Your doctor may ask you to follow a bland diet if you have diagnosed gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers, diarrhea, indigestion, gas, vomiting or acid reflux. Your doctor may also recommend a healthy bland diet after you undergo a surgical procedure or to help a cancer patient manage nausea. Before embarking on a bland diet on your own, ask your doctor or nutritionist for dietary guidelines.
Identification
A healthy bland diet combines bland food with healthy eating. Choose food for your diet that is easy to digest and does not irritate or stimulate your stomach. Your doctor will design a diet plan that enables you to eat a balance of healthy foods that meet your nutritional and intestinal needs. If you need to lose or gain weight, your bland diet may be either high or low in calories, while still offering you foods that are easily digestible. You should include foods from the grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat groups. Within each group, choose mildly flavored foods without spicy seasonings, high-fiber content or large amounts of fat, all of which can irritate your stomach.
Healthy Bland Fruits and Vegetables
Mild vegetables include well-cooked beans, zucchini and yellow squash, carrots and soft potatoes. These vegetables give your body necessary nutrients such as vitamins A and C, some of the B vitamins and minerals such as potassium, iron and calcium. Prepare the vegetables by boiling them until they are soft, steaming them in a steamer basket or roasting the carrots or potatoes until tender. Choose mild canned fruit, which has less stomach-irritating fiber than fresh fruits. Avoid canned pineapple or oranges, and choose pears, peaches or apricots. Although you can eat a mildly flavored jelly, such as pear jelly, the sugar and calories in the jelly make it a less healthy choice then fruit canned in its own juice.
Bland Meats and Dairy
To stay healthy, your body needs about 3 cups of dairy and 5 to 6 oz. of meat a day. Many dairy products are gentle on your stomach, but avoid full-fat dairy products to stay away from unhealthy saturated fat. Good mild choices include fat-free yogurt, reduced or fat-free milk, frozen fat-free yogurt and cheeses with a mild flavor such as mild cheddar, Monterey jack, Colby or fat-free cream or cottage cheese. Choose meats that have little seasoning or fat, as the seasoning will likely irritate your stomach. High-fat foods stay in your stomach longer and may cause you stomach pain. Cook meats such as chicken until very tender, eat soft-boiled eggs, roast salmon or cod and non-meat, bland foods such as tofu or reduced-fat peanut butter.
Grains
Grains give you fiber, protein, energy and necessary nutrients. If you are eating a bland, weight-loss diet, choose lower calorie breads and eat between 5 and 7 oz. a day on a 1,600 to 2,200 calorie diet. Avoid whole-wheat breads, rolls or brown rice, all of which contain large amounts of fiber. Too much fiber at one time may cause stomach distress. Eat enriched white bread and rolls, plain crackers, soft white rice, soft pasta, grits or small amounts of oatmeal. Drink water with your meals, and eat small portions at a time to avoid having too much food in your stomach at once.
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