Need snack / recipe ideas...

[Riven]

I have been having some indigestion problems for the last several months and it continues to get worse. I consulted people who know more than I do and we think it's possible I have gall bladder problems...

Things that bother me are: milk, brown sodas ( clear ones seem to be okay), and greasy foods. I'm still working on figuring it all out, but it's not your basic "heart burn" deal as spicy foods and things that normally cause problems with that don't bother me. I am awaiting confirmation on an appt. to get it checked out. My problem is... I am used to drinking a glass of chocolate milk each night before bed, and now that just doesn't work anymore! I'll drink a glass of water which kind of helps before bed give me that "full" feeling but I wake up STARVING.

I often crave chocolate and peanut butter as well. I'm trying to find some snacks that will help fill those cravings, without keeping me up all night flopping around my bed. I do eat fruits and veggies and stuff, but I'm very used to eating " comfort " foods, and with these smaller and lighter meals I've been eating I just seem hungry all of the time, and the cravings are terrible!

Anyone have any suggestions on recipes or snacks that might help? I know the basic carrots, grapes, things like that, I'm looking for something that can hit those cravings. I think I probably waste at least a hour each day just LOOKING for something, but not finding anything.

 

[Rebecca]

Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut sauce. I make mine with seasoned tofu, carrots, little mushrooms, cilantro, and anything else that seems like it would work.

 

[Riven]

Good option, my taste buds and peanut sauce don't get along, but the roll would be okay.

 

[Spoof]

Cereal. I take the big stuff like honeycombs to work in a 1C container - it makes my body think it's full, when a cup crushed down is like 1TBS.

I make batches of ham and cheese rolls in my friend's bread maker - make the dough, add ham and cheese, bake at 350 for 15-20 min then throw them in the freezer. That way when I get to work and it's about 10, I eat one. They're very dense, and I make them small so I don't get sleepy.

Banana bread - but it makes me hungry after awhile too, it's not as successful as the above two at curbing my hunger but it's the easiest way to recycle my unused bananas.

Last week I picked up some weird cranberry/white chocolate/almond mix from Target and it was really good. A couple handfuls left me so full at 10 I wasn't hungry for lunch. I was surprised.

I can't eat within 4 hours of sleeping or I get really bizarre segmented sleep, like waking up thinking there's bugs on me or something is wrong or in my house. Normally I sleep like a rock.

 

[AZChins]

What about air popped popcorn with a little drizzle of olive oil? We stopped eating chips and junk food here...air popped popcorn is awesome and super cheap. A little salt and a little oil makes it taste very good and I think it's filling not to mention lower in calories. It'll resemble comfort food...a little.

Other than that...whole grain crackers are good. Sometimes I will make a little cous cous in a bowl with a little margarine and some salt. It reminds me of mashed potatoes a little and makes a good snack. Cous Cous takes three minutes to make...so it's a good alternative to ramen or something else that is very processed and full of MSG.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Nature Valley's granola nut clusters. Those things are delicious and filling! We discovered them when my mom was up here for a visit and bought us/her a bag as a snack.

You could also try different kinds of trail mixes. We have Sprouts, the health food store, and they always have tons of different kinds of trail mixes to choose from. My new favorite has Goji(sp?) berries, raisins, sunflower seeds, and macadamia nuts. It's really good and has just enough sweet to keep me happy.

 

[Riven]

Yea... we have basically no health stores like people think of them.

Crackers is an AWESOME idea!

I do like cereal, but usually with milk. I'm going to try some fat free and see if that's better on me. I've always wondered what that soy milk tastes like, but I can't imagine it tastes anything like milk!

I'll have to look into trail mixes, I don't think the fruits and berries would be a problem, but I'm not sure about nuts, I've not tried those yet. I'm sure I could do a pretzel mix thing with berries, etc.

I love getting ideas from other people, because something that seems so simple for them, might just be something I never think about!

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Nicole, I LOVE rice cakes!!! And they come in flavors, too. I know, all the bad jokes, and one of my favorites was a cartoon that had a styrofoam cup and a rice cake sitting on a table. The caption was, "What's the difference???" I kept it posted on my wall at work!!!

I have recently had to cut my favorite beverage, milk, out of my diet as my phosphorus levels have become too high because of my kidney disease. I love milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, you name it - dairy is my life.

My dietitian suggested soy milk or rice milk as a substitute. I personally think soy milk is kind of oily. Rice milk is not as bad as I thought that it would be, but it ain't milk!!! It's good with sweeter things, like cereal or cookies and you can even drink it like a glass of milk. The only drawback is the high cost. I could get a gallon of skim milk for $2.89 or so, and I went through at least a gallon a week. Rice milk is $3.59 for 1 quart, so when I see it on sale 2 for $5, I stock up. I think I'll check and see if Costco carries it; it will probably be much more affordable.

 

[ChilliPepper]

A couple of things- have your doctor do an H Pylori test. Weird things would upset my tummy, and I would get that SUPER STARVED feeling in the morning. I did a round of treatment and it went away. If you need chocolate, I keep semi sweet chocolate chips on hand. Trail mix with a bit of chocolate and nuts will hit the salt and sugar- you can make your own. Almonds are great for you, and give you a crunch as well as protein.
The other thing that you could look into, although it may be expensive in the long run, is Glucerna. It comes in chocolate flavor, and will satisfy the craving as well as help your sugar levels even, which will reduce the constant hunger pangs.
Good luck. When I started cutting sugars way down, I would actually shake when a craving hit. I ate lots of apples and oranges to help, and cucumbers. Then I got so sick and stopped giving a crap and now I need to get back on the wagon, lol.

 

[Rebecca]

I've always wondered what that soy milk tastes like, but I can't imagine it tastes anything like milk!

If you're looking for a milk substitute, I would suggest rice milk over soy because some evidence suggests too much soy can lead to thyroid cancer and complications (http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/soya.asp). Either way, the milks can take a while to get used to, but I've switched between all three (cow, soy, rice), and they're each okay after a while.

 

[Riven]

Last night I ended up making chocolate chip cookies... I ate about 2 small spoons of dough ( yea I know you're not supposed to!) and then I was fine. Which made my daughter happy because she has a thing full of cookies now!

 

[menagerie]

Do yourself a favor and get rid of all sodas, they are full of salt and sugar. Read labels and don't eat anything that contains high fructos corn syrup. I watched a lecture on hfc the other day and it is shocking how your body metabolizes it and what affects it has.

 

[Riven]

Soda's not a problem. Suggestions other than water? Something lighter like a lime or lemon aide etc? I'm sure like a sugar free juice and such would be fine as well.

Milk... the no milk thing is killing me... When I put on lotion my dog with lick the air because she wants to lick me because she likes the smell... and I'm terribly worried I'm going to catch myself doing this at someone's glass of milk! I'm going to get some fat free milk and try that some.

The last couple days have been better, eating light, no sodas ( I usually only had one a day if that anyway ) that sort of thing.

Also good options for sugar cravings would be great, that's the second worse out of milk. But if anyone tells me I can't have ANY prime rib... I'll just die and eat it anyway.

 

[AZChins]

We don't have anything to drink here but water, soy milk and beer. I'm not good at beverage suggestions!

Although, I know that a lot of people like drinks sweetened with Splenda. Maybe you could get some Crystal Light or something along those lines? Personally I like real lemonade and limeade and other real fruit juices. You could always make your own fruit juice and sweeten it as you see fit...but that can take effort depending on how you make it.

Do you have a juicer or juice extractor? One thing that I have been making a lot of lately is carrot juice. Carrot juice is awesome...but it probably sounds weird for people, who haven't had it before. The local grown carrots are cheap lately...

 

[Lmbswimmer]

I second the soy milk kind of being oily. I can't eat any dairy. I like rice milk - when cooking with it you need to reduce it some because it is more like water. Cook time on cookies go up. Pancakes are a little flatter, waffles are flatter etc... Soy milk is better in the cooking dept. but rice wins on taste for cereal or drinking.

The other one, which tastes even better would be almond milk and that should really fill you up. There isn't much fat in it either! One of the major brands makes all three, soy, rice, and almond milk. The nutrition labels for nutrients are almost identical.

We eat a lot of air popped popcorn off the stove, cook it in a little olive or canola oil add a little sea salt. If you want you can look up a few recipes online to make the popcorn a little more "fun" like adding sugar to make it sweeter or adding some spices to get a kick out of it. I LOVE pumpkin seeds for a snack to - we actually use just about any squash seeds. Buy and eat the squash and make the seeds. Best recipe to date is adding some olive oil and disolving some sea salt into it, dip seeds in and bake at a low temp until crispy.

Those if you want to reduce salt can be made with sweetners or spices instead also.

If peanut butter is an issue you could try some alt. nut butters, they are expensive but good. The price will help keep your portions small to Almond butter is really good, cashew butter is divine.

 

[Riven]

I don't think me and beer will get along, I love beer except the part where you're supposed to drink it... and the price of it... and part where people get really stupid from drinking it... I've tried beer, and I think it's just plain nasty tasting.

I had some pb and celery yesterday and didn't seem to have problems with it, but it wasn't a lot either. So I'm not sure about pb. I guess I had pb on toast too the other day with no issues.

I don't have a juicer, but am not against getting one. I sometimes make orange juice, the old fashioned hand juicer way, lol. I don't like the texture of oranges to eat them, but I love the juice, so if I get some and my girls don't get them eaten, I juice them.

 

[mishellyshel]

I have been plagued with stomach problems for years. Lactose intolerant, acid reflux, h pylori, polyps, hernia, and on & on. My suggestions if u love milk, try the lactose free milk. I eat a handful of pretzels at night with a small glass of crystal lite iced tea. Rice cakes are good. 100 calorie packs of cookies help with the sugar cravings. I read all labels & I am currently counting calories.

 

[3CsMommy]

I'm lactose intolerant, and my mother has that + gall bladder issues, so believe me, I understand your misery at having to change your entire diet or feel like poo. I was (okay, okay, am) an icecream addict, so for a very special treat, I try to keep these in the freezer: http://www.tofutti.com/c-v.shtml

I also like the Turtle Mtn soy ice creams etc. (http://www.turtlemountain.com/), but until I get a job they're kind of cost prohibitive. They have other milk alternatives available too.

Speaking of, I understand Rice Dream milk is pretty darn good compared to the regular stuff, but I've got a mental block on drinking *anything* milky so I've never had it myself. Not sure how it mixes with chocolate syrup or powdered cocoa, but might be worth a shot. Some kinds even come chocolate flavored, so you might be able to have your nightly comfort food in spite of your tummy troubles.

 

[staceylwolf]

Here's a snack I make that's really yummy and fills me up. I saw it on a cooking show on the food network. Take equal amount of slivered raw almonds, raw sunflower seeds (no shells) and pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds). I usually use 1 cup of each but you can change that if you want to make a smaller batch, just use the same amount of each. Mix in a bowl with about 2 table spoons of 100% real maple syrup, not the processed stuff, that has way too much sugar. Add a little salt, more of less if you like it salty, or no salt if you don't want it. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake until golded brown. Once cool toss in about 1/2 cup or so of craisons or raison, whatever you like.