Esophageal IMPORTANT TIPS:

• Chew carefully, eat slowly, Soft take small bites and eat small amounts. • This diet does not refer to the types of foods (e.g. spicy) but rather to the consistency of the food.

• Stop eating when you are full.

• If you are on a special diet (diabetic, low-salt, etc.) due to a medical condition, please continue it, but change the consistency.

• If you experience increased bloating or intestinal gas, you may want to take an L. Michael Brunt, M.D. anti-gas medication (e.g. J. Chris Eagon, M.D. Phazyme, Gas-X, Mylanta Michael Awad, M.D. II). Phone (314) 454-8877 • You were given Colace for constipation while in the hospital. If you require further medication, try Milk of Magnesia.

ESOPHAGEAL SOFT DIET FRUIT SAMPLE PLAN

This diet is recommended for those patients You may have canned, cooked or frozen Breakfast who have difficulty swallowing due to fruit without membranes, skin or seeds (e.g. ½ cup orange narrowing or postoperative swelling in the canned , applesauce). You may 1 egg, scrambled esophagus. It will help the passage of food also have and melons without and make eating more comfortable and seeds. 1 slice toast/margarine avoid having food stick. ½ cup milk VEGETABLES MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS Midmorning Snack Canned, cooked or frozen vegetables that 1 oz. soft cheese All milk and milk products are okay are soft (e.g. mashed potatoes, squash, 6 crackers excluding with fruit. carrots, ). ½ cup milk

MEAT AND MEAT Avoid: all raw vegetables, including salads. Lunch SUBSTITUTES Cooked vegetables that are fibrous, tough, ½ cup macaroni and cheese “woody”, or contain seeds (e.g. broccoli, ½ cup cooked carrots , okra or celery). Use ground, tender meat only. Puree meat ½ cup fruited gelatin as necessary. Eat casseroles with ground ½ cup milk meat, eggs, smooth and MISCELLANEOUS luncheon meats. Dried beans and peas as Mid-afternoon Snack tolerated. All beverages, fats and sweets as tolerated. with allowed meats and vegetables 1 cup yogurt Avoid: stringy, dry or fibrous-type meats as tolerated. Carnation Instant Breakfast or 3 graham crackers (e.g. fish, seafood, meat, roast beef, Ensure may be beneficial if you cannot eat ½ chicken and turkey). Meats containing or drink enough at first. gristle or peppercorn, sausage, bacon or Dinner chunky peanut butter. Avoid: nuts, seeds, trail mixes, peppercorn. 2 oz. Soups with chunks of meat, particularly if not ½ cup mashed potatoes with gravy BREADS AND STARCHES ground. ½ cup peaches Breads may cause “sticking” initially and ½ cup milk should be avoided until you are comfortable with eating most soft foods. You can have Evening Snack cereals without nuts and dried fruits, ½ egg salad sandwich noodles, potatoes and pasta. ½ cup juice

Avoid: popcorn, rice and all breads with nuts.