Kinds of Diet

When the doctor prescribes a liquid, soft, light, or full diet, there should be a full understanding of what foods are included.

Liquid Diet

A liquid diet is the regular diet liquefied to make it smooth in texture and easy to digest. The full liquid diet permits the use of any foods in natural fluid form and any that will liquefy at body temperature. It is fairly easy to plan and adequate liquid diet from the four food groups. Although bread is not used in liquid form, cereals may be made into gruels by cooking, straining, and adding milk or water. Potatoes and other vegetable may be pureed and used in thin mil soups. Fruits also may be cooked and mashed or put through a sieve. The juices of fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, and carrots, and of canned

Vegetables may be chilled or heated and served as broths, as may fish and meat stocks and beef juice.

In some acute illnesses, the liquid diet may be restricted for a short time to clear broths, bouillons, and plain jellied consommés, thin gruels, strained fruit juice or lemonade, plain gelatin dessert, and ices and sherbets made without mil, The addition of energy foods, such as hone, sugar, hard candies, and carbonated beverages may make the diet more appealing, especially to children. Egg albumins in water or fruit juice and plain tea or coffee are usually permitted.

Soft Diet

The regular diet modified so that it is smooth, easy to digest, and leaves little residue in the digestive tract becomes a soft diet. Liquid foods and those solid foods that contain no though skins, fibers, or seeds are included. Fruits and vegetables are cooked and pureed, and meats, when allowed, are usually limited to broiled or roasted tender chicken, labs, fish, scraped beef, and sweetbreads. All raw, coarse, and fat-rich foods, concentrated sweets, spices, and condiments are restricted.

Light Diet

The light diet is the regular diet modified to make food easier to digest. All foods are plainly cooked, and smaller servings are given. Rich gravies, salad dressings, and other fat rich foods, raw and coarse vegetables and fruits, spices, and concentrated sweet are limited.

Regular or Full Diet

In the regular or full diet, also called the general diet, meals are planned in accordance with the four food groups previously discussed. The full diet for a convalescent may include all foods except fried foods, gas-forming vegetables (cabbage, onions, cauliflower, turnips), rich pastries, and concentrated sweets.

The regular diet that has been modified to eliminate irritation to the digestive tract is known as a bland diet. The modification may e in consistency, in flavor, or in the way the food is cooked. Consistency is changed by eliminating all indigestible tough skins and fibers, connective tissue, and seeds. The diet can be modified in flavor by eliminating spices, condiments (except salt), flavoring extracts, vinegars and wines, and other highly flavored foods. Simple, well-cooked foods should be used in the bland diet. Raw foods are eliminated. Juices and cereals are strained, and vegetables and fruits are usually mashed or sieved after cooking. Fried foods, and very hot and very cold fluids, carbonated and alcoholic beverages, and concentrated sweets are omitted,