SOFT FOODS? Are they important for real?

The term Soft Food is actually a medical term, meaning that with you are able to mash a food into the consistency of APPLESAUCE using only a fork.

We all know what applesauce is. There is not a whole lot of wiggle room in this definition but some of our members really try hard to push way past the limits. They actually ignore the directive.

Dietary restrictions are meant to keep you from hurting yourself. They are not a punishment or test. Let us remind you that if you have just had bariatric surgery, you've had about 80% of your stomach removed and have thousands of staples holding your surgery intact. You've been given a food progression starting with liquids, moving to purees and then soft foods and its very important that do you as you have been told.

I CANNOT FORK MASH STEAK INTO APPLESAUCE TEXTURE.

This holds true for jerky or raw carrots or cucumber salad or pork chop or a hamburger or grilled chicken - they do not mash into "applesauce texture" either and therefore, these foods DO NOT work. PERIOD. Absolutely no wiggle room.

Your surgical team does NOT WANT you to eat chicken tenders, or eggs, and I am very certain they do not want you chewing a Big Mac and spitting out into a bag instead of swallowing it. They do not want you stopping at Chick Fil A on the way home from the hospital and getting 'grilled nuggets'. Fact.

Here are three simple things you can try eating for a first soft food.

1. Simmer a package of boneless chicken thighs in a big can of crushed tomatoes in a covered pot on the stove, for about an hour or until they practically melt into the sauce - I can fork mash this chicken into the texture of applesauce in a bowl with some of the sauce.
2. Fork mash cottage cheese with Libbys canned Splenda Peaches into an applesauce-like bowl of mush.
3. Fork mash Pinto Beans or Black Beans with a little chicken broth into applesauce-like texture as in the photos I took of these two wonderful soft foods in my kitchen. Mmmmmm. Easy too. Add a little salsa from a jar 'for flavor!'

There are too many brand new post ops asking if they can eat whacky foods that are not even in the ballpark of PUREES OR SOFT FOODS and once again someone is going to end up in the hospital for emergency surgery if folks don'ít understand how important this is.

A long long time ago, in the beginning of bariatric time, my bariatric surgeon told me a story about a 5 day old post op who ate A HOMEMADE RAVIOLI as a puree (they are soft, right?) and they got stuck in her new pouch. He had to go in with a scope and forceps and remove them. ONE WEEK LATER, she came in again, this time the stuck food was a POTATO KNISH (Google it). He had to go in with a scope and forceps and remove it. Perhaps she was a slow learner or not all that smart - maybe she was just hard headed.

Pay attention to food restrictions. They are important or your surgical team would not have said anything to you.

• A liquid can be POURED.
• A clear liquid is one that you can see light through.
• A puree is a completely smooth food paste.
• A puree is the texture of BABY FOOD, SMOOOOOOTH.
• A soft food can easily be mashed with a fork into "applesauce".