Easy to eatTasty meals and snacks for people

eating soft or puréed food

Patient information serviceBristol Haematology and Oncology Centre

Nutrition and dietetics

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Easy to eat

While you are experiencing difficulties chewing or swallowing food, you may need to eat softer foods than usual.

It is still possible to have a well balanced diet and eat the foods you enjoy, but the texture sometimes needs to be changed.

You may be able to eat many everyday foods without changing them (like mousse). Others can be mashed with a fork (like banana) or passed through a sieve (like soup).

Alternatively, you may need to purée your food using a liquidiser, blender or food processor.

To purée a food, you need to add extra fluid, which can dilute it and make meals less nourishing. Try to use milk or cream based sauces, soup or gravy rather than water.

Foods should be puréed and served separately on the plate so they retain their individual tastes and colours.

Many people find it difficult to eat enough on a soft or puréed diet. This booklet contains higher energy and fat suggestions to prevent you from losing weight. If you are not experiencing difficulties, managing to eat well and you are not losing weight, continue to choose healthy lower fat foods as part of a balanced diet.

If you are seeing a speech therapist, remember to follow their advice on foods and drinks.

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Soft foods

These are soft, but may need to be mashed or puréed to a smoother consistency.

Use ready meals and convenience foods if you find it easier.

Meat and poultry

Fresh, frozen or tinned meats can be used as long as they are well cooked and tender. Always serve or liquidise with a sauce or gravy.

Chicken, turkey, pork, lamb and beef can be bought minced. Use mince to make cottage pie, meatballs, spaghetti bolognese, chilli con carne or simply serve mince with gravy.

Braise or stew meat with vegetables and gravy or use packet, tinned or bottled sauces.

Slice roast meats very thinly and serve with gravy.

For convenience, use corned beef, luncheon meat or pâté.

Try faggots or skinless sausages in gravy.

Fish

Try these softer fish dishes:

• fish poached in milk with white, parsley or cheese sauce

• boil in the bag fish with sauce

• tinned sardines or pilchards with tomato sauce

• well-cooked prawns in seafood sauce

• salmon mousse

• taramasalata

• fish with tomato or parsley sauce

• tuna with mayonnaise.

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Cheese and eggs

When using eggs, always make sure they are well-cooked.

Add milk, butter or grated cheese into mashed potato or puréed/mashed vegetables.

Add cheese to soups, sauces and casseroles.

Try these softer options:

• cauliflower cheese

• savoury egg custard

• egg in cheese sauce

• poached or scrambled egg

• fluffy omelette.

Pasta

Try these softer pasta dishes:

• lasagne

• tinned pasta like macaroni cheese or ravioli

• pasta with tomato, bolognese or cheese sauces.

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Vegetarian ideas

Try these softer foods:

• baked beans mashed with a fork

• houmous

• lentil soup

• dhal

• Quorn or soya mince in bolognese, chilli or cottage pie

• vegetarian cottage pie, bolognese or chilli

• soft vegetable bake, stew or curry.

Vegetables

Try these softer foods:

• potatoes boiled or creamed with added butter and milk

• try instant mash and make it with hot milk for more nourishment

• jacket potato, or sweet potato, without the skin

• cauliflower or broccoli in a cheese sauce

• carrots, swede, squash, or parsnip mashed with butter

• creamed mushrooms or spinach

• mushy peas

• tinned or skinned tomatoes

• tender courgettes/zucchinis

• avocado whipped with mayonnaise or seafood sauce

• ratatouille.

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Fruit

Some soft fruit may need to be skinned, for example peaches, pears, or plums.

Harder fruits can be stewed, such as apples.

Tinned fruit is usually quite soft but can be mashed or puréed with a little juice, for example peaches or pears.

Stew dried fruits, such as prunes, apricots or figs, and purée if required with some of the cooking juices.

Add custard, evaporated milk or cream to fresh, tinned or stewed fruit.

Desserts

Try these ideas:

• milk puddings, custard, blancmange and crème caramel

• baked or mashed banana

• yoghurt and fromage frais (avoid low fat/low sugar varieties if possible). Smooth versions are available

• dairy ice-cream

• jelly or trifle

• mousses, fruit fools and whips

• sponge cake softened with a sauce, for example chocolate sauce, cream, custard.

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Cereals

Most breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals and can be eaten at any time of the day. Try them softened with lots of hot or cold milk (some people will need to soak cereal for a while).

You can try:

• porridge, Ready Brek or Oat So Simple

• wholegrain cereals, for example Weetabix, Oatibix, Shredded Wheat, Shreddies or Bran Flakes

• cornflakes or Rice Krispies.

Bread

Not everyone can manage bread. If you can, try:

• bread with no crusts with butter or margarine, thickly spread

• bread soaked in soup or tinned tomatoes

• sandwiches with soft, moist fillings, such as tuna, salmon, egg mayonnaise, cream cheese, cottage cheese or jam

• soft chapatti

• plain naan soaked into curry

• bread with moist toppings, for example baked beans, scrambled egg, tinned spaghetti hoops.

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Meal and snack ideasYou may find it useful to write a list of meal and snack ideas. Don’t forget that some of the ideas mentioned in this booklet can also be used as a snack. For example, try cereal as a bedtime snack or yoghurt as a mid-morning snack.

Breakfast

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Lunch

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Evening meal

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Snacks

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Fortified milk

Add two to four tablespoons of skimmed milk powder to one pint of full cream milk. Use on cereal, in drinks and in puddings in place of ordinary milk.

Sauces

Make cheese sauce to go with soft vegetables or flaked fish. Add extra milk powder to the sauce (you could use a packet sauce mix).

Nutritious soup

Make up packet or creamed condensed soups with milk in place of water.

Nourishing drinks

Have milk based drinks, such as hot chocolate, milky coffee or malted drinks.

Complan and Meritene (sweet or savoury) are available from some chemists and supermarkets.

Making the most of your meals

Do you have a small appetite?

If you have a small appetite, are losing weight or wanting to gain weight, try to eat little and often. Try to include small snacks between your meals or have four to six smaller meals per day. Use the ideas below and on page 10 to make the most out of your meals.

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You can add any of the following ingredients to your meals.

To breakfast cereals:

• cream• natural or Greek

yoghurt• honey• evaporated milk.

To sandwiches:

• extra butter or margarine

• mayonnaise• salad cream• cream cheese• cheese spreads.

To vegetables, potatoes and salads:

• grated cheese• butter, margarine• sauces• cream• oils, dressings• mayonnaise.

To puddings:

• custard• cream, ice cream• evaporated milk• jam, honey• syrup.

To stews:

• grated cheese• beans, lentils• puréed or minced

meat• dumplings.

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Preventing constipation

A soft or puréed diet can be low in fibre. To prevent constipation, try including:

• wholegrain cereals and porridge – see page 7

• vegetables, beans and lentils – see page 5

• all types of fruit, particularly prunes – see page 6

• make sure you drink regularly throughout the day – aim for eight to 10 cups a day.

Ask your doctor for advice if the problem continues.

Points to remember

To make sure you are taking enough vitamin C, try to drink one to two glasses of fruit juice or vitamin C fortified drink daily. Try to also include some soft or puréed fruit each day.

Soft or puréed meals can be cooked in bulk, then frozen and reheated. Follow food safety guidelines when doing this.

If the range of foods you can eat is limited, ask your doctor or dietitian about soluble vitamin and mineral supplements.

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