Soft diet (original) (raw)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Type of diet

A mechanical soft diet or edentulous diet, or soft food(s) diet, is a diet that involves only foods that are physically soft, with the goal of reducing or eliminating the need to chew the food. This is also commonly referred to as a texture-modified diet within the Speech-Language Pathology field and can have varying degrees of severity ranging from mushy solids to thicker liquids to a pure liquid diet. The IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative) has developed a standardized framework for labeling the modified foods and liquids.[1] It is recommended for people who have difficulty chewing food, including people with some types of dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), the loss of many or all teeth, pain from recently adjusted dental braces, or surgery involving the jaw, mouth, or gastrointestinal tract.

A mechanical soft diet can include many or most foods if they are mashed, puréed, chopped very small, combined with sauce or gravy, or softened in liquid.

In some situations, there are additional restrictions. For example, patients who need to avoid acid reflux, such as those recovering from esophageal surgery for achalasia, are also instructed to stay away from foods that can aggravate reflux, which include alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, citrus fruits, ketchup and other tomato products, mint, and spicy foods. Foods such as blackberries and tomatoes may be restricted because they contain small seeds.[2]

A puréed diet is commonly used for people who have difficulty swallowing and provides a uniformly smooth consistency.[2]

Soft diets, particularly purée foods, can contribute to the high prevalence of malnutrition in those with dysphagia, especially in long-term care residents.[3] Such diets are often less palatable, and a reduction in food intake is common. Also, puréed diets are often poorer in calories, protein, and micronutrients than regular diets.[4]

Most of the foods on this diet can be both puréed and thinned with liquids to be incorporated into a full-liquid diet.

A serving of ice cream in a bowl

Ice cream - with no chunks of chocolate, no whole nuts or nut bits, nor other hard ingredients - can be part of a soft diet.

Fruits and vegetables

[edit]

A bowl of applesauce

Applesauce and other puréed fruits and vegetables require no chewing.

A bowl of breakfast cereal in milk

Soggy breakfast cereal requires little or no chewing.

An open jar of peanut butter

Peanut butter and other nut butters provide protein without needing to chew. However, they may be too thick or sticky for people who have difficulty swallowing.

  1. ^ "Diet Texture Modifications for Dysphagia". American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  2. ^ a b White, Lois; Duncan, Gena; Baumle, Wendy (2010-01-27). Foundations of Basic Nursing. Cengage Learning. pp. 395–396. ISBN 978-1428317741.
  3. ^ O'Keeffe ST (July 2018). "Use of modified diets to prevent aspiration in oropharyngeal dysphagia: is current practice justified?". BMC Geriatrics. 18 (1): 167. doi:10.1186/s12877-018-0839-7. PMC 6053717. PMID 30029632.
  4. ^ Keller, H.; Chambers, L.; Niezgoda, H.; Duizer, L. (2012). "Issues associated with the use of modified texture foods". J Nutr Health Aging. 16 (3): 195–200. doi:10.1007/s12603-011-0160-z. PMID 22456772. S2CID 33233153.