CptChunk
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This is more of a cry for help than anything. I will do my damndest to keep it short for the sake of my question, but here it goes: my girlfriend has a duplicate gene which causes her issues with enzymes so digestion and absorbing nutrients is just not in her corner of the genetic ring. She is limited in the following ways: no soy, dairy, wheat, gluten, and dairy. Her body has a harder time with breaking down food to the point where basically you’d have to cook vegetables to a mush like consistency for her to both digest and absorb the nutrients. She’s managed as best as she can, but her palette is very, very limited. I am not a master chef and I’m doing what I can research wise for vitamins, what foods they’re found in, some vegan recipes but highly limited as well, but I feel like I’m still falling short and it’s getting to me more than it should and even when she says it’s okay. It’s something I’m working through, and in this moment I just want to know if anyone has a highly restricted diet similar to hers, knows someone who has, let alone found information regarding it that I may not know, what do you cook to be as nutritionally healthy as possible? What recipes could you share? This is as best of a summary as I can put for now, but DM me if you have further questions, or have helpful tips. Y’all are an amazing community and I just hope this reaches even a few people who could help.
J3lek
If you are both working on it together, learning together, and researching together, you're not failing as a boyfriend.
Targe0
@OP Soup is going to be your best option.
As will be learning how to draw up different flavours from the same ingredients.
Such as roasting things to get some colour on them, then add them to the soup pot.
It can help change up the flavour profile of a dish, even if you are using limited ingredients. Also, Potato and Rice are very good alternatives for Wheat in a lot of dishes, also Nuts if diet applicable is a good source of nutrients as are mushrooms.
whyforetho
You wouldn't expect someone to be able to, like, sit at a piano for the first time and play something amazing, would you? And even once learn, it wouldn't be reasonable to expect every song they used to be one of your favorites.
I feel like that's the expectation you've put on yourself. It's gonna take time, just like learning piano, both learning the skill and learning her needs/tastes. You're not falling short, you're learning. Please go easy on yourself.
djhash
Does she have a doctor? She must’ve been diagnosed by a gastroenterologist, that doctor can either give you the information you need or access to resources that you need or refer you to a specialist dietician that can help you with initial recipes, ingredients and resources that help you figure out which recipes are good and what you can swap ingredients with. There might also be a support group, a forum or a subreddit where people with similar conditions help each other out.
Rijtjeshuis
I mean, there are not many dishes that meet those requirements, but it sounds like your best bet is SOUP.
Oberoni
Rice flour does a good job taking on flavors. Putting veggie mush into the rice dough and making pasta out of it tends to work well.
Making stock is much faster in a pressure cooker like an InstantPot.
Pretty much every culture has some form of beans/lentils and rice.
IblameTV
I would stick with simple stuff till you learn to cook better. Heading to a bookstore to look for a specialty cookbook can help with recipes. Looking at them together can help to make sure you get one you’ll use. Look for simple, it makes variations easy. I have a few friends with varying issues mostly with gluten. They all tend to be vegetarian. Food Substitutions Bible will make a difference.
MissDeeMeanor
Don't offer to cook for her. Offer to cook WITH her. Make it a shared time, suggest going to cooking classes together.
Autittuderp
You aren't meant to have all the answers and create off the start. Learn together. Take a vegan cooking class, hire a chef to teach you the basics...watch YouTube videos and follow along. Trial and error and you will find your swing.
Hexidimentional
https://www.supercook.com/#/desktop punch in all the ingredients that she can eat, and it will find recipies for dishes you can cook with them
patintedhuman
Try downshiftology.com she has great gluten free cooking videos for some inspiration. Also try digestive enzymes there's common papaya enzymes at every drug store and they're chewable and taste like candy
nr2011bb38
ignore the dumb. go clamming
tinynopeling
A slow cooker could really be your friend. It helps break down the structure while letting them retain shape, which makes for more pleasant eating. Fry some onion, dump in a can of mutti tomatoes (if available where you are, only a little bit more expensive but very good), add mix of vegetables that work as a flavour together. As plenty of others have mentioned, broths and soups are great too, blended soups can be loaded up with any flavours that work together.
Oberoni
Rice flour does a good job taking on flavors. Putting veggie mush into the rice dough and making pasta out of it tends to work well.
Making stock is much faster in a pressure cooker like an InstantPot.
Pretty much every culture has some form of beans/lentils and rice.
Oberoni
I'd suggest taking food she already eats/tolerates well and try to make it from scratch at home. She can have food she likes without the badness that is in lots of overly processed foods. Freeze it. Air fryers and Souper Cubes are a great way to freeze things in portions and reheat them.
Speaking as someone who also had an SO with heavy food restrictions. Keeps a secret stash of a treat/snack. Being food limited is really hard and that extra little bit goes a long way some days.
TheLastBootyBender
If veg needs to be cooked to mush, puree'd soups sounds like a good place to start. Butternut Squash soup is a favorite of mine
MeatyMouthfeel
Pho and similar dishes. Rice noodles, lean proteins, lotsa flavor. Good luck!
YouEatYellowSnow
You could take a cooking class for beginners.
TrilobiteSushi
Go shopping and have her pick out vegetables she likes, then do a stir fry with them. If you have to cook things down get a pressure cooker, I'd suggest a 2 quart size for starters. If she like and eats rice get a dedicated rice cooker. If you are on a budget you can find all of these second hand. If she likes the stir fry a flat bottom wok works well on a stove top.
oprondek1978
Message me. I have been cooking for over 36 years. I started in Chicago restaurants. I can help
evildadunit
vegan kimchi
from scratch. best i can do
CorvidPrime
All I got is this:
Chop 1 onion, 1 potato, 1 leek, and 2 shiitake mushrooms and add to 6 cups of water in a pot. Simmer that for two hours and add salt and pepper for flavor. In the last 10 minutes, add a large bag of frozen peas. Remove from the heat and put it all in a blender until it’s the consistency of baby food.
Dice 2 large carrots and gently fry them in an oiled pan until slightly soft. Add these to the mush, along with more peas. For a treat, add non-dairy sour cream when serving.
CorvidPrime
Lazy version: Add onion and potato as before to 6 cups of premade veggie broth from store. Everything else stays the same.
This is a vegan twist on a Scottish Ham and Pea soup recipe I found. It’s REALLY good. Three friends have asked me for the recipe so far… I hope this helps.
ezmicken
I can recommend coconut milk (it's not dairy) but cooks the same way as heavy cream would and you can do a lot with a cream sauce. I like to try different curry spice mixes with it.
spinymouse
If portion sizes are an issue, there are nutritionally complete drinks that don't even taste bad. Plenty people can't eat solid food at all. Get the actual nutrition out of the way + tiny portion of "real" food. Cauliflower rice and sauce, all the vegan curries with rice, minced meat with burger sauces, soups, minuscule portions of bean or chickpea dishes,... if spices and salt are ok, there are many options.
rotodisc
Did you *google* it? She’s not gonna be the only person in the world like this.
spinymouse
Yep, "syndrome name, recipes" works even for rare and drastic problems.
FritzLoneaux
If she has issues gaining nutrients from vegetables, why are you going with vegan recipes? Meats are excellent sources of necessary nutrients, especially oily fish. Lemon pepper salmon, stewed spinach and garlic, over rice. Chicken thighs braised in a tomato and red pepper sauce, mushy peas, and mashed potatoes. Caeser Salad (with homemade dressing) and roasted butternut squash. Ttoekbokki with fish cakes and kimchi. Tuna Noodle salad with gluten free noodles. Get creative with it.
FritzLoneaux
Also, there do exist enzyme supplements, food additives, and even ingredients that can help break food down as well. Pineapple juice is basically a digestive enzyme concentrate. Citric and folic acid, which can also add sweetness or tartness.
Antininny
Eat some food for her, then vomit it into her mouth. That way she can enjoy the foods she cannot break down.
sekanna
While I appreciate the mother bird method of feeding your SO I don't quite think this will help
Targe0
Vomiting it wouldn't work.
As the enzymatic break-down happens in the intestines.
So it would need to be coming out the other end to work....
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mrbadgerr
He was too... Just less mama bird, more human centipede.
drousnavat
I suggest watching the videos by this guy. https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaWeissman He's a douche, but he does teach you well.
iamalumberjackandiamok
I think there is better youtube cooks to follow that aren't total douchebags.
But all the ones I know don't necessarely specialize in the prohibitive diet Op's GF has.
drousnavat
Josh is a total dickwaffle, but he has a lot of videos to work with that kind of diet which is the only reason I suggested him over some others. I personally like Sorted Food, but they do not do anything for specific diets.
BagOfPrayers
What did he do? Or are you just referring to his general persona?
drousnavat
His general persona. The dude loves to metaphrocially shit on basically all fast food and talk trash about people who do not spend at least 4 hours a day cooking their meals.
iamalumberjackandiamok
Stole recipes, abusing/very shitty towards employees, stuff like that on top of having a big head since he became successful