The soft diet serves as a transition from liquids to a regular diet. You can still have all the things on the clear liquid and full liquid diet too.
Some suggested soft foods might include:
Scrambled eggs (soft, boiled, poached)
Egg Salad
Tuna Fish moistened well with low-fat mayo
Chicken Salad, Salmon moistened with mayo (no celery or hard pieces of veggie)
Cottage Cheese
Mild low-fat cheese
Mashed, canned or cooked fruit
Mashed, canned or well cooked veggies
Refried beans with a bit of low-fat cheese
Pressure cooked meats to tenderize
Soft fresh banana
Occasional mashed sweet potato
Yogurt
Occasional baked, mashed potatoes (yes, these are carbs, but your body does need some)
We recommend 3 meals per day. However, there may be times when you need a snack in between meals, especially if you are very active. This snack should be a low calorie, preferably protein food. Examples of healthy snacks include: a low fat cheese stick, yogurt, soft boiled egg, etc.. Do not eat anything solid, blenderized, or soft again until your next meal time.
Eat until you begin to feel full and then stop! Do not force yourself to finish the food on your plate. Eat until you are comfortable. Do not “stuff” foods down. This may cause your stomach to become overfilled and may be very uncomfortable and you may not lose as much weight in the long run. Never place more food on your plate than you are permitted to eat. Measure out a half cup portions of your foods to get an idea of how much you are consuming. It will take time to learn to be able to eye ball food amounts.
NEVER start eating solid foods sooner than 1 month after surgery.
Always remember that with any new food that you try, eat a small amount at first and see how your stomach handles it. Proceed to eat slowly throughout your entire meal. You are aiming for:
LOW CARB – LOW FAT- LOW SUGAR – HIGH PROTEIN!
You should always stick to the rules regarding the composition of your food as stated earlier: 60-70 grams of protein and minimal amounts of carbohydrates and fat.
Try to read labels and make it a habit to determine how many calories each food contains and how those calories are broken down (percentage from fats, carbohydrates, and protein).
Remember that you should eat 3 times per day. Remember, you shouldn’t “graze” three meals per day is the goal- no more, but since everyone is so individual, some patients feel better eating 5 very small meals per day. There is no hard and fast rule, just remember that everything you eat contributes to your overall calorie count for the day. Anytime you eat something blenderized, soft, or solid, it should count as one of your meals. Once you feel yourself getting full, you should stop eating and not resume eating anything other than a liquid until the next mealtime.
Choose soft-textured and moist foods, which are easy to chew. For example: eggs (soft boiled or scrambled), tofu, light/no fat yogurt (no chunks of fruit/seeds), and small curd cottage cheese, egg custard.
Add non-fat powdered milk or unflavored protein powder to foods (eggs, soups, and yogurt) for extra protein.
Never eat more than 4 ounces (1/2 cup) at one time. Take very small bites and eat slowly. Chew carefully until mushy. You should not eat any foods that are hard to chew or swallow. You may wish to blend foods that are too hard to eat.
Remember not eat and drink at the same time.
Between meals, you may drink any thin liquid or liquid protein supplement that you like, provided it is sugar-free, so it does not contain sugar or carbonation and is low in fat.
Continue to eat between 600-800 calories per day. Weigh yourself weekly to be sure you do not regain or lose too much weight.
Introduce one new food each day. Some foods may not go down well and regurgitation may occur. By selecting one new food each day, you will be able to identify which food may have caused problems. The most common food intolerances are red meat, chicken, and bread; meats are better tolerated if moistened with broth.
If you are regularly having problems with vomiting or regurgitation – contact your doctor’s office.
Things to remember:
The best protein sources to eat are fish, skinless/boneless poultry, eggs and tofu. These have high protein and low carbohydrate and fat content.
Increase the variety of foods you are eating. Start with one teaspoon of a new food every two days. Beef may not be tolerated well for several months.
You should never try to eat more than 4 ounces (volume) at a time. Measure your food (two tablespoons is equal to one ounce, 4 oz= 1Ú2 cup). Use small plates as a visual cue to assist you with portion control. Avoid rice, pasta, potatoes, bread and popcorn. Continue to focus on consuming protein and stay away from carbohydrates and fats.
Avoid foods high in fat (fried, creamy or buttery foods) as well as regular mayonnaise or butter! You may eat any other condiment that you choose but check the labels for hidden carbohydrates and sugar. For instance, a tablespoon of ketchup has 4 grams of carbohydrates. You can use a fat-free mayo, but check for increased sugar.
You should continue to drink 2 quarts of liquids per day, but only between meals. Again, eat 600-800 total calories per day.
Avoid eating within 3 hours of going to bed.
Choose flavorful foods, since there is no need for picking just bland foods. Experiment with spices lightly at first.
Be cautious with seeds, skins, or spicy foods, these may be harder to digest.
Your daily intake of carbohydrates should still be less than 30 grams and fats less than 30 grams.
