Through your pre-surgery practice, you’ve no doubt become a pro at navigating the grocery store. But, since your surgery, your needs are different from what they were before. Below is some grocery information you can use to be successful with your soft food diet.

First, you want to make sure you make some one-time purchases that will really come in handy as you continue with your weight loss success:

• Measuring Spoons
• 3-4 ounce plastic storage ware
• Measuring Cups
• Baby utensils (to assist with portion control)
• Ice cube tray (for making popsicles and other frozen treats)

Below are some healthy options to consider for your soft food diet.

Dairy

Skim or 1% milk
low-fat cheese and yogurt
*if lactose intolerant you can replace milk with soy, almond, or Lactaid milk

Fruits

Fresh and frozen fruits:
strawberries
blueberries
melons
unsweetened applesauce
fruits without skins

Vegetables

Include dark green leafy vegetables daily
spinach
broccoli
green beans
carrots
asparagus
turnip greens
tossed salads

*Introduce raw vegetables gradually when starting solid food*

Meat Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Beans, and Nuts*

Lean meat
fish (salmon, sole, flounder, tuna, etc.)
shellfish
poultry
eggs (limit egg yolks to 4 per week)
nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)
beans (soybeans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, hummus, etc.)
tofu

*Bake, broil or grill meat. Make sure meat is soft & moist. Try using gravy, a marinade or tenderizer to make meat soft but remember it must contain minimal sugar.

Desserts

Sugar-free Jell-O
sugar-free pudding
sugar-free custards
sugar-free popsicles
sugar-free desserts

Beverages

Decaf coffee or tea
skim, 1%, or soymilk
tomato juice (can cause reflux)
reduced-calorie or sugar-free drinks: Crystal Light, Fruit2O, Carb Countdown, Propel, Option, Special K protein water, diet iced tea

Fats & Oils

Olive or canola oil
light sprays
reduced calorie salad dressings
fat-free or light mayo

Miscellaneous

Spices
herbs
salt
pepper
vinegar
extracts
mustard

artificial sweeteners: Splenda, Equal, & Sweet-n-Lo

Grains, Breads, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta *

Whole grains - high in fiber:
whole wheat bread*
wheat pasta*
brown or wild rice*
high-fiber cereals