Are you one of those people who ask “what can I do to add variety to my same chicken and fish?” If so, you are not alone! Weight-loss surgery patients on a high-protein diet quickly get bored with routine protein dishes, but fear that taking too many culinary liberties will divert them from weight loss and maintenance. As a general rule, people who undergo gastric bypass, gastric band, and gastric sleeve procedures are told that the first rule of thumb for weight loss surgery is to eat “Protein First.” But nothing in the rule says it has to be boring.
I remember spending my first three years after gastric bypass eating chicken breast, canned tuna, shrimp, and hard-boiled eggs day after day. Straw! A good friend told me about her secret weapon that kept her palate pleased and met her nutritional needs. His weapon of hers? seasonings! And I’m not talking about your everyday ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise. I’m talking about salsa and balsamic vinegar and salsa and fruit compote. Everything is alright. Great ready-to-use seasonings are easy to find these days, and they’re winners in the budget lottery, too. At first, it may seem expensive to pay $5 for a jar of Bruschetta sauce, but considering that the jar stretches out to 20 servings, it’s a good bang for the buck at just a quarter per serving.
Here are some of the best tips for putting a little flavor in your protein:
dip: use it on eggs, cooked chicken, fish, and beans. Stir it into soups and stews to add flavor without the cost of expensive out-of-season tomatoes and peppers. Mix it with plain yogurt for a delicious vegetable dip (not chips).
Balsamic vinegar: Sprinkle chicken or fish into the pan as it cooks to add deep acidity to the protein. Remove the protein from the pan, add a little more balsamic vinegar to the fat, scrape and serve over the chicken for an easy and elegant sauce. Lightly drizzle fresh strawberries with balsamic vinegar and marinate for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature for a delicious treat. Whisk together balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a quick and healthy salad or vegetable dressing.
enjoy: Don’t save this just for hot dogs. Use regular or sweet pickle seasoning to flavor tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg salad. Stir a tablespoon of seasoning into yogurt or light mayonnaise for a quick and inexpensive tartar sauce for fish.
Fruit compote: Fruit compotes are generally a mix of sweet and sour ingredients that enhance the flavor of the protein while adding moisture to the dish. They are sometimes called fruit sauce. Look for specialty mixes at the farmer’s market or whole food store. Serve the protein compote grilled or roasted by simply adding a small amount when serving. Or glaze the meat with the compote in the last five minutes of roasting.
