Patient education: Pureed diet (The Basics)

What is a pureed diet? — A pureed diet is made up of foods that are blended, whipped, or mashed until they are a soft, "pudding-like" texture. This ensures that foods can be safely and easily swallowed.

All foods on a pureed diet should:

●Be smooth

●Be thicker than a liquid

●Hold their shape so you can't pour them

All foods on a pureed diet should not:

●Need chewing

●Be lumpy

●Be sticky

●Be able to flow through a straw

●Be able to separate into a liquid and solids

Why do I need a pureed diet? — Pureed diets are used in many different situations. Examples include:

●When a person has trouble swallowing, chewing, or breaking down ("digesting") foods

●After certain kinds of surgery, such as weight loss surgery or throat surgery

Can I puree foods at home? — Yes. Almost any meal or food can be pureed:

●Use a blender or food processor to puree foods.

●Start by cooking the food so it is tender and moist.

●Use liquids to get the right consistency and soften foods as needed.

●Store extra pureed foods in the freezer.

You can use a strainer or sieve for some foods, like fruits and vegetables. You can also try eating "stage 1" or "stage 2" baby foods.

Talk with your doctor or nurse about adding powdered milk, protein powders, or breakfast powders to increase the calories and protein in pureed food. It can also help to work with a dietitian (food expert).

What if the food isn't the right consistency? — If a food is too thin when pureed, you can add more of the food, potato flakes, infant cereal, breadcrumbs, or commercial thickeners, and puree again. This can help to make a pudding-like consistency.

If the food is too thick, add small amounts of liquids like gravy, broth, sauce, or milk, and puree again.

What can I eat and drink on a pureed diet? — Almost all foods can be pureed and made into a pudding-like consistency. Some examples of foods you can puree:

●Grains – Cooked cereals like oatmeal or cream of wheat. Infant cereals. Pureed bread or bakery products mixed with a thickener. Pureed pasta, rice, and barley mixed with a thickener.

●Fruits and vegetables – Cook fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables until they are soft. Drain canned fruits or vegetables, and set aside the liquid. Puree the fruit or vegetable until smooth. Add in liquids as needed to be the right consistency. You might need to strain out pieces of skin or seeds before pureeing.

●Dairy – Milk, yogurt without bits of fruit, melted cheeses, non-dairy milk, custard, pudding, ice cream, sherbet.

●Lean meats, poultry, seafood, and proteins – Take off any skin, and cut the meat into small pieces before pureeing. Pureed soft, well-cooked meat, poultry, or seafood. Pureed smooth nut butter, soft-cooked eggs, soft-cooked beans, lentils, peas, and tofu.

●Other foods – Strain soups, and set aside the liquid. Puree any noodles, meats, and vegetables until smooth. Add liquid as needed to be the right consistency. Mix butter, margarine, or smooth condiments like sour cream, cream cheese, or mustard into purees.

What foods and drinks should I avoid on a pureed diet? — Avoid rough or crunchy foods, foods that are sticky, and foods with skin or seeds.

●Grains to avoid – Chips, popcorn, pretzels, candy, baked products that are not pureed.

●Fruits and vegetables to avoid – Raw fruits or vegetables, salads, dried fruit or vegetables. Foods with membranes, skins, seeds, or hulls.

●Dairy to avoid – Yogurt with bits of fruit, granola, or seeds. Crispy cheese toppings.

●Lean meats, poultry, seafood, and proteins to avoid – Nuts and seeds (including nut butters and seed butters). Breaded, fried meats, fish, or poultry. Bacon, meat in casings like sausages, hot dogs.

●Other foods to avoid – Chunky condiments like salsa or relish. Olives, pickles.

What else should I know? — Make sure that your body is getting all of the nutrients it needs. This includes many different vitamins and minerals. If you are not sure that you are getting the right nutrients, your doctor, nurse, or dietitian can help.

If you need to be on a pureed diet for more than a few weeks, you might need to take a liquid multivitamin. Talk with your doctor or nurse about this.

More on this topic

Patient education: Weight loss surgery (The Basics)
Patient education: Facial fractures (The Basics)

Patient education: Weight loss surgery and procedures (Beyond the Basics)