Tricae, that sounds very difficult. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this!

I'm not familiar but based on your descriptions, some thoughts come to mind.

Loosely scrambled eggs with milk and cheese?
Freeze bananas and then process in FP to make a "banana ice cream".
Creamy rice and veggie soups, well pureed. Could use other grains as well. I am thinking rice/broccoli, salmon/asparagus/barley, split pea and ham with carrots.
Is applesauce too acidic?
Boiled eggs finely chopped and mixed with mayo/mustard (like the filling for deviled eggs, but include the whites).

Stuffing (whole grain bread of course) with lots of gravy (puree in some meat too for the protein).

And seriously, check into some of the baby foods, some aren't half bad and you can try it in a small amount, then duplicate at home if it works for you.

Good luck and keep us posted. I miss "seeing" you here!

Deanna

I actually like creamed grain cereals like cream of wheat, cream of rice, and cornmeal mush. I love cornmeal mush with butter and maple syrup.
I also like cream of "x" vegetable soups, with cream of asparagus being one of my faves.
I also like squash and potato soups, and pureed bean soups. One of my faves is made with green split peas and fresh peas, pureed.

Here's a recipe from "Twelve Months of Monastary Soups"
you might check that book out, it has a lot of pureed soups and various broths.

Sweet Milk Soup

2 cups water
2 cups bread cubes
2 cups milk
1/4 cup raisins (I'll be you could sub applesauce or some other fruit that goes down easy)
4 TBLSP real maple syrup
2 beaten eggs
dash nutmeg

Put the water into the soup pot, add the bread, and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk, fruit and maple syrup. Stir well and bring the soup to a second boil. Add the beaten eggs and nutmeg (I suggest tempering the eggs as you add them). Blend well and simmer for 10 more minutes before serving.

I'll bet you could riff on this too for more flavor, like add some cider instead of just water, and some cinnamon or the like.

I have not tried it but it sounds kind of like bread pudding soup.

When you have a digestive challenge you'll find soaking or sprouting grain before consumption will aid in easier digestion. Soaking/sprouting allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight with some whey, kefir, buttermilk or yogurt added to the soaking water will not only make the grains easier to digest, but it will improve their nutritional benefits. The soak neutralizes enzyme inhibitors. During the soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more available for absorption.

Oats/oatmeal may be low in the hard-to-digest gluten protein, but oats contain more phytates than almost any other grain. So if you have digestive problems, pre-soaking all grains, especially oats, would be very important.

Freshly-milled whole grain flour can be made into a gruel and the gruel used as a base for a smoothie, instead of a fruit/dairy-based smoothie. You can add all kinds of things to your gruel-based smoothie.

If you don't have a grain mill for this process, you can use a coffee/spice mill for milling small amounts of grain into flour (barley, brown rice, wheat, kamut, spelt, rye, etc.) and mill it as needed because FRESH IS BEST.

To make 2-cups of Gruel:
(source: Nourishing Traditions - by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.)

1/2 c. freshly ground organic flour from spelt, kamut, rye, barley, wheat, rice or oats
2 c. water plus 2 T. whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk
1/4 t. salt

Mix flour with water mixture, cover and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add salt, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10-minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with cream or butter and a small amount of a natural sweetener, such as raw honey.
-------------------------------------------------------
Add ground flax seeds (flaxmeal) for more nutrition and fiber. Flax seeds are relatively low in phytic acid and when taken in small amounts do not require soaking. Mill them in a coffee/spice mill so you have the freshest source possible, plus they are less expensive.

I'd also suggest adding chia seeds or chia seed gel (chia seeds mixed with water) to this gruel smoothie for additional fiber and nutrition and the great health benefits from this simple little seed. Chia seeds are easy to add to water or other beverages. A common drink used with them is called "fresca" - 1 glass of lemonade and 1 t. chia seeds - allow to sit for 10-minutes before drinking. I realize lemonade would be too acidic, but that's an example of how to add chia seeds to your diet - in any kind of beverage - just allow to sit for 10-minutes.

Another add-in that would raise fiber AND aid in digestion is High Maize Resistant Starch. We add all three of these to our morning smoothie.

Add water, juice, dairy, if necessary, to make the smoothie texture.
---------------------------------------------------------

Have every tried crumbling baked goods in a bowl and pouring milk over it. Lots of people crumble cornbread and top if off with buttermilk and I thought it might work for wholegrain muffins or cake. This recipe is a nice wholegrain snack cake that might work crumbled. Just omit the topping and the nuts in the recipe.

BANANA CRUNCH CAKE

(Source: The Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook)

Crunch Topping:
3/4 c. Quaker Oats (Quick or Old-Fashioned, uncooked)
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
2 T. chopped nuts
1/2 t. cinnamon

Cake:
1/2 c. butter or margarine
2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. mashed banana
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. ground oat flour*
3/4 c. all-purpose flour (use whole wheat or spelt flour)
1 t. salt
1 t. soda
1/2 c. chopped nuts, if desired

For crunch topping, combine all ingredients; mix well.

For cake, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in banana, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add combined dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 8-inch square baking pan; sprinkle with crunch topping evenly over batter. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350-degrees F) 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

*How to make your own ground oat flour:
1. Place 1 to 1-1/2 c. oats in blender or food processor.
2. Blend or process for about 60 seconds
Yield: about 1 cup ground oat flour
3. Store in tightly covered container in cool dry place up to six months.
-------------------------------------------------------

-Grainlady

Thanks so much for the thoughts & ideas!

Deanna, your idea of freezing bananas for ice cream is great. I'm a bit gaggy even thinking about more veggie soups with a boat motor taken to them but dang...that idea of salmon,asparagus, & barley sounds good plus , in general, fish is one of the easier proteins to swallow so I think adding the salmon last minute just flaked may work for many people. That'll be on our table by the weekend.

Scrambled eggs, custards, etc. don't have broad enough workability because dairy & eggs are tough with GERD. I can still manage both, fortunately, but I know many cannot. :(

The stuffing idea is also great. I never think about stuffing except at the holidays. The amount of broth might be tricky but we'll do some experimenting. Too moist and it would stick in the throat & too little broth...it would be difficult to chew. If I can get the bread texture part right then I think chicken could be finely minced for more eye appeal assuming lots of gravy to help everything slide down easier. Great idea - will spend some time trying various ingredients.

Lpink, your idea of a bread soup appeals to me. Reminds me of the bread pudding I tried. For those who can handle milk that would be a way to get whole grain bread products into the diet. I'll try this one also and try pears for the fruit (you're right, apples are too acidic & the raisins would stick to the sides of my throat like velcro). Thanks.

Grainlady, I was hoping you'd see my post. Thanks for responding. The digestive problems are related to the lack of saliva since saliva begins the digestion process but the first hurdle is the chewing/choking thing. I've only been soaking oats & cornmeal for 15-30 minutes...obviously not long enough. I'll let everybody know to do an overnight soak. Thanks! Also, never would I have thought to use a soaked grain gruel as a dairy replacement in a smoothie. That is such a terrific idea! I've never used chia seeds, nor even know what they look like? Are they similar to sesame seeds in size/shape? Probably inside a smoothie there would be enough liquid to get the little stinkers down without them wallpapering the lining of my throat?

It's not at all unusual for those with Sjogren's to experience a sensation as if their body has forgotten how to swallow. You just can't make it happen. I've personally experienced it twice; both times during the overnight not at meal time. I discovered that swallowing is part of breathing! Panic sorta sets in - for me, a small sip of water both times triggered my swallow reflex before I passed out but I know people who have fainted in restaurants because they just suddenly could not swallow. Sharing your knowledge of nutrition & ideas will be put to great use by many people, I'm certain.

Today, Sjogren's has decided it's another neuropathy day & I can't feel either leg yet at the same time my left foot is jumping with sharp pins/needles sensations. Tomorrow? Who knows. Two days in a row are seldom the same.

Oh, I find this both interesting & amusing...most all Sjogren's 'professional' suggestions for dealing with the dry skin issues include smearing oneself with...drum rolls...CRISCO! :) Personally, I'm sticking with EVOO!

/tricia

tricia-

I have a friend with Sjogren's and when she started to use coconut oil in her diet (she adds a small amount of coconut oil or coconut cream concentrate to any hot beverage she's sipping on as well as cooking/baking), it made a great deal of difference in her skin issues. As a bonus, you can apply it topically as well.

It's often thought we don't drink enough water when dry skin is a problem. The water we drink mostly goes into the bloodstream, rather than the cells, and then out via the kidneys. The water in our cells actually comes from metabolizing fats, so dry skin is a sign there is an imbalance or deficiency of fats -- especially in relation to the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. People who consume a lot of carbs and very little fat often have dry skin.

Coconut oil is over 50% medium-chain fatty acid and much easier to digest than other fats. Along with coconut oil, try coconut milk, coconut water, coconut cream concentrate, coconut flour and coconut palm sugar. I reconstitute coconut milk powder and add real kefir grains for making coconut milk kefir - some of the best stuff I've ever fermented....

Chia seeds are smaller than sesame seeds and larger than poppy seeds. When mixed with water they get gelatinous (1/3 c. chia seeds to 2 c. water - refrigerate 12-hours before use). I keep the gel in the refrigerator and add it to all kinds of things, but it could certainly be used ground into a flour and added to a smoothie, cooked cereal, etc. There was a thread about using chia seeds recently.

-Grainlady

Tricia, I'm on a low acid diet now and supposedly I can have applesauce made with gala, fuji or pink lady apples. Ironically, those are the WORST apples for applesauce IMHO, but I'm sure that is because of their low acid flavor. I like tart applesauce but I'm adjusting. I'm going to try making some with pears and allspice next time. Vanilla poached pears over mush might taste good!

I'll bet you could make that soup with vanilla soy or rice or almond milk and it would still be good. I have made rice pudding with soy milk and it is good. Can you eat really creamy rice pudding? That's one food I am going to put back in my "diet" right away!! It is great for breakfast!

I can't help much with whole grains but I don't eat dairy so I have some suggestions on nutrition without eggs/dairy.

The frozen bananas in the food processor are awesome. Just like soft serve ice cream.

Hemp seeds are also great for added nutrition as they are high in protein and have a completely amino acid profile. I put them in smoothies and they give a nice nutty taste.

Green smoothies are also great sources of nutrition. Blending fruit and greens, like spinach or kale, allows you to incorporate a lot of greens without tasting them. You can also mix it up as i'm sure people are sick of blended drinks. I like to blend homemade almond milk with frozen strawberries for a healthy "milkshake". Coconut milk and frozen pineapple for a pina colada. :)

One of my favorite salads consists of massaging kale with a little olive oil and salt then massaging in avocado until creamy and adding a little lemon juice. It's nice and soft and might make a nice change? I'm not sure if it could be handled but the avocado acts like a bit of a lubricant and full of nutrition!