30 Part I: Eating Right with Every Bite
Sample menu for a smooth-food diet
Your top priority right now is to stay hydrated. Make sure you get 48 to 64
ounces of fluid each day, 24 to 32 ounces of clear liquid and the remaining
24 to 32 ounces of full liquids. Your meals should not measure more than
2 ounces of food.
✓ Breakfast
- Cooked wheat cereal made with skim milk
- Sugar-free light yogurt (no fruit on bottom)
✓ Snack
- Low-carb protein supplement
✓ Lunch
- Cream of tomato soup made with nonfat milk
- Light yogurt with no added sugar (no fruit on bottom)
✓ Snack
- Low-carb protein supplement
✓ Dinner
- Strained cream of mushroom soup made with nonfat milk
- Mashed potatoes thinned with nonfat milk
✓ Snack
- Low-carb protein supplement (if needed to meet protein needs)
Stage 4: Soft Foods
Congratulations, you’re on your way to “real” food! If you’re at this stage,
your surgeon has determined you’re healing well and tolerating the full-liquid
phase of your recovery plan. Smooth foods (also known as puréed foods) are
foods that have been put through the blender or food processor to smooth
them out. You may follow this phase for up to four weeks depending on your
surgeon’s recommendations.
What you can eat
You can enjoy some very soft normal foods again. In addition to the liquids
you have enjoyed up until now, you can add things like