@xieliansbignaturals what brand did you have? I ate a LOT of different ones growing up, and like Powerbars are a gooey, chewy nightmare, but I've had a lot that are closer to like... The texture of the inside of a Reese's peanut butter cup? You might try a clif bar if you haven't already, I THINK they're less chewy than Powerbars but it's been a few years so don't quote me on that.

Rxbars are tasty but definitely SUPER CHEWY so avoid those imo.

Nature's Valley protein bars aren't super chewy either, HOWEVER under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you get the """crunchy""" ones! They're crunchy in the same way that chewing on a brick is crunchy. Absolutely awful -100/10, the inventor can go to hell.

Also IDK how you feel about protein SHAKES, but I've had a fuckton of those too and the very specific kind of Ensure in the attached pic is what I keep a stock of in the house for days where I need sustenance but I'm repulsed by all food and my brain is like "starving is better than eating literally anything else in the kitchen 👍"

The flavor is extremely mild, borderline tasteless but in a good way not a gross way? Or maybe that's just bc I've drank so many of them. They can be kinda pricy but they're one of the few protein drinks that don't have that awful chalky taste (the chocolate ones don't anyway). A lot of other ensures do, or they otherwise taste like shit.

I'm not sure what your specific eating struggles are wrt physical barriers, but the last thing I'll suggest as a very easy "put calories in your body with minimal effort" is instant congee? It's more effort than the protein bars and shakes and I've only seen them at Asian supermarkets so IDK how accessible they are, but since it's just 1) empty packets 2) add hot water 3) wait, it's pretty low effort.

Good luck! I hope you find some stuff that's relatively easy to eat AND tastes nice!

@Tabby Thank you so much!!

I got Pure Protein brand. I’ve had Clif bars before and they were yucky to me 😭

Haha, yeah, I’ve had Nature Valley ones before. You’re so right.

Unfortunately I can’t drink anything that tastes like chocolate milk. :( Did you forget the picture? I’m not seeing it. I’ve tried the Equate Strawberries & Cream meal replacement shake, though, and I couldn’t even handle one sip. :( So I’m not optimistic there.

The congee idea actually sounds very “high prep” to me. 😅 I make oatmeal sometimes, in a similar way, and I have to have the energy for it. My big barrier is energy (to the point that chewing can drain me), and then my secondary barrier is sensory sensitivities (so congee might not even be an option in that way - I *have* tried congee before and couldn’t handle it).

I really appreciate you replying!

@xieliansbignaturals oh my God I DID forget the picture SORRY!

They have other flavors though I haven't tried them. They're kind of expensive too so it might not be worth the gamble?

Re congee: totally fair! I thought that might be the case but figured I'd mention it anyway juuust in case.

@Tabby Thank you so much! I’ll look into testing a different flavor. I really appreciate the help!