Many of us were trained that during illness we have to revert to eating "baby food", that is soft, bland, starchy foods like oatmeal, rice, mashed potatoes, etc. Why do we eat like this? Most likely because that's what our mothers gave to us. It's pretty interesting because there were books devoted to "Invalid Cookery" during the 1800s. They have really charming hints about how to make food apetizing, such as presenting the food on a nice tray using nice china and silverware, making sure the hot foods are hot and the cool foods are cool, removing the remains of the meal immediately after the ill-person has said "Enough!" because the lingering smell of rapidly cooling food can be nauseating, and offering a variety of foods that aren't too highly seasoned, but not incredibly tasteless. Many of those recipes have survived and still influence our food attitudes today.
Anyhow, you're ill or you're getting over an illness and you're on Atkins. What to do????
What you can eat is phase dependent.
For all phases:
Eggs:
Soft-boiled
Scrambled
Custard (savory or slightly sweetened): basic custards are a beaten egg, mixed with liquid (cream or a mixture of half cream and water), a pinch of salt and whatever flavoring. The custard can be baked in an oven or even microwaved(!).
Meat:
Typically in the form of broth. Meat broths are very nutritious and were highly recommended in the 1800s for the ill and undernourished. The easiest meat broth was made by stewing cubes of meat in water. I keep a bag of frozen chicken wings in my freezer. Whenever I need a quick broth, I put a few of the wings into a large pot, add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Then I simmer it until the chicken is cooked, skimming the fat and any "scum" that forms on top. Chicken wings have a great deal of flavor. The meat can be eaten as well as the broth.
Gelatin:
Gelatin can be sweet, as we typically see it or it can be savory--flavored with a meat or vegetable broth or puree. When it's savory, it's called "aspic".
Vegetables:
The "potato substitute" veggies like cauliflower, turnips, celeriac/celery root, kohlrabi bulbs, radishes, can all be boiled and mashed. Adding this mash to a broth or to a custard (in place of the liquid) just the dish extra vitamins and minerals, along with flavor.
Vegetables like rhubarb and pumpkin can be cooked into a puree, to be eaten on their own or added to broth or custard.
For those folks on the other phases of Atkins, you can add those foods into your menu.
December 30th, 2005, 10:54 AM
Menu Ideas during Illness and Convalescense 
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