Weeks 4 to 6
From week 4, you can start to eat a soft food diet.
The soft food stage is a transition between puree and a normal (or ‘solid food’) diet. The soft diet includes foods that are easy to eat and can be mashed with a fork. Stay on a soft diet for at least two weeks before gradually introducing more solid foods.
You should focus on including soft, protein-rich foods in your diet for at least 1 week before you start eating cooked vegetables and soft fruits. Every person is different, so you may need to stay on your soft diet longer depending on how you feel.
Some tips:
Drink at least 1500 – 2000 ml of low-calorie fluids every day. Always have a drink bottle with you to sip on in between meals.
• Introduce new foods slowly.
• Chew food very well.
• Eat 3 small meals a day – limit snacks, except for 1-2 a day, depending on your food volume.
• Eat small amounts of food at each meal time.
• Do not drink fluids until 30 minutes after meals.
• Let your stomach tell you when you have eaten enough. Fullness will now feel different than it did before surgery.
• Eat very slowly and pay attention to how you feel so you will know when to stop eating. Eat a little more when you are able to, but always stop eating when you are no longer hungry. Try to keep meal times to 30 minutes or less (to prevent eating continuously)
• Don’t force yourself to eat more than you can tolerate – if you do you may feel discomfort in your chest or may vomit.
• Use a sauce plate or small ramekin bowl to serve meals in.
• Eat with a good posture (straight back)
• Take your multivitamin every day.
• You can add protein powder to your meals to increase the protein content of your food, if needed. Aim for 70 - 80 grams protein/day.
Choose:
Tender chicken, fish and meat in bite-sized pieces (or minced)
Lean mince with gravy
Shaved ham, turkey or chicken
Tinned salmon, tuna in spring water, tinned chicken
Soft tofu
Light baked beans
Mashed, poached or scrambled egg, creamy peanut butter with no added sugar
Low fat cottage or ricotta cheese.
Avoid:
Dry meats and poultry
Dry fish or fish with bones
Any foods with nuts or seeds
High-fat dairy products
Yoghurt sweetened with sugar.