A Semi-Solid Diet

A semi-solid diet usually begins three to four weeks following a gastric bypass surgery. It is also referred as the soft/pureed foods diet and is the third stage of returning to solid foods following surgery. This diet is designed to retrain the stomach to begin eating solid foods after consuming a liquid diet.

After receiving the OK from your doctor, you may begin following a semi-solid diet as early as two weeks post surgery. The semi-solid diet will last about four to six weeks before progressing to a low-fat solid food diet. Following gastric bypass surgery your stomach will hold about a half cup of food at a time. Because of this you should eat five to six small meals daily of soft, pureed foods. Meals should be no more than six ounces in weight, and it is essential to chew and eat slowly. Take at least 30 minutes to consume the entire contents of the meal.

The semi-solid diet includes foods high in protein and low in fat, fiber, calories and sugar. Soft fruits and vegetables can also be pureed and included in the diet. It is essential to get enough protein right after surgery to make sure that wounds heal properly and help preserve muscle tissue, so weight can be lost via fat instead of muscle tissue, explains Frank W. Jackson, M.D., of Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroentrology. Additionally, because only a small amount of food is consumed at a time, it is essential to supplements with vitamins and minerals to avoid deficiencies.

A semi-solid diet includes foods like scrambled egg, low-fat cottage cheese or blenderized lean meats like tuna or chicken. Blend foods with water, fat-free milk or broth to create a smooth consistency. Strained baby foods are a convenient option that patients often use following surgery. Additionally, soft fruits and vegetables can be pureed and included into the semi-solid diet. Additionally, avoid foods that are hard on the digestive tract such popcorn, nuts, seeds, high fat meat or gristle, breads and fibrous vegetables, recommends DukeHealth.org.

Breakfast might consist of scrambling and blending two egg whites and one whole egg. A mid-morning snack might be a half cup of low-fat cottage cheese and quarter of a pureed banana. For lunch, 3 ounces of blended chicken breast and 1/4 cup of blended, cooked carrots. Consume 1/2 cup of low-fat, low-sugar yogurt for an afternoon snack. At dinner, have 1/2 cup of tuna, and 1/4 cup of blended, cooked green beans. An evening snack might be 1/2 cup of sugar-free, low-fat pudding.