Question: bland foods for a tender gut

[sonia]

I'm recovering from food poisoning (ugh!) and my gut is really tender, so I need bland foods for a while. When I was a kid, the thing to eat was saltine crackers. Or toast. Or noodles. Why do all these recovery foods have gluten??

I've been eating bananas, plain rice pasta, and chicken broth (Pacific Foods, labeled gluten-free, although it has onion powder, sigh). I need more ideas, please? What do you eat when you're being kind to a tender gut?

ETA: Wow, thanks for all your good wishes and suggestions!

Recipes in comments:

• basic coconut custard by heron61
  
• "dirty" eggs by harmonic_tabby
  
• 'magic soup' by gumbie_cat
  
• microwave rice pudding by rosefox
  
• microwave bread pudding linked by rosefox
  

Comments

[rhi]

I usually use: Fruit juice, bone broth if I can find it gluten free, apple sauce. I'm not an egg person, but I have a friend who swears scrambled eggs are good for this too. Hope you feel better soon!

[sonia]

Thanks! I've been wondering about eggs. They seem soft and non-threatening...

[j00j]

Ow. Yeah, I would also do eggs. Usually hardboiled or very plain scrambled. Gluten free toast or bland crackers maybe? Gluten free matzah is a thing for that in our household. Scrambled egg with rice or rice in chicken broth also. Feels more substantial without being offensive to an angry gut.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

Dirty eggs

[harmonic_tabby]

Yes, I second that vote for lightly scrambled eggs. I frequently make what I call "dirty eggs"...a take off on 'dirty rice' (either chinese or cajun).

One or two eggs scrambled, some leftover cooked rice and some various bits. I use onions a lot (and I know you don't) but there are lots of other bits and pieces that could be added: a mushroom chopped, a few shreds of chicken or tuna, celery!, grated carrot, chopped kale, a scallion or some actual cooked pinto beans. It's all stirred together in a microwave safe bowl and nuked for one or two minutes.

Not a lot of any of these things if you're feeling poorly but part of the appeal should be visual to perk up the bowl so it doesn't look like just bland white rice.

When I'm just eating up leftovers, I might sprinkle it with taco seasoning before or soy sauce after cooking; but for a sensitive stomach I would suggest lightly spicing. Parsley flakes? A dust of poultry seasoning? A few drops of worcestershire with that mushroom would be some nice umami! and if you wanted to try sweet-ish instead of savory, you could do egg, rice, raisins and some cinnamon for a rice pudding effect.

Now we've done it (arms akimbo)!! sigh, I hear the leftover rice and beans from last night's dinner calling me. Time to practice what I preach, heehee.

Tabs

Re: Dirty eggs

[sonia]

Thanks for the recipe!

[sonia]

Thanks! Hm, rice in chicken broth sounds doable.

[gumbie_cat]

When I was ill my mum always made me 'magic soup' which was chicken broth with pasta, and a beaten egg stirred through. Quick, easy, and gentle on the stomach. The 'magic' was that the pasta of choice were stelline, or little stars, but any small pasta would work.

[sonia]

That sounds lovely!