99 soft food diet recipes | Authority Dental (2024)

Soft food diets are useful in many situations, such as after oral surgery, tooth extractions, or head, neck, or stomach surgeries, as well as for people with chronic issues that make chewing and swallowing difficult.
There are many nutritious soft foods that can be eaten, such as eggs, soft fruits, cooked vegetables, and certain types of protein, but foods that are hard, crunchy, or sticky should be avoided.
Soft foods can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as by cutting them into small pieces, using sauces or gravies to moisten them, or pureeing or mashing them. Additionally, there are many soft food recipes available to make the diet more varied and enjoyable.
Need to make a dentist appointment this week? Use Authority Dental to find a 24 hour dentists who take your insurance. It’s simple, fast and free.

When exactly you'll need a soft-food diet? Here's everything you need to know.

When you should eat a soft food diet

Eating only soft foods comes in handy in many situations. In fact, this diet is good if you have had any type of mouth, tooth, head, neck, or stomach surgery. Also, you may need to follow this diet if you have a chronic issue that makes it difficult to chew and swallow.

For example, if you have gotten a dental implant placed or any type of oral surgery (wisdom teeth, braces, tooth extractions, etc.), your dentist may recommend a soft food diet. That’s a smart option because, first of all, you’ll have pain and discomfort in your mouth after the procedure. Secondly, it allows the surgical sites to heal better and quicker.

What foods to eat

Before you groan at the idea of a soft food diet, you should know there are plenty of soft foods you can eat.

Here are just a few ideas for this type of diet:

Grains

Bread, some cereals, muffins, pancakes, or waffle
Some cereals (soft and/or moist)
Pasta/noodles, rice
Saltine crackers in soup

Fruits and vegetables

Applesauce
Canned fruit
Cooked/baked fruits
Soft fruits with no skin (bananas, peaches, watermelon)
Soft, cooked veggies

Proteins

Eggs (poached, scrambled, or hard/soft boiled)
Easy to chew meat, like fish, chopped/ground poultry
Small pieces of meat in soup
Tofu
Baked beans

Dairy

Cheese (thinly sliced, melted)
Cottage or ricotta cheese
Milk and milkshakes
Ice cream
Yogurt

You should eat food that have a soft texture and are nutritious while on the soft food diet.

What foods to avoid

Yes, there are also plenty of foods you shouldn’t eat. And you should be aware of what they are before you bite into anything.

Here are some off-limits foods for those on a soft food diet:

Starches

Toast, crackers, and hard cereal
Anything with dried fruits, nuts or other seeds
Corn on the cob, uncooked potatoes, hard chips
Bagels, French bread, sourdough bread
Popcorn

Vegetables

Corn on the cob
Peas
Hard, unmashed, raw vegetables

Fruits

Hard fruits, like whole apples, raw carrots
Stringy fruits, like pineapple and mango
Any skin of a fruit

Proteins

Steak
Beef jerky
Bacon
Sausage
Hot dogs
Peanut butter (both creamy and crunchy)

You should avoid any food that’s tough, crunchy, hard, or sticky while on the soft-food diet. You should also avoid eating foods that are spicy, these can upset your stomach and cause bloating.