Looking for not so greasy recipes. ^^

maryadavies4667

So okay. My middle brother has shown up with cancer and is on chemo. (He's going to be taking his second treatment in a week.)

Right now he isn't so bad (I KNOW it'll get worse; I think I only saw one incident so far with something on the potteh that might be vomit or..well.) but I'd rather prevent any throwing up as long as possible since I hate cleaning it up. (I'm the only one in the house that can stand the sight of vomit, btw. Smell's another matter..) And greasy foods can cause a chemo patient to hurl. We usually have chicken and ground beef around, and I mean to get the leaner ground beef on purpose, but I thought I'd ask here. What are some lower fat/not so greasy recipes I can do for the fam, so he can eat too without me worrying about cleaning up any erm, vomit, afterwards? (Oh and as I said, he isn't so bad yet. It may come to the point all he can eat is white rice, crackers, yogurt, Jell-O, ginger ale, broth and pudding without it coming back up on him, but that's not yet.)

Thanks to anyone who can help out.

brittanystebbins95

I would stick with extremely lean meats, and make sure you're draining/rinsing after its cooked. Maybe chicken, turkey, or even some types of fish. Don't add any butters or oil, obviously. If you're worried about it burning or sticking in a pan, try adding water. It might take away some of the flavor you get from the browning effect, though. Grilling might be a good option, if that's available.
Otherwise, I would look into some vegan protein options. They're likely to be a lot less greasy, if you know where to look.
I would steer clear of nuts, also, as those have a lot of natural oil and fat. Maybe chickpeas or soy for protein? I don't eat those so I'm not entirely sure if they are also fatty/greasy. Dairy is really high in protein for what its worth. Low fat cottage cheese or greek yogurt might be a good idea.

I personally feel he might have a better chance of getting the calories and nutrients he needs if he snacks frequently throughout the day rather than consuming large meals, especially if he is prone to throwing up as a result of the chemo.

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. I wish him the best and pray he beats this.

missysippy930

You do realize that not everyone that’s on chemo throws up. My sister didn’t. She did lose her hair. I had to shave her head for her. I cried the whole time I was cutting it.

I would certainly play it by ear. Ask your brother what he feels like eating, if he does have nausea. Go to the American Cancer Society’s website for very good resources and information 🙏🏻

maryadavies4667

Brittany, I hope he has the sense to do that if he gets worse. (And because this is the third time (My mom had it twice before she died) we've had cancer in the house, I'm familiar with how this goes; it gets progressively worse.) Right now the only time he ADMITTED he felt like hurling is after eating a very greasy pizza (which is why I want to make sure I cut the fat down for the fam. Not cut it out but cut down on the grease so what we eat is not fast food levels of greasy; hopefully that'll make it so we can all eat without me worrying that I'd have to find a rag/scrub-brush.)

And I'll look into that. Since I'm cooking for 4 people, I do have to take things like "oh no, my brother's on chemo!" into consideration. (Not just the fact I'm trying to lose about 10 more pounds..) And I'll look into vegetarian options too; I figure this'll be good for all of us as long as my brother isn't to the "can't eat hardly anything" stage, which might come before he finishes his treatments.

And missy: I recognize that, but from my experience from mom, it can vary between treatments, and it gets progressively worse as it goes on. After my brother's first treatment, I only saw one mess on the toilet (might of been diarrhea, might of been spew, I didn't know what, I just cleaned it up). Then I saw that on the internet about greasy foods causing a chemo patient to hurl and that made me think maybe I can make stuff for the fam that might hold that off if i'm lucky. (As I said, I hate cleaning that up.) Also my littlest brother already shaved that brother's hair off, as well as his own and my nephew's in solidarity. ^^

And thank both of you for the support. I hope he does too; pardon implied bad language, but FUDGE cancer. Gah.

Katie_Hege2020

I can't think of anything other than what has been said but, I want to thank you for supporting and taking care of your brother. I know you might think "Well, I'm his sister of course I'll help him out!" It still means a lot to see family members pull through the struggle with cancer patients so that they are not alone in this battle. Family support is the most important aspect of a cancer therapy regimen.

maryadavies4667

Thanks Katie. And I believe that down to the ground, I mean I've been knitting him chemo caps (and a pocket tissue holder; it's allergy/cold season) as well since I can do that and it might make him feel better about having to shave his head and being bald (not to mention keeping him from getting a sunburned head later)

We'll get though this.

missysippy930

Wow, so who disagrees with personal, actual fact? I lost my father, and one of my sisters to cancer. My husband is a 5+ year cancer survivor. Thanks. That’s what you get for trying to be helpful.

Katmary71

I started eating low fat because of having my gallbladder removed and fatty liver, plus I don't like fatty meats and can't eat fried food. If he likes beans and legumes there's a lot of good recipes without much fat, black bean turkey chili, split pea soup, lentil vegetable, my Instant Pot gets a good workout. If you look up plant-based eating there's usually no oil. I just made a great soup, roasted carrot, chickpea, and garlic soup by Cooking on a Bootstrap, it's my favorite recipe I've tried this winter. I also eat a lot of chicken breast and ground turkey. Fish can be fatty but it doesn't bother me, neither does a small amount of oil for roasting vegetables. Oatmeal is a good choice too. I can eat milk products with some fat without feeling sick but nonfat may be better for him.

Thank you for taking care of your brother in his time of need, it means more than you'd ever imagine!

maryadavies4667

Missy? Wasn't me who clicked that. And I believe you; I'm just going via my experience here. My mom had 2 bouts of cancer and I lost her to the second (She ended up with ovarian and liver cancer; died of hospital resistant infections in the hospital later ) and my baby sister ended up with ovarian.(She's still alive; I think it's been 5-6 years now?) Most of my experience with chemo/cancer was Mom, and boy howdy she had to carry a pan/bowl around b/c she was hurling a lot.

So I believe you. It's just I did see a mess on that toilet, so makes me wonder if things are going to get a lot worse with him before it gets better. (He's on the mean chemo; has a port and everything.) And thanks for the ideas on where to look. That brother is very private and hides in his room a LOT, so I have no idea what his doctor said. So I have to guess, and since I read that high fat can cause the nausea (and that pizza) I want to prevent the hurling as long as I can, at least while I'm cooking. (Rather not make him hurl with what I make for dinner.)

And Kat; Thanks. I'll look into that. ^^ I figure low fat hurts no one, and if I can make it nice and tasty, we all can eat. And again, thanks for the support!

missysippy930

I honestly think it was someone that trolls around and just disagrees. I wasn’t accusing you. I truly admire what you are doing for your brother ❤️ I apologize. I usually have a pretty thick skin on these forums, but this topic pushes all of my buttons.
My best friend had colon cancer. Three bouts with it. The first two times, she did fine with chemo. I remember her joking around that she thought she would lose some weight. The third time, she couldn’t eat or keep anything down. Lost her hair, wasted away and didn’t make it.
Cancer is devastating!
I hope everything goes well for your brother and your family. Best regards.

maryadavies4667

Thanks Missy; apology accepted.

And yes. Pardon my french, but cancer is hell. It really is. And thanks for the support; I figure I can only do what I can do, and in our house, I'm the one that does the cooking about 95% of the time; so that's where (besides knitting him chemo caps and a pocket tissue holder) I can actually make a slight difference.

And me too. Me too. I don't know if he'll get as bad as my mom, but considering genetics the possibility is always there.

mitch16

I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Cancer really does suck. How he reacts/what upsets his stomach may depend on what kind of cancer he has and what form of treatment he takes.

My dad is on his 3rd type of cancer since his original diagnosis almost exactly 4 years ago. Small-cell lung cancer was the first, and then they found mets on his liver that turned out to be from his colon. He's been on 3 different courses of chemotherapy and 2 different types of immunotherapy. There was a point when he was losing an ungodly amount of weight just because he wasn't very hungry due to his disease state and his treatment. My family is of Polish heritage and my mom took to cooking him traditional Polish food--not known for its low fat content--to help put weight back on him. He still didn't eat a lot, but at least he was eating something, and since it was calorie-dense it helped him maintain his weight.

Obviously your brother will probably be different, but I would let him help guide what he can and cannot tolerate. You don't want to all of the sudden go bland/low fat if that doesn't appeal to him and he stops eating. Studies show that cancer patients who lose weight may develop serious nutritional problems that compromise their immunity and chances for long-term survival. The dietitians at the hospital or in the oncology practice may have some helpful guidance, too.

maryadavies4667

Mitch; I don't plan on going total low fat, but lower fat since a greasy pizza made him want to hurl. (I overheard him telling the youngest brother that) Think somewhere in between that extreme.

Also since I'm cooking for 4 people, taste is a issue. If I won't want to eat it..then it is no good; I want all of us to be able to eat. And I don't want to make separate dishes unless he gets _really_ bad. So, no bland food unless he can't keep ANYTHING down, which isn't the case so far.

Also, I have no contact at all with his doctors. The brother in question is a very private person and stays in his room about 95% of the time, so I cannot get guidance from any professionals, so I'm playing this by ear. Literally.

Anyway I plan on working with those he will talk to so I can figure out what's going on. Tho yar, this guy is _seriously obese_ so if he loses a few pounds though this, as long as it isn't excessive, it prolly won't hurt him overmuch. But I don't want my cooking to be what makes him lose it over these six months. Not on purpose anyway.

Also my youngest brother goes with the guy to chemo treatments, at least that was how it was the first time. And also in some ways my youngest brother is more in the dark than me, if that tells you anything.

I don't know the exact drugs he's taking but I do know he had to get a port and it's MEAN chemo. Which means it could have really bad side effects (ie. hurling) eventually. Right now it's just been limited to one episode that might of either been diarrhea or puking, and wanting to hurl over the pizza (which may put him off pizza for the duration)

mjbnj0001

Sorry to hear. Good luck.

Slowcooker might be your friend here. You can virtually eliminate cooking oils and fats and stick to lean meats such as chicken, then toss in rice/barley/etc. for starchy filling substance, and veg to taste. Things like chicken barley stew, etc.; hearty soups such as pea, lentil, squash could be made with varying amount of protein, and more. Not sure of the veg that he could easily tolerate, but you can slowcook them and/or blend them into mush and still get the nutrients in.

Slowcooker chicken barley stew:

mjbnj0001

Katmary71 wrote: »

I started eating low fat because of having my gallbladder removed and fatty liver, plus I don't like fatty meats and can't eat fried food. If he likes beans and legumes there's a lot of good recipes without much fat, black bean turkey chili, split pea soup, lentil vegetable, my Instant Pot gets a good workout. If you look up plant-based eating there's usually no oil. I just made a great soup, roasted carrot, chickpea, and garlic soup by Cooking on a Bootstrap, it's my favorite recipe I've tried this winter. I also eat a lot of chicken breast and ground turkey. Fish can be fatty but it doesn't bother me, neither does a small amount of oil for roasting vegetables. Oatmeal is a good choice too. I can eat milk products with some fat without feeling sick but nonfat may be better for him.

Thank you for taking care of your brother in his time of need, it means more than you'd ever imagine!

Just saw this. Along the same concept as my posting.

maryadavies4667

Mjbn; Thanks though. I might actually look into that; right now soups in moderation might be welcome since it is winter and cold.

When the weather heats up (and it will; it's Georgia after all), I'll have to change strategy. As it is, on his last chemo treatment he lived afterward it seemed mostly on pears. We do ask him what he wants after all when we do the grocery shopping.

I just try to have dinner that everyone can eat when I cook, which with this coming up is getting a tad difficult but I hope my efforts are appreciated. ^^