People who are recovering from certain types of surgery or who have trouble swallowing for any reason might benefit from a soft diet. Many of the foods on a soft food diet are regular foods prepared in ways that make them softer and easier to chew and swallow, such as ground meats and pureed vegetables. One fun aspect of a soft diet is that it can include a lot of "comfort foods," such as mashed potatoes with gravy, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach and pudding.
Function
A soft diet is used to provide enough calories and nutrients to someone who cannot easily chew or swallow foods due to a medical or dental condition that causes weakness, soreness, narrowing or swelling in the muscles of the mouth, tongue, throat or esophagus. It is also helpful for someone with a sore stomach due to radiation, chemotherapy or gastric surgery. A diet of very soft foods that are pureed or cut-up into very small pieces prevents choking or obstruction of airways while eating.
Foods
All types of foods are included on a soft diet, as long as they are prepared in a way that makes them easy to swallow. Meats are ground and soft vegetables and fruits are cooked until very soft and sometimes pureed. Pasta, rice, scrambled eggs, smooth yogurt, soft luncheon meats and bananas are often featured in a soft diet. All beverages and solid foods that melt into liquid, such as gelatin desserts, ice cream and frozen yogurt and flavored ices, are also included on a soft diet. Foods to avoid on a soft diet include nuts, seeds, chunks of meat in soups or stews, sausages, bacon, chunky peanut butter, all raw vegetables, hard vegetables such as broccoli, stringy vegetables such as celery and sticky foods such as dried fruits.
Effects
While a soft diet can provide all necessary nutrients, it may be lacking fiber. If constipation is a problem, University of Michigan suggests drinking prune juice, adding bran flakes to milkshakes, creamy soups and yogurt or eating a whole-grain cold cereal soaked in milk until softened. Mashed or pureed sweet potatoes, pumpkin or winter squash are also soft, high-fiber foods.
Considerations
When eating and swallowing is difficult and all foods must be mashed, pureed or liquified, it may be difficult to get enough calories and protein. Some high-calorie, high-protein soft foods recommended by physicians at St. Louis University include whole milk, chocolate milk, whole-milk cottage or ricotta cheese, pureed beans or bean dip and strained baby food meats added to soups and gravies.
Warning
Although any type of food is usually allowed on a soft diet, it must be prepared in special ways. Anyone on a soft diet for medical purposes, especially anyone who is hospitalized and following the hospital's prescribed soft food diet, should check with a physician, nurse or dietitian before trying any new, unprescribed foods or foods obtained outside of the hospital.
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