Stage 4: Puree / Soft Food Diet (1 Week):
Stage 4 starts the transition from puree to soft foods during your bariatric journey. It is important that you continue to take 1 - 2 protein supplements per day.
During this stage, you can start to thicken your smoothies, by adding thicker fruits such as bananas, apples, peaches, or oranges. You can also start to incorporate whole legumes and softened meats.
Stage 5: Soft Food Diet ( 1-2 Weeks):
This stage will transition you fully into soft foods, so instead of a puree diet, you can fully make the switch to shredded, softened, or tender meats. Canned vegetables are a great way to introduce veggies into your soft food diet.
Stage 6: Soft / Solid Food Diet ( 1 Week):
During this stage, you can start to introduce soft solid foods into your diet.
You can add 1 - 2 new foods per day that you don’t need to mechanically alter. Avoid Iceberg lettuce during this stage, often times it does not sit well with bariatric patients.
Avoid cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale), stringy or seedy fruits and vegetables, bread products, rice, and pasta. These foods typically do not sit well for recent bariatric patients.
