Soft foods are prepared by chopping, grinding, mincing, and mashing. These foods are also low in fiber content. Read on to know which foods to eat and avoid in a soft food diet, a few delicious recipes, a soft food diet chart, and tips. Scroll down!
What Is The Soft Food Diet?
The soft food diet is a short-term diet plan that gives the digestive system a bit of rest. The foods are generally low-fiber, soft, chopped, mashed, or blended so that there is no need for them to be chewed. You may need to be on a soft food diet temporarily or permanently, depending on your medical condition. When you are on a soft food diet, you must be careful about what foods you eat. To know what you should eat and avoid, take a look at the following sections.
What To Eat On A Soft Food Diet
You must choose foods that are easy to chew, swallow, and digest. But they should also be nutrient-rich. Here’s a list of nutritious foods that you may include in your soft food diet (1): Veggies
Well-cooked veggies without skin or seeds Mashed potato Boiled and mashed veggies Vegetable juice
Fruits
Banana Avocado Strained fruit juice Applesauce Canned and peeled fruits
Protein
Poached or scrambled eggs Ground or finely chopped cooked meat and fish Canned fish Boiled and mashed lentils and beans Grated or finely chopped tofu Hummus
Grains/Cereals/Pasta
White rice, mashed Egg noodles White bread, mashed or finely chopped Well-cooked pasta Porridge oats
Dairy
Milk and milkshakes Yogurt Cottage cheese, mashed Ricotta cheese, mashed Crème fraîche Ice cream
Dessert
Jelly Gelatin Pudding Custard with ground or finely chopped fruits Very, very, moist cake Mousse
Sauces
Vegetable or chicken stock Bone broth White sauce Cheese sauce
You have a lot of food options in this diet and will not be bored with the sameness. BUT be cautious with a few foods. Here’s a list of foods you must avoid.
Foods To Avoid
Veggies
Veggies that cannot be mashed easily like broccoli, carrot, celery, and cauliflower Fried potatoes Kale or beetroot chips
Fruits
Fruits, raw or cooked with the peel Pear and apple Dry fruits Pineapple High-fiber fruits such as sapodilla Fibrous fruits such as mango Fruit with seeds, like blackberries and strawberries
Protein
Fatty and overcooked meat Fried meat or fish Processed meat like sausage, salami, and chorizo Beef jerky Hot dogs Peanut butter Seeds Cooked, whole lentils or beans
Grains/Cereals/Pasta
Corn Popcorn Bagel Sourdough bread French bread Toast Unsoftened cereals Toasts and crackers
Dairy
Ice cream and yogurt with nuts, coconut, fruits with skin or seeds, and granola
Dessert
Pie Crumble Dry cakes Peanut butter cups
Sauces
Hot sauce BBQ sauce
You must avoid foods that can potentially irritate your stomach and/or are difficult to chew and swallow. Specific health issues require the patients to be on a soft food diet. The next section will help you understand if a soft food diet is for you. Take a look.
Who Should Follow A Soft Food Diet?
Here’s when your doctor will recommend you to be on a soft food diet:
Post Surgery
If you have recently undergone head, neck, or stomach surgery, your doctor will ask you to be on a soft food diet (2). A few examples of these kinds of surgeries are bariatric surgery and gastrectomy.
Dental Problems
Wisdom tooth extraction and loose dentures are very common. During this time, you must be on a soft food diet so that you do not have to make an effort to chew. The soft texture of foods will allow you to swallow the food directly. This will also prevent the possibility of food getting stuck and infection (3).
Difficulty Swallowing
In cases of difficulty in swallowing or dysphagia, doctors recommend consuming soft foods. The soft, liquidy texture of the food will allow you to consume it without putting too much stress on the muscles that aid swallowing (4), (5).
Cancer Treatment
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy mostly cause inflammation of the digestive tract (6). This condition is also known as mucositis, and patients are recommended to be on a soft diet during this time. Now, the question is, how to prepare soft foods? Find out in the next section.
Best Tips For Preparing Soft Foods
Wash and peel the veggies and fruits. Cut the foods (including meat, eggs, tofu, and cottage cheese) into small pieces. Cook the veggies, meat, fish, lentils, and beans until they are soft. Puree the foods using a blender. Pass the soup veggies through a sieve. Do not keep any lumps in mashed potato, veggies, or fruits. Cook egg scramble with butter or crème fraîche. To prepare sauces, add milk, cream, and/or melted cheese. Add stock to your food to moisten it. Moisten bread with milk or soup.
Now that you know which foods you can consume and how to cook them, let me give you a few quick soft food diet recipes to try. Scroll down.
Yummy Soft Food Recipes
1. Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
1 ripe banana 3 tablespoons porridge oats 1 cup low-fat milk 1 drop of vanilla essence
2. Mashed Potato
2 large potatoes, peeled and halved 4 tablespoons crème fraîche 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons cottage cheese, pureed Salt to taste
3. Blended Couscous Mushroom Chicken Soup
200 g boneless chicken cubes 1 cup pearl couscous ½ cup button mushrooms, halved 3 cups chicken stock 1 cup vegetable stock ½ cup chopped onion 2 inch ginger, grated 1 teaspoon garlic powder 3 tablespoons fresh cream 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Salt to taste
Now, the main question is, how long should you be on a soft food diet? Let’s find out!
How Long Should You Be On A Soft Food Diet?
You will be on a soft food diet as per your doctor’s recommendation. It is best to avoid eating anything solid that might aggravate the pain or inflammation. Yes, being on a soft food diet will be a tad boring, but you must design your meals in a way that there’s a sufficient gap between two meals, and the foods that you consume are tasty.
Which two food groups are key to the GI soft diet? Since you would be depending on soft, mashed, pureed, easily digestible diet, you must focus on including protein and carbs in your meals. Can you drink coffee while on a soft diet? Yes, you can drink coffee, tea, juices, and milk on a soft diet.
