If your mouth or throat becomes sore during the course of
treatment, or chewing or swallowing is more difficult, a soft diet may be easier
to manage. The following advice and
meal plan provides some tips on how to provide a soft diet, and gives some ideas
for soft meals and snacks
- Taking
foods ‘little and often’ may be more manageable-aim for small frequent
meals and snacks every 2-3 hours
- Try
using sauces, gravy, butter, cream or custard to soften foods e.g. have fish
in sauce, sponge with custard or cream
- Soften
foods by chopping, mincing or mashing
- Small
sips of drink with a meal can help to moisten your food
- Meats
should be well cooked and tender by stewing, casseroling etc
- Warm
foods may be more soothing. Allow
a piping hot meal or drink to cool before eating or drinking
- Try
to avoid foods that require a lot of chewing and are difficult to swallow
e.g. tough gristly meat, raw vegetables and nuts
- You
may need to take nutritious
drinks between you meals to supplement your intake. Your Dietitian will advise you about this
Menu
ideas for meals and snacks
Meat and Poultry
- Shepherds
pie, cottage pie, corned beef hash, meat loaf
- Minced
meats and gravy or sauce
- Sausages
(may be easier to manage if skinless)
- Tender
meat in stews, hotpots or casseroles
- Potted
meat and pates
Fish
- Flaked
fish in white/cheese/parsley sauce
- Fisherman’s
pie, fish mornay, fish and potato nests
- Fish
mousse or light pate
- Tinned
fish e.g. tuna, salmon, sardines
Eggs
- Serve
scrambled, poached, boiled or as an omelette (add cheese if desired)
- Egg
Mayonnaise (Ensure that eggs are well cooked)
- Egg
dishes e.g. sweet/savoury egg custard, soufflés
- Whisk
into milk puddings
Pasta Dishes
- Lasagne,
moussaka, bolognaise sauce over pasta
- Macaroni
cheese, ravioli
- Pasta
in creamy sauce e.g. carbonara
Potatoes and Vegetables
- Soft
carrots, turnip, swede, cauliflower, marrow are easily mashable
- Add
extra butter/margarine
- Try
adding grated cheese
- Serve
with a white/cheese sauce or gravy
- Instant
mashed potato is a quick alternative
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