Q: My husband has some major dental surgery coming up and will be a on a soft food diet for at least a week. How do I make sure he gets enough nutrition? A solid week of milkshakes doesn’t sound like a very balanced diet.
A: You’re right about that! Fortunately, a soft food diet or liquid diet can be just as nutritious, varied and tasty as any other diet. If you don’t already own one, you might want to invest in an inexpensive immersion blender (as known as a “stick” blender), to quickly puree cold or hot soups, smoothies and cereals (and even the occasional milkshake).
Yogurt or kefir can be blended with fresh or frozen fruit for a nourishing breakfast smoothie. Pump up the nutrition even further by adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseed for fiber, a scoop of protein powder, or even a handful of raw spinach.
Pureed vegetable soups are nutritious and satisfying, easy to make, and offer lots of variety. Make a few different kinds and freeze them in pint-sized containers to rotate through. Try curried butternut squash, leek and potato vichyssoise, creamy white bean and cauliflower, or even a chilled gazpacho or fresh pea soup. Recipes are easy to find online. Once you’ve made a few, you’ll probably feel confident enough to improvise your own variations — which are literally endless.
A tomato and vegetable juice cocktail makes a refreshing and nutritious between-meal snack, and a mug of hot milk (with or without a dribble of honey and/or a jigger of rum) can be just the thing before bed. Other soft foods to eat include scrambled eggs, cream of wheat or oat bran, cottage and ricotta cheese, tofu, creamed spinach and other pureed vegetables, poached fish, ripe avocado and stewed fruits.
Even on a soft food diet, or liquid diet, there’s no need to skimp on nutrition or flavor. Here’s hoping for a successful dental surgery and speedy recovery.
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