretty much every weekday morning. I need the fiber.

[clancythecamper]

I dont think I ate cream of wheat til about 3 mos out but I eat it as desired. I find that if I eat more than 1 serving (or attempt to) I dump; same with too much of other cereals. Oatmeal is a mainstay for me and I eat it almost daily. I find that fiber can be a good thing.....