No, individuals on a mechanical soft diet generally cannot have regular potato chips because they are hard, dry, and crispy, posing a choking risk; however, certain modified potato products, like very soft, moist mashed potatoes or specific melt-in-your-mouth types (like Pringles if well-moistened), might be acceptable if prepared for the texture level, but typically chips are avoided.
Foods to avoid: Pickles, olives, relishes. Coconut, nuts. Potato chips and other fried snack foods; popcorn.
Balancing Your Plate: MyPlate for Mechanical Soft Diets
Choose a variety of grains, protein foods, and low-fat or fat-free dairy, including lactose-free options and fortified soy milk or yogurt. Enjoy soft fruits like ripe bananas, applesauce, canned peaches, or pears without added sugar, or 100% fruit juice.
Juices, both fruit and vegetable, are the best. Others that qualify are those that are canned or cooked without seeds or skins. Fresh vegetables include avocados, tomatoes and potatoes without the skins. Acceptable fresh fruits include bananas, pureed berries put through a strainer to remove skins and seeds, and melon.
Examples of Hard Foods to Avoid:
Nuts. Hard chips (Doritos, Nachos, Pretzels) Hard bread such as bagels and French bread/rolls. Apples and carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
Starches, Breads, and Cereals:
Well cooked, moistened, boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes. Oatmeal. Cold cereal moistened with milk. Moist macaroni and cheese/well-cooked pasta with meat sauce.
SIMPLE MEAL IDEAS
Summary of differences between potatoes and eggs
Potatoes have more vitamin B6; however, eggs are higher in copper, selenium, choline, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin B5, and phosphorus.
You can change your diet to help manage diarrhea. You can: Eat bland and easy to digest foods like chicken, fish, eggs, puddings, mashed potatoes, noodles, rice, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream of wheat, farina, smooth peanut butter, white bread, bananas, applesauce, canned fruit, and well-cooked vegetables.
No foods should have thin textures, unless advised safe by a SLT. Avoid hard, tough, chewy, stringy, dry or crumbly 'bits'. Avoid ice cream and jelly if you have been advised to take thickened fluids. *Very thick = holds its shape and cannot be poured.
This diet is helpful if you are missing teeth or have just had surgery and cannot chew hard foods. This diet does include soft breads and rice, so it is important that you can move food in your mouth and can swallow safely.
Here are some great go-to's that are actually satisfying:
As long as the foods you eat are cooked, shredded, blended, chopped, or ground you're usually good to go. Here are some examples of foods you can eat while on a mechanical soft diet: All dairy products except non-shredded hard cheeses. Ground meats.
Have a Chip Craving? Here Are 6 Healthy Chip Alternatives to Try!
A mechanical soft diet includes soft or tender foods that are easy to chew and swallow. You probably have some of these in your diet already. Think of veggies like peas, carrots, and squash; soups and stews with tender meats; soft fruits like bananas; and certain dairy products like yogurt and pudding.
Unless your doctor has prescribed the type of colonoscopy prep that's done only on the day of the procedure, the day before a colonoscopy is when you should have only clear liquids.
The BRAT diet ― bananas, rice, applesauce and toast ― is one dietitians recommend for a range of digestive issues, and it can help with both constipation and diarrhea.
To avoid constipation in Japan, focus on hydration, fiber-rich Japanese foods (seaweed, soy, daikon, fruits/veggies), regular exercise, and routine, while also trying local fiber drinks like Fibe-Mini or Zero Cider and considering traditional remedies like daikon radish soup or herbal supplements like Daikenchuto (TJ-100) if needed.
What to choose: White bread, biscuits, muffins, and rolls; plain crackers; white pasta; white rice; cream of wheat; grits; white pancakes; cornflakes; cooked potatoes without skin. Fiber content of these foods should be less than 0.5 (half) gram per serving.
One line of reasoning used to argue oats aren't healthy is that eating them can lead to spikes in blood sugar (glucose). This seems to be linked to the rising use of glucose monitors by people who don't have diabetes.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Weight Loss
Rice and pasta are recommended as healthier than potatoes on the basis of their glycemic index when eaten alone.
Some other safe options include:
Hot cereal (Cream of Wheat®, Cream of Rice®, cornmeal, polenta) • Cold cereals softened with milk (such as Rice Krispies®, Bran Flakes®, Shreddies®) • Minced bread products, soft bread products with crust removed (softened with milk or soup) (such as pancakes, French toast) • Graham crackers, if tolerated • Waffles, ...