Soft Diet For Children
The soft diet for children is a product of the inability to consume solid foods. It is a gastric protection diet that includes ingredients that are easily digestible for the stomach .
The list of foods on the bland diet includes those that are easy to chew and swallow. Their textures are smooth and they are not low in fiber content.
As a mother, you should keep in mind that a bland diet does not have to be boring and tasteless nor should it be experienced as torture on the part of the child. Remember that these types of feeding protocols are applied temporarily and that the little one will soon return to eating solid foods progressively.
In this article, we will delve into the soft diet for children, explain what products it includes, and offer you some tips on how to cook food.
Soft diet for children
This type of diet may vary slightly depending on the reason for which the diet is started. Generally, it is recommended to follow it for a short period of time, until the difficulty is resolved.
During this time, you should make sure to offer attractive foods to the child . This is very important so that there are no food rejections and so that you can obtain the calories, proteins and other nutrients necessary for your growth and for your healing.
The soft diet limits or eliminates ingredients that are difficult to chew and swallow, such as raw fruits and vegetables, chewy breads, and tough meats. It is a generous diet in terms of protein, in which fried foods and spicy foods are not advisable. This class of foods have slow gastric emptying, as well as inflammatory properties, as stated in an article published in the journal “Lipids in Health and Disease”.
Similarly, most cereals and sodas are also not welcome. Not forgetting those fruits that contain skin and seeds, which must be eliminated from the child’s diet.
List of foods included in the soft diet
This is a list that includes some of the foods that your child can eat on a bland diet. Remember to add imagination to the dishes to cheer up the little one!
To eat:
- Soft bread, no crust.
- Avocado, asparagus and peeled tomatoes.
- Mashed potatoes and pumpkins.
- Oatmeal, semolina and cream of wheat.
- Cooked rice and pasta.
- Lamb and minced and cooked meat.
- Fish without bones and cooked tuna.
- Soup and broth.
- Pineapple, banana and strawberries.
- Yogurt and soft cheeses.
- Frozen.
To drink:
- Water.
- Milk.
- Fruit juice.
How to prepare soft foods
The foods included in this diet are easy to digest and can be made even smoother when cooked or marinated. Canned or cooked fruits and vegetables can be used in place of raw or dried varieties.
Also, remember to use the minimum amount of oil so as not to damage the child’s belly. This is how you should prepare them:
- Cut the food into small pieces.
- Use broth or sauce to moisten the food; soup is a safe and healthy option in a soft food diet.
- Cook the vegetables until they are soft enough to mash with a fork.
- Use a food processor to grind or puree food; this way they will be easier to chew and swallow.
- Include fruit juice.
- Strain soups that have large chunks of meat or vegetables.
Tips to keep in mind about the soft diet for children
These are the tips to keep in mind if your child is eating a soft diet:
- You should eat 5 or 6 meals a day. It is important that each intake contains a small volume to facilitate digestion.
- You have to rinse your mouth after every meal to help keep it clean.
- Eat foods with fiber, so that constipation is not a problem. Fiber is capable of increasing the speed of intestinal transit, according to a study published in the journal “European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences”.
- Treating constipation or diarrhea with probiotics is often an effective option.
- The best way to maintain your child’s nutrition is with calories and protein to vary his diet. So positively confuse him by trying different recipes.
- Vitamins and supplements can help you stay healthy.
Easily digestible foods against stomach problems
To finish, we remind you that a soft diet for children is something casual, the result of a bad state. Despite everything, you should keep in mind that it is a wonderful opportunity for your child to learn to eat food in a healthy way. If you perceive that the reception is good on their part, you can keep some dishes in their usual diet.
