After 2
rounds of dental surgery, I had to be on a soft food diet for almost 10
weeks. At first, it didn't seem so daunting but by the second day, I was
so tired of mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs I began to panic. Not only
did I need to eat my meals but all of my medication had to be taken
with food.
I started searching the internet
for what else I could have and the choices were very limited. Nothing
hard, crunchy, sticky, brittle, spicy, acidic, no nuts, seeds, skins or anything hard
to chew were my initial instructions. What I discovered was that even the
texture of a soft noodle would cause excruciating pain so I needed to get
creative.
Like most people, I love really
good and flavorful food. So, I decided to experiment with some of my
favorite recipes to see what could be modified to fit my new way of eating for
the next 2 months. Some were more successful than others but I started to
get the hang of it. Here are some of the meals and snacks that were easy
to prepare and were also satisfying to eat.
Week 1 of both phases was the
toughest, everything had to be extremely soft, essentially the consistency of
baby food, with no chewing required.
Soft scrambled eggs (mixed with
sour cream for more flavor and creaminess)
Chicken and vegetable soup (blended
until smooth)
Egg Drop Soup (I whipped the egg
into the broth so there were no large pieces)
Broth with soft white bread and
butter (white bread almost dissolves into the broth)
Pancakes loaded with butter and
syrup
Instant mashed potatoes with butter,
sour cream and gravy (instant potatoes are creamier than my homemade version
and easier to prepare)
Baked acorn squash
Cream soup (blended until smooth - no
lumps or chunky pieces)
Scrambled egg foo yung with brown
gravy
Plain greek yogurt with honey
Pudding, chocolate milk,
applesauce, protein shakes, instant breakfast drinks, yogurt smoothies, mashed
banana
Week 2 - I was able to tolerate a
little more texture so I added these dishes.
Pasta with white sauce (cook the
pasta until soft and blend until smooth)
Sour cream enchilada casserole
(corn tortillas become soft and mushy in the sauce)
Red beans and rice (cook the rice
until soft and mash the beans)
Scrambled/Poached egg with baked
beans
Potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes,
yams (boiled and mashed)
Crab
Cakes with mild cocktail sauce (microwave to keep soft)
Dos Leches cake (pound cake soaked
in milk topped with whipped cream)
Ice
cream sundae (no nuts or fruit pieces)
Week 3 - getting better and was
able to add a little more texture and variety.
Crustless green chili quiche
Macaroni and cheese (cook pasta
until very soft)
Tuna noodle casserole
Lentils with potatoes and carrots
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Soft Sunday
dinner – mashed potatoes, carrots, yams, bread stuffing and gravy (canned
carrots and yams are easy to mash and box bread stuffing is nice and fluffy)
Instant
Grits with butter and cheese
Take-out
Mexican refried beans, soft rice, smooth chili
Graham
crackers soaked in milk
Tips:
My
biggest suggestion is to prepare as much as possible in advance. I didn’t do this on my 1st round
and seriously regretted it. I
underestimated how much pain I would be in and did not feel like cooking but
still needed to eat.
Before the
next round, I stocked up on everything that I thought I might want. That included a lot of pantry items that were
easy to prepare – instant mashed potatoes, instant gravy, soups, canned
carrots/yams/beans, box stuffing mix, soft cakes, white bread, saltine
crackers, graham crackers, pancake mix, syrup - anything that could be mashed
or soaked in soup or milk. Dairy was
easier – pudding, milk, sour cream, yogurt and of course eggs.
I made
some things ahead of time to freeze and then was able to just heat them in the
microwave – pancakes, soups etc.
Eating out
was not an option but I loved the soft dinner I was able to get from my
favorite Mexican restaurant. That felt
like a total indulgence!
Meat didn’t
really work out for me – I made a very soft pork stew but it was still too much
to chew and it got caught in my stitches so I won’t do that again. I’d rather stay vegetarian until I can chew
properly.
- Please note this was after dental surgery and it was specific to my procedure. You should always check with your doctor and follow their instructions for whatever you need to do following any condition or procedure you may have.
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Delicious Dos Leches Cake |
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Crustless Green Chili Quiche |
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Stuffing and Carrots |
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Scrambled Egg Foo Yung |
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Ginger Carrot Soup |
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Enchilada Casserole |
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Egg and Baked Beans |