Bariatric Soft Food Diet: Lunch and Dinner Ideas
So you’ve just had bariatric surgery and are allowed to eat soft foods! The usual staples of breads, sandwiches, apples and oranges have been taken out of your diet for now. But don’t worry–we’ve got a menu full of soft food options that will start you on the path back towards eating regular foods again without giving up tasty choices such as tuna or eggs. Let’s explore some easy-to-eat bariatric soft food ideas together!
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Remember the soft food diet is very different to the Liver Shrinking Diet!
Foods You Can Eat For Lunch Or Dinner On The Soft Food Diet
It’s important to have a variety of foods that you can eat for lunch and dinner on the soft food diet. Each bariatric soft food meal should have a source of protein, fiber and fat–and not contain too much or too little of any one nutrient.
Some good choices for bariatric soft food lunch include:
–Tomato Soup (with croutons) rich in lycopene
–Homemade Chicken Stew with chickpeas
Here are more examples of soft food diet ideas that are bariatric friendly:
Soups as a soft food meal idea
Soups, as long as they don’t contain large pieces of meat or vegetables (you should blend them before eating) are a great way to pack in the goodness and nutrition you will need after bariatric surgery. You could try making creamy soups such cauliflower and cheese or homemade chicken soup or potato soup. Pop these in the blender once cooked and boom you will have a good supply of soup to last more than one day.
Pro Tip: Use An Instant Pot For Batch Soup Cooking
Cook soups in large batches (which you can then freeze so that you have a supply of bariatric soft food options on hand) by cooking the ingredients in your Instant Pot you can save time and energy.
Here are a few fantastic Electric Pressure Cookers to choose from!
- Instant Pot DUO 60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot Ultra 1000W 10-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
- Ninja Foodie Multi Cooker
- King Pro Pressure Cooker
Cheese for the soft food diet
You can grate cheese or cut it into small cubes as a bariatric soft food dinner idea. I loved using cottage cheese when on my soft food diet and here is a list of recipes that use cottage cheese in the diet.
Cheese is a great source of protein and energy. Typically created from the milk of cows, cheese comes in a wide variety of textures and flavours. It is the perfect soft food ingredient to add flavour and texture to a meal. Whether it is feta, camembert, or the ever present and ever tasty cheddar cheese, you can add cheese to your diet in small amounts.
Why not try this fantastic Spinach and Feta Bake For The Bariatric Diet.
Tuna as a soft food idea following bariatric surgery
Tuna can be a bariatric soft food dinner idea. It is low in carbs and high in protein and omega 3 which helps you feel full for longer.
Tuna is also a fantastic bariatric soft food dinner idea because it can be used in small quantities as an ingredient without changing the taste of dishes.
Try pairing some tuna with bariatric diet staples such as eggs or cheese. Here’s a recipe for Tuna Egg Pie which is not only bariatric but diabetic friendly too!
I personally love tuna, it’s the perfect bariatric meal choice.
BANANAS FOR SOFT FOOD DIET
You might also consider basing some of your meals around soft, overripe bananas. Not only are they a great source of healthy energy, but they are also a relatively complete food, containing many of the nutrients you need. And because they are energy-dense, they can prevent sugar crashes which sometimes occur after you get gastric bypass surgery.
Bananas, for instance, contain large amounts of fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, phytonutrients, antioxidants and, of course, potassium. What’s more, you can make them into a variety of delicious dishes, including banana bread, banana-based desserts, banana soft serve ice cream, and banana smoothies.
Cooked meat and vegetables
If you cook chicken, beef, pork or turkey until everything is very tender and there are no large pieces of fat, these foods can be bariatric-safe for lunch or dinner. Make sure that you blend up the meat before eating.
White meat such as chicken and turkey can make fantastic bariatric soft food for dinner as it’s low in fat. You can grill meat or cook it with bariatric diet vegetables (which are bariatric safe) such as carrots, spinach, onions and mushrooms to keep your bariatric meal healthy.
Vegetables make a great bariatric food choice for lunch or dinner because bariatric diet vegetables are low in calories and packed full of vitamins and nutrients that you need when following bariatric surgery.
Vegetables will also help add fiber to your bariatric diet which can help keep things moving smoothly (poo wise) as well as satiating hunger more quickly.
Two of my favorite meals using chicken and turkey are:
Instant Pot Sloppy Joes – On Mash
Blending Foods That Are Too Hard For The Soft Food Diet
If you are on a bariatric soft food diet following bariatric surgery, then you will likely want to know how to prepare some of your favorite foods and make them soft! One of the best ways is by getting yourself a blender. The blender will enable you to turn some of the hardest foods into soft ones.
Some of the meals I enjoyed blending on the soft food diet was
If you want a blender I’d recommend the Instant Pot 60 Ace Cooking Blender. This is absolutely brilliant for making food soft and pureed!
I’d also recommend an easy to use immersion blender which is fast and convenient to use on all stages after bariatric surgery.
Eggs For The Soft Food Diet
Eggs are a great source of protein and are great on the soft food bariatric diet. In fact, eggs are one of the bariatric diet staples that you should be eating!
This is because bariatric surgery can remove most of your stomach, which is where your body digests protein.
Eggs have a high biological value (BV) just like meat, fish and poultry, meaning that it has a lot of amino acids that help with the bariatric diet.
Eggs are also filled with nutrients and vitamins including bariatric supplements like Vitamin D, Calcium and Folate which can bariatric surgery patients in particular need bariatric surgery patients in particular need more of.
No matter how you choose to eat eggs on the bariatric soft food diet – bariatric omelettes, bariatric omelette bariatric quiches or bariatric scrambled egg – you can’t go wrong.
Give these bariatric soft food ideas a try:
Spinach Egg Muffins For The Bariatric Diet
Mediterranean Vegetarian Omelette
Bariatric Soft Food Diet Recipes
Now that you know some of the best bariatric soft food ideas, here are some more delicious weight loss recipes to try on your weight loss journey.
Healthy Mashed Cauliflower Cheese
Healthy Mexican Breakfast Casserole
Everyday weight loss on the bariatric soft food diet is easier than you think! If you take the time to plan, batch cook and get a few tools to aid you, you’ll be well on your way!
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