Soft diet

It is recommended for people who have difficulty chewing food, including people with some types of dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), the loss of many or all teeth, pain from recently adjusted dental braces, or surgery involving the jaw, mouth, or gastrointestinal tract.

A mechanical soft diet can include many or most foods if they are mashed, puréed, chopped very small, combined with sauce or gravy, or softened in liquid.

For example, patients who need to avoid acid reflux, such as those recovering from esophageal surgery for achalasia, are also instructed to stay away from foods that can aggravate reflux, which include alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, citrus fruits, ketchup and other tomato products, mint, and spicy foods.

[1] A puréed diet is commonly used for people who have difficulty swallowing and provides a uniformly smooth consistency.

[1] Soft diets, particularly purée foods, can contribute to the high prevalence of malnutrition in those with dysphagia, especially in long-term care residents.

A serving of ice cream in a bowl
Ice cream - with no chunks of chocolate, no whole nuts or nut bits, nor other hard ingredients - can be part of a soft diet.
A bowl of applesauce
Applesauce and other puréed fruits and vegetables require no chewing.
A bowl of breakfast cereal in milk
Soggy breakfast cereal requires little or no chewing.
An open jar of peanut butter
Peanut butter and other nut butters provide protein without needing to chew. However, they may be too thick or sticky for people who have difficulty swallowing.