So, you’ve had oral surgery and your surgeon has now told you that you need to be on a soft foods diet. You may be wondering, what exactly is a soft foods diet and what foods can I eat?
Well not to worry, provided below is a quick overview of what a soft foods diet is, some foods to avoid, and foods you can enjoy!
The information here is general. How long you’ll need to be on a soft foods diet and which soft foods would be best for your recovery depends on the procedure, your overall health, and how long your recovery is expected to be. Please follow your healthcare provider’s post-surgery instructions.
What is a soft foods diet?
In general, a soft foods diet consists of foods that do not require extensive chewing or have hard foods. Typically, the diet contains foods that require minimal chewing and are easy to swallow, and often utilizes a blender, tenderized meat, or slow cooker.
Again, how long and how extensive of a soft foods diet you’ll need to be on depends on the type of oral surgery you have or will have.
What soft foods can I eat after oral surgery?
Although you may feel limited to smoothies and ice cream while on a soft foods diet, that is not the case. You can have a variety of food during this time and even still enjoy some of your favorite foods, just at a modified texture.
Try to aim for a variety of fruits, veggies, and protein as this will nourish you with an array of nutrients, which is crucial for healing. If you’re interested in vitamins for gums and teeth, checkout this blog post.
Listed below are some examples of what you can eat after surgery:
- yogurt with mushed up fruit (for added protein include a scoop of collagen powder)
- Spinach, frozen banana and pineapple, and yogurt smoothie (for added protein and flavor include vanilla or chocolate protein powder)
- mashed sweet potato without the skin and include yogurt or sour cream
- chicken noodle soup
- chocolate tofu pudding
- scrambled eggs with cheese and mashed avocado
- overnight oats with blueberries and ground flaxseed
- pasta cooked so it is very soft (preferably whole wheat for added fiber and nutrients)
- bone broth
- baked or refried beans
- tuna salad without celery
- frozen yogurt and fruit popsicle
- vegetable soup (cooked so veggies are soft)
- pot roast with vegetables (cooked so veggies are soft and meat is falling off tender)
What foods should I avoid during my oral surgery recovery?
Just like any other procedure you may have had; your mouth needs time to heal after surgery. Maybe you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed, root canals, implants, or tooth extraction. All of these take time to heal, and your mouth may be sensitive during this process. In general, you’ll want to avoid the following:
- Foods that will get stuck or lodged in your teeth or gums
- Such as crusty bread, popcorn, pretzels, bagels, cookies, cracked pepper, nuts, or seeds
- Foods that will irritate the surgical area
- Such as spicy foods, acidic foods, hot beverages, caffeine, alcohol, or carbonated beverages
- So, try to avoid items like sodas, tomato juice, orange juice, any type of citrus juice, spicy chili, or buffalo sauce
- Such as spicy foods, acidic foods, hot beverages, caffeine, alcohol, or carbonated beverages
How to plan to enjoy your recovery on a soft foods diet
I know having to go on a softs foods diet, figuring out which foods to eat and avoid plus balancing all the other things going on in life is a lot.
If you have the time, decide what you want to eat before your surgery, and planning a few meals before can make your recovery that much for enjoyable!
So, treat planning a soft foods diet like you would if you went grocery shopping for the week. Find some recipes, make a list, get the ingredients, and prepare a few meals ahead of your surgery. This way, after surgery you can grab a meal right from the fridge and have more time to focus on other things.
If you’re looking for a plan that maximizes your nutrition, takes the guess work out of what to eat after surgery and allows you more time and energy to relax and focus on your recovery than contact me.
All the best and Happy Healing!
