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Soft Diet

Mechanical Soft Diet

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA

Home | Health Information Center | Wellness Centers | Food & Nutrition | Article

What Is a Soft Diet?

Why Should I Follow a Soft Diet?

What Is a Soft Diet?

A soft diet does not have foods that are hard to chew or swallow. A mechanical soft diet makes foods easier to chew and swallow using tools such as a blender or meat grinder.

Why Should I Follow a Soft Diet?

A soft diet is often needed after some types of surgery or illnesses. It may also be needed by people who are having radiation therapy to the head, neck, or belly. A mechanical soft diet may be needed if you are having trouble chewing food or if you have a hard time swallowing.

Soft Diet Basics

The foods you can eat on a soft diet may be naturally soft or they may be mashed, chopped, or cooked until they are soft. Foods that you cannot have are:

Tough meats
Raw fruits and veggies
Chewy or crispy breads
Nuts and seeds

Your doctor may also tell you not to eat spicy, fried, or gassy foods.

The foods that you are able to eat on this diet can vary from one person to the next. Work with your doctor or a dietitian to find out the types and textures of foods that you can eat. Use this chart as a guide.

Eating Guide

Food Group	Foods You Can Eat	Foods You Cannot Eat
Grains	Cereal without nuts or dried fruit Refined bread, crackers, muffins, pancakes, or waffles Pasta Plain, white rice	Whole-grain bread, crackers, muffins, pancakes, or waffles Wild or whole-grain rice
Veggies	Soft-cooked or canned veggies Raw salad greens or tomatoes Cooked potatoes without the skin (except fried or chips)	Fried potatoes Hard, raw veggies like carrot sticks Cooked veggies with large seeds or tough skins
Fruits	Soft raw fruits without skin Cooked and canned fruits without skin	Dried fruits Fruits with skins, seeds, or pits Coconut
Milk	Milk and milk drinks Yogurt Cheese, cottage cheese	Cheese with nuts or seeds
Meats and Beans	Tender meat, pork, poultry, and fish Eggs Tofu Smooth peanut butter	Deli meats, such as salami or pepperoni Bacon Anything fried (including fried eggs) Shellfish Fish with bones Nuts and seeds
Fats and Sweets	Ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt Pudding Plain chocolate Cake and cookies without hard pieces like chocolate chips, raisins, nuts	Products with seeds, dried fruit, nuts, or other hard pieces Fruit or nut pies
Other	Salt, pepper, herbs, and mild spices Sugar, jelly, honey All beverages Note: If you have trouble swallowing, you may need thickened liquids.	Popcorn Fried food Jam with seeds Spicy food or condiments

Tips

Here are some diet tips:

Use a blender to puree foods, such as soup or fruit.
Remember to chew foods before you swallow them.
To preserve nutrients when cooking foods:
- Steam or microwave veggies.
- When boiling potatoes, peel after cooking.
Work with a dietitian to make a meal plan based on your needs.

RESOURCES:

Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org

Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca

References

Nutrition care manual. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website. Available at: https://www.nutritioncaremanual.org. Accessed July 26, 2021.

Oral hygeine: performing. EBSCO Nursing Reference Center website. Available at: https://www.ebscohost.com/nursing/products/nursing-reference-center. Accessed July 26, 2021.

Last reviewed July 2021 by EBSCO Medical Review BoardDianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN
Last Updated: 7/26/2021

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