Soft foods

After a few weeks of pureed foods, and with your doctor's OK, you can add soft foods to your diet. They should be small, tender and easily chewed pieces of food.

You can eat 3 to 5 small meals a day. Each meal should consist of one-third to one-half cup of food. Chew each bite until the food is pureed consistency before swallowing.

Soft foods include:

• Ground lean meat or poultry.
• Flaked fish.
• Eggs.
• Cottage cheese.
• Cooked or dried cereal.
• Rice.
• Canned or soft fresh fruit, without seeds or skin.
• Cooked vegetables, without skin.