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Find out what foods you should eat and what foods you should avoid while on a soft diet.
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If your healthcare provider suggests you follow a soft food diet, you might be wondering what this means. A soft food diet refers to food that is soft in texture, low in fiber and easy to digest. This way of eating is sometimes called a gastrointestinal (GI) soft diet. It is used after surgery or gut upset.
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Eat foods from “easy to digest” list and avoid foods on “difficult to digest list.”
Follow this diet for as long as your healthcare provider recommends. This could be the next two to three weeks or until your appetite and bowel movements return to normal. If you have a hard time eating at home, contact your dietitian or physician.
If a food upsets your stomach or causes gas, avoid that food for a few days before you try it again.
Read food labels on all packaged food. Pick foods that contain less than 2 grams of fiber per serving.
Unless your dietitian or healthcare provider gives you different instructions, you can use these guidelines to help you decide which soft foods to eat. If you can’t tolerate a food, avoid that food for a few weeks before you try it again.
| Food Group | Foods Allowed | Foods to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meats and meat substitutes | Chicken, turkey, fish, tender cuts of beef and pork, ground meats, eggs, creamy nut butters, tofu, skinless hot dogs, sausage patties without whole spices | Tough fibrous meats with gristle, meat with casings (hot dogs, sausage, kielbasa), lunch meats with whole spices, shellfish, beans, chunky peanut butter, nuts |
| Fruits and juices | Fruit juices without pulp, banana, avocado, peeled apples and applesauce, canned peaches and pears, cooked fruit without skin/seeds, peeled ripe peaches and pears, ripe seedless melon | Juices with pulp, fresh fruit (except allowed peeled fruits), dried fruits, canned fruit cocktail and pineapple, coconut, frozen/ thawed berries |
| Vegetables | Well-cooked or canned vegetables without seeds or skin, potatoes without skin, tomato paste, puree and smooth sauces, vegetable juice, vegetable juice without pulp, olives | Raw or lightly cooked vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, onions, dark leafy greens, bell peppers, summer squash, corn (fresh, frozen or canned), stewed tomatoes, potato skins, sauerkraut, pickles |
| Cereals and grains | Low-fiber dry or cooked cereals, white rice, pasta, macaroni, or noodles made with white or refined flour | Cereals with nuts, berries, dried fruits, whole grain cereals, bran cereals, granola or raw oats, brown or wild rice, pasta, macaroni or noodles made with whole grain flour, barley, quinoa, popcorn |
| Breads and crackers | Breads and rolls made with white or refined flour, plain white bagel or toast, plain crackers made with white or refined flour, graham crackers | Breads and rolls made with whole grain flour, breads and rolls made with raisins, nuts or seeds, multigrain crackers |
| Dairy | Milk, powdered milk, evaporated milk, non-dairy milk kefir, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese | Any dairy product mixed with fresh fruit (except allowed peeled fruits), berries, nuts or seeds, and granola |
| Desserts | Plain cake, pudding, custard, smooth ice cream, sherbet, gelatin, fruit whips, smooth milkshakes, marshmallows, cookies without dried fruits or nuts, snack chips and pretzels using refined flours | Any dessert that contains nuts, dried fruits, coconut, or fruits with seeds |
| Herbs and spices | All ground spices or herbs, salt | Whole spices like peppercorns, whole cloves, anise seeds, celery seeds, rosemary, caraway seeds, and fresh herbs |
| Snacks/other foods | Sugar, honey, smooth jelly without seeds, mayonnaise, smooth mustard, soy sauce, oil, butter, margarine, marshmallows | Carbonated beverages, jams, or jellies with seeds, |
| Food Group | ||
| Meats and meat substitutes | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Chicken, turkey, fish, tender cuts of beef and pork, ground meats, eggs, creamy nut butters, tofu, skinless hot dogs, sausage patties without whole spices | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Tough fibrous meats with gristle, meat with casings (hot dogs, sausage, kielbasa), lunch meats with whole spices, shellfish, beans, chunky peanut butter, nuts | ||
| Fruits and juices | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Fruit juices without pulp, banana, avocado, peeled apples and applesauce, canned peaches and pears, cooked fruit without skin/seeds, peeled ripe peaches and pears, ripe seedless melon | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Juices with pulp, fresh fruit (except allowed peeled fruits), dried fruits, canned fruit cocktail and pineapple, coconut, frozen/ thawed berries | ||
| Vegetables | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Well-cooked or canned vegetables without seeds or skin, potatoes without skin, tomato paste, puree and smooth sauces, vegetable juice, vegetable juice without pulp, olives | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Raw or lightly cooked vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, onions, dark leafy greens, bell peppers, summer squash, corn (fresh, frozen or canned), stewed tomatoes, potato skins, sauerkraut, pickles | ||
| Cereals and grains | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Low-fiber dry or cooked cereals, white rice, pasta, macaroni, or noodles made with white or refined flour | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Cereals with nuts, berries, dried fruits, whole grain cereals, bran cereals, granola or raw oats, brown or wild rice, pasta, macaroni or noodles made with whole grain flour, barley, quinoa, popcorn | ||
| Breads and crackers | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Breads and rolls made with white or refined flour, plain white bagel or toast, plain crackers made with white or refined flour, graham crackers | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Breads and rolls made with whole grain flour, breads and rolls made with raisins, nuts or seeds, multigrain crackers | ||
| Dairy | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Milk, powdered milk, evaporated milk, non-dairy milk kefir, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Any dairy product mixed with fresh fruit (except allowed peeled fruits), berries, nuts or seeds, and granola | ||
| Desserts | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Plain cake, pudding, custard, smooth ice cream, sherbet, gelatin, fruit whips, smooth milkshakes, marshmallows, cookies without dried fruits or nuts, snack chips and pretzels using refined flours | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Any dessert that contains nuts, dried fruits, coconut, or fruits with seeds | ||
| Herbs and spices | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| All ground spices or herbs, salt | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Whole spices like peppercorns, whole cloves, anise seeds, celery seeds, rosemary, caraway seeds, and fresh herbs | ||
| Snacks/other foods | ||
| Foods Allowed | ||
| Sugar, honey, smooth jelly without seeds, mayonnaise, smooth mustard, soy sauce, oil, butter, margarine, marshmallows | ||
| Foods to Avoid | ||
| Carbonated beverages, jams, or jellies with seeds, |
What are some other instructions for following a soft food diet?
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Breakfast
Option 1:
Option 2:
Lunch
Option 1:
Option 2:
Afternoon snack
Dinner
Evening snack
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If you have issues with your digestive system, you need a team of experts you can trust. Our gastroenterology specialists at Cleveland Clinic can help.
Last reviewed on 02/25/2021.
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