Soft Phase

The transition from pureed to soft foods is a gradual one but you will not change overnight from all pureed foods to all soft foods but you are almost there, this phase starts in Week 5 and runs through Week 8 after your surgery. Choose a recipe from below to try on your first day of soft foods. If you do not tolerate it, go back to pureed for a day or try another recipe. There is no rush and you do not have to progress in the same way anyone else does. In

What to expect during this phase

• You will gradually increase the variety and amount of foods you can eat over the four weeks of the soft foods phase.

• If you are trying a new soft food, cut it into very small pieces, chew it well and wait a few minutes. If you tolerate it well, continue to eat the food. If you do not, give it a week before trying it again.

• Protein: Start the soft phase with very moist proteins. Try foods you did well with during the pureed stage. If refried beans worked for you, try beans in soup or seasoned beans in the soft stage. If you ate pureed chicken salad during the previous stage, try making a chicken salad from small pieces of cut-up chicken. Cook fish fillets or seafood with some extra broth. Stew chicken or turkey in the crock pot, which will make it easier to digest.

- How much? The amount you can eat will vary from day to day, from one type of protein to the next and from one person to the next. You can expect to eat from 2-3 ounces of a protein such as chicken or turkey, 3-4 ounces of soft fish or about ½ cup of beans. You might be able to eat a whole 5.3-ounce yogurt or eat a full 8-ounce cup of soup during this stage.

- The total meal amount could fit into a ½ to 1 cup measuring cup, for example, 2-3 ounces of stewed chicken and 2-3 tablespoons of soft vegetables.

- Fruits and vegetables: During the first week, you will do best with very soft, cooked vegetables and soft fresh fruit with no thick skins or big seeds. By the end of the Week 4, you will be able to eat small salads, other raw vegetables, and soft fresh fruits. You may have to peel your fruits.

- How much? If you are combining your fruit or vegetable with protein to make a meal, plan about 3 tablespoons. Eat your protein first, then eat the fruit or vegetable. You might not be able to eat it all, so continue to check in with your body to know when you have had enough. If you have met your protein goal for the day and you are having fruit or vegetables for a snack, plan about ½ cup.

Nutrition

Calories 102

Total Fat 4 g

Saturated Fat 0 g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.4 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2 g

Trans Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 57 mg

Sodium 91 mg

Total Carbs 6 g

Dietary Fiber 1 g

Sugars 1 g

Protein 10 g

Potassium 158 mg