I was right to be concerned about managing a liquid diet on a low-carb regimen (due to pre-diabetes). Most commercial preparations are impossibly high in carbohydrates, and the first one I tried spiked my blood sugar to nearly 300. Most commercial soups, which could be diluted to drinkable consistency, share the same carb-laden liability. Clearly I was going to have to figure out how to make my own protein drinks. My endocrinologist referred me to a nutritionist, who had some good advice and ideas for me. It still hasn’t been exactly easy, and I know I’m going to be bored out of my mind before this is over, but here’s some of what I’ve learned ten days in —
I am not surprised to read that most people on a liquid diet lose weight, up to 20% of their body weight. The food isn’t very interesting or appetizing; you stop looking forward to meals, and you stop ‘eating’ (i.e., drinking) the moment your hunger is assuaged — where with real food, you’ll probably keep going because it tastes good. Thus, I try to pack my drinks with as many calories as possible — heavy cream makes a good liquid base, though I’m warned real dairy products go off faster in smoothies than soy, almond and coconut milk do. (Not much of a consideration for me as I only make a serving or two at a time.)
Unpulverized solids are your enemy when you must eat like a whale, squeezing planktonic concoctions through the ‘baleen’ of closed teeth. Tiny unpulverized granules drive me crazy because it’s so difficult to clear them from my mouth. The Nutribullet 900 is my new hero, as it powers through everything I have thrown at it (in it).
Some things that sound weird are actually quite tasty — I am surprised at how much I enjoy a liquefied salad, for instance. I know it sounds appalling, but honestly just spring mix/arugula/spinach with some vinegar and salt is surprisingly good.
..and that’s fortunate since it’s difficult to get sufficient fiber on this regime. Protein powders made from chia and hemp seeds are helpfully fiber-full, if you can handle the carbs, but I find they make my drinks taste a bit muddy.
What about protein? Heavy cream and the protein powders supply some; I’ve also blended cream cheese into hot broths and high-fiber V8. The nutritionist had a surprising suggestion — toddler meals! — but when I went to buy them, I realized that was an expensive way to buy (essentially) potted meat, and would probably be under-seasoned for baby palates. Instead, I tried a can of tinned chicken, which with some broth, blended up into a smooth, savory, protein-rich drink.
I got a smoothie ‘cookbook,’ which seems laughably oxymoronic as there is no cooking involved — no technique at all — just lists of components. But I might not have thought of some of them, so it was useful. However, I think I got a little too creative there for a while, dumping in all kinds of ingredients hoping to produce a tasty blend. After a few duds, it dawned on me the flavors of blended, mixed foods behaved differently than ingredients in a casserole, which maintain some sort of individuality. It turns out that fewer components yield a better product!
One of my more successful ‘creative’ experiments was the addition of truffle oil to my savory, soup-like smoothies. Normally I’m not the world’s biggest truffle fan, but I think I’m enjoying it now because it somehow makes the drinks taste like real food. It also adds some calories.
I assumed it would be quick and easy to prepare these meals, but not really — it’s more time-consuming than I expected to assemble ingredients (some of which need preparation), blend them and dole them out to serving mugs for dinner and containers for office lunches. And since you need to use the same equipment over and over, perhaps you’re washing more as well.
Linnetontheleaf 
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