Your doctor may prescribe a soft diet if you have difficulty swallowing or have had surgery of the mouth, jaw or gastrointestinal tract, since it makes food easier to chew and digest. In most cases, you'll need to follow a soft diet for only a brief period of time, but in others, you may be on such a diet indefinitely.
Function
A soft diet typically serves to transition you from a liquid diet to a regular diet if you're recovering a long illness or following surgery. It can also be helpful if you have dental problems or need to alleviate stomach or intestinal discomfort. If undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, you may be required to follow a soft diet due to pain or digestive problems.
Features
You can eat a wide variety of foods on a soft diet, so long as they are soft-cooked, mashed, pureed, used in soups or combined with liquids such as gravy. Most foods will be bland or lightly seasoned, and all high-fiber foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, chewy breads and tough meats should be avoided. Gas-forming vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower may be off the menu, even if pureed, if you are experiencing digestive problems.
Considerations
If you need to avoid excessive acid reflux, you may also have to stay away from foods such as tomato products, citrus, chocolate, mint, spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine and carbonated beverages. Eating smaller, frequent meals, up to six small meals per day, may make it easier to get all the nutrition you need and avoid gas and bloating.
Recommendations
Foods you can eat on a soft diet include starches such as muffins, pancakes, cereal or softened crackers; fruits and vegetables such as applesauce or canned fruit without seeds or skin, soft bananas, fruit and vegetable juice and well-cooked vegetables without seeds or skin; proteins such as bouillon, soft-cooked eggs, flaky fish and dairy foods; and desserts such as pudding, custard, gelatin or cake. Foods to avoid include anything that is difficult for you to chew or swallow. You can use a food processor or blender to grind or puree foods to make them softer or moisten and blend foods with broth, gravy or sauces.
Warning
You should be able to get all the nutrients you need on a soft diet, provided you vary the type of foods you eat each day. However, if you have a poor appetite or are unable to eat enough food, you may need nutritional supplements to keep from forming nutritional deficiencies. This is particularly a problem if you're on a longer-term soft diet protocol.
