Cashew butter sounds tasty, but honestly, my kiddo wasn't a huge fan of the nutty flavors post-surgery. We tried almond butter too, but same issue—just didn't sit right taste-wise. What actually worked wonders for us was sunflower seed butter. It's super creamy, blends really smoothly, and doesn't have that strong nutty aftertaste. Plus, it's usually allergy-friendly if that's ever a concern.
Totally agree about adding avocado or banana though... avocado especially was a lifesaver for us. It gave smoothies that extra creamy texture without being gritty or leaving residue behind. And yeah, gentle saltwater rinses were enough—mouthwash seemed way too harsh and irritated the surgical site more than it helped.
Still, every kid's different, so maybe cashew butter is perfect for some. Just thought I'd toss sunflower seed butter out there as another option in case anyone else is struggling with taste or texture issues.
Sunflower seed butter is a great suggestion, hadn't even thought of that one. My niece went through jaw surgery last year, and we had a similar struggle with nut butters—she said everything tasted "weirdly intense" afterward. We ended up leaning heavily on coconut milk-based smoothies with avocado and frozen mango chunks. The mango added sweetness without being overly sugary, and the coconut milk gave it a nice creamy consistency without any gritty texture.
Totally agree about the saltwater rinses too. Mouthwash was way too harsh for her as well, even the alcohol-free ones seemed to sting or irritate. Saltwater was gentle enough to soothe without causing extra discomfort.
Funny enough, she also got really into savory soups blended super smooth—like butternut squash or sweet potato bisque. I thought she'd get bored quickly, but she actually preferred those over sweeter smoothies after a while. Maybe it was just nice to have something warm and comforting instead of cold all the time?
Anyway, sunflower seed butter sounds like a smart alternative for anyone struggling with nutty flavors. Wish we'd known about it sooner...might've saved us from some smoothie burnout, haha.
"Funny enough, she also got really into savory soups blended super smooth—like butternut squash or sweet potato bisque."
We had a similar experience with my son after his jaw surgery. He got tired of sweet smoothies pretty quickly and started craving savory stuff too. I was nervous about spices or anything acidic irritating his mouth, but mild veggie soups like carrot-ginger (with minimal ginger) ended up being a lifesaver. Wish I'd thought of sunflower seed butter though...sounds like it could've helped mix things up a bit.
Haha, same here—sweet smoothies got old real fast. I ended up blending canned lentil soup (budget win!) until it was super smooth...looked questionable but tasted surprisingly decent. Wish I'd thought about carrot-ginger though; sounds way better than my lentil mush experiment. Sunflower seed butter does sound interesting too, might have to give that a shot just for kicks.
"looked questionable but tasted surprisingly decent."
Haha, I can totally relate to that! When I had mine done, the texture boredom hit me hard after about a week. I remember desperately blending leftover veggie chili into this weird puree...the color was definitely off-putting, but somehow it tasted like comfort food. I wish I'd thought of sunflower seed butter though—sounds like a nice change from the usual peanut butter and banana routine. Might have made things a little less monotonous.
