Liquid, Soft and Specialty Diet Types and Recipes
Liquid and soft diets are recommended in many situations, including some types of dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), surgery involving the mouth or gastrointestinal tract, and pain from newly adjusted braces.
Liquid diets contain no solid foods.
A Clear Liquid Diet consists of transparent liquids and no opaque liquids or smoothed solids. (e.g. meat or vegetable broth, bouillon, clear fruit juices, clear fruit ices, popsicles, clear gelatin desserts, clear carbonated drinks, hard candies, and black tea or coffee)
A Full Liquid Diet consists of smooth liquids that can contain transparent and opaque liquids and blended liquid foods. It includes milk, milkshakes, ice cream, pudding, strained cream soups, fruit nectar with pulp, smooth cooked cereals such as oatmeal and cream of wheat, butter, and honey. In some cases, a full liquid diet may also include other foods that have been thinned and blended with liquids such as milk, meat or vegetable broth, or fruit or vegetable juice.
A Soft Diet includes foods that are solid but still soft and do not requiring crushing, cracking, or chewing. A soft diet includes all the Clear and Full Liquid Diets, plus rice, pasta, cooker cereals, mashed potatoes, tofu, yogurt, ground meats, soft fish, bananas, peaches, applesauce, soup, creamed or blended vegetables, and soft desserts.
Liquid diets contain no solid foods.
A Clear Liquid Diet consists of transparent liquids and no opaque liquids or smoothed solids. (e.g. meat or vegetable broth, bouillon, clear fruit juices, clear fruit ices, popsicles, clear gelatin desserts, clear carbonated drinks, hard candies, and black tea or coffee)
A Full Liquid Diet consists of smooth liquids that can contain transparent and opaque liquids and blended liquid foods. It includes milk, milkshakes, ice cream, pudding, strained cream soups, fruit nectar with pulp, smooth cooked cereals such as oatmeal and cream of wheat, butter, and honey. In some cases, a full liquid diet may also include other foods that have been thinned and blended with liquids such as milk, meat or vegetable broth, or fruit or vegetable juice.
A Soft Diet includes foods that are solid but still soft and do not requiring crushing, cracking, or chewing. A soft diet includes all the Clear and Full Liquid Diets, plus rice, pasta, cooker cereals, mashed potatoes, tofu, yogurt, ground meats, soft fish, bananas, peaches, applesauce, soup, creamed or blended vegetables, and soft desserts.
A Dysphagia Diet is a mixture of foods, drinks, and actions to improve the chewing and swallowing of adequate amounts of food for full nutrition and hydration for patients suffering from dysphagia. Concerns for dysphagia patients included malnutrition, dehydration, and food and liquid getting in the lungs. For more information, visit our dysphagia diet page.
Tips:
Limited Opening Oral Hygiene
Maintaining good oral hygiene with a severely limited opening from jaw-wiring or severe trismus, is a challenge and often one of the most disturbing problems. Always check with your surgeon or doctor on when you can begin using various rinses or brushing, as some things can dry out your mouth, open wounds, and cause infections if begun before your body is ready.
Some ways to keep you mouth clean:
- Eat frequently, 5-6+ times a day to get enough food. Plan mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening snacks.
- Use butter, sour cream, creamy peanut butter, ranch dressing, syrup, honey, re-fried bean, eggs, and tofu in blends and shakes to add calories, flavor, and protein to you diet.
- Maintaining a liquid or soft diet for a long time can be very challenging. Consider obtaining a liquid diet cookbook to best make it through.
- Prepare multiple and big batches and freeze them ahead of time.
- Supplement and meal replacement shakes are an easy way to get some food and energy.
- Uses spices to keep things interesting.
- Avoid bacon, popcorn, crunchy fried things, hard bread crusts, seeds, nuts, corn, apples, berries, chewy candies.
Limited Opening Oral Hygiene
Maintaining good oral hygiene with a severely limited opening from jaw-wiring or severe trismus, is a challenge and often one of the most disturbing problems. Always check with your surgeon or doctor on when you can begin using various rinses or brushing, as some things can dry out your mouth, open wounds, and cause infections if begun before your body is ready.
Some ways to keep you mouth clean:
- Swishing or rinsing with:
- Warm water
- Salt water (2 tps in a small glass of water)
- Hydrogen peroxide rinse (1 part hydrogen peroxide to 2 parts water)
- Non-alcohol based mouthwashes
- Use an oral syringe to spray water between teeth and along the gums.
- Q-Tips or cotton swabs along the gums and teeth
- Children's toothbrushes (often fit into smaller openings)
- WaterPik or Oral Water Jet (Only with permission of your doctor)
- Pull out the cheek on the side that you plan to brush with a finger
Easy to eat a liquid diet, with a wired jaw, or limited opening.
$15.50
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60ml thick syringes for liquid soft diets
$14.00
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Small wire cutter to carry with you while wired shut
$15.49
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Easy to eat thick shakes, smoothies and purees on a liquid diet, with a wired jaw, or limited opening.
$14.90
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Easy to eat thick shakes, smoothies and purees on a liquid diet, with a wired jaw, or limited opening.
$16.90
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Small 10ml syringes for dosing medication or nutrition to pediatric patients.
$12.00
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Easy to eat thick shakes, smoothies and purees on a liquid diet, with a wired jaw, or limited opening.
$14.90
In Stock
Easy to eat thick shakes, smoothies and purees on a liquid diet, with a wired jaw, or limited opening.
$15.65
In Stock
