A soft diet is sometimes necessary to make chewing and swallowing easier following head, neck or stomach surgery. A dental patient also may have to rely on soft foods following a tooth extraction or extensive dental work. The length of time you remain on a soft food diet depends on why your food intake is restricted. The good news is there is a long list of menu possibilities when following a soft diet.
Considerations
A soft food diet does not mean that you are limited to ready-made soft items such as applesauce or creamy peanut butter. Nearly all foods can be mashed, ground or chopped to accommodate a soft diet. There are a number of ways in which to create soft food menus that will fulfill all of your nutritional needs without compromising flavor and variety.
Meat, Poultry and Fish
Easy-to-chew food items can include a wide selection of meats such as tender beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey and ham. Meat should be cut into small pieces and served with gravy. Fish and seafood are fine as well so long as they do not have bones. Do not attempt to eat bacon, pepperoni or salami on a soft food diet.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruit choices in a soft food diet include cooked, canned and raw skinless fruits that don't have large seeds or pits. Crushed pineapples, applesauce and stewed prunes are just a few of several possible fruits.
Cooked vegetables such as cream style corn and peas are recommended on a soft food diet. Vegetable juice is another healthy choice. Carrots, brussel sprouts and broccoli spears are off limits on a soft food diet.
Eggs and Cheese
Cheese can be included in a soft food diet in a number of creative ways. For example, most any type of cheese can be melted into casseroles and other hot dishes. Cottage cheese is also an excellent soft diet menu item. Eggs, preferably scrambled or poached, always go down easy.
Soup, Sandwiches and Bread
Bread and rolls are off limits on a soft food diet so sandwiches of any kind are excluded from menu planning. Cream- and broth-based soups are generally okay. Both cooked and dry cereals are permitted so long as they don't contain nuts or dried fruit.
Desserts
Ice cream and milk shakes may come to mind when you think of foods that require little if any chewing and are easy swallow. It's true that a soft food diet has a number of dessert options. These include custards, tapioca, pudding, sherbet and gelatins. Avoid dessert items that contain fruit pieces, seeds, nuts or coconut.
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