If you have recently had your teeth removed and have been fitted with a temporary denture, you will likely be on a soft diet for a while. Even properly fitting dentures can’t do too much to reduce the initial soreness following tooth extraction, and you can’t expect to get back to biting and chewing normal food right away.
This means that you’ll likely be on a soft food diet for a while. Here are some tips to help you make sure your soft diet is nutritious.
Get a Balance of Nutrients
It’s important to make sure your soft diet includes all the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. This means getting enough:
- Protein
- Fat
- Carbohydrates
- Fiber
- Vitamins and minerals
It’s also important to make sure your food is satisfying to eat so that you can maintain a healthy appetite.
The Meat of the Subject
Proteins are critical to helping your body repair itself after your tooth extraction. It’s also critical to rebuilding your gums, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough. The problem is that the meat that most people rely on for protein can be a bit harder to include in a soft diet.
Ground meats are a good choice for this, but make sure the meat isn’t dry–sauces and gravy can help make the meat easier to eat.
Don’t forget other alternatives, too, like beans, which can easily be cooked until soft, and eggs, which fit nicely into a soft food diet. Fish and other seafood are also good protein-rich additions to a soft food diet.
Fat Is Where It’s at
While people often think of fat as unhealthy, it’s actually critical to your health that you get enough fat. Your body uses fat in many ways, and it’s high in calories and slow to digest so it’s a good addition to your soft diet.
It’s also important to make sure you’re balancing your unsaturated and saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are healthier and come from different types of seed oils, fish, and avocado. Saturated fats come from meat, dairy, and coconut or palm oil.
Fuel Your Fire
Your body also needs fuel to keep functioning. The fuel source your body most relies on is carbohydrates. This includes starchy vegetables and grain products like cereals, bread, and pasta. Many crusty breads can be a challenge to eat with dentures, so you might consider switching to softer bread slices and flatbreads.
Don’t forget to make most of your grains whole grains.
Keep It Moving
Another important nutrient is fiber. Fiber helps the body move waste through. To achieve this, the body uses two different types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is found in grains and fresh fruits. These can help slow your digestion, and it can make bowel movements softer. Insoluble fiber helps the body move food through your digestive system. This type of fiber is found most often in starchy vegetables, including squash and beans.
Vitamins and Minerals
It’s important to make sure you’re getting a balance of different nutrients by varying your diet throughout the day. Eat different types of fruits and vegetables, and make sure you’re getting a good supply of the nutrients your body needs to repair your gums and bones, including vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin K, and more. This is especially important if you are getting implant dentures.
Your Soft Diet Should Be Temporary
As your gums heal, you should be able to transition from your soft diet to a more substantial diet that requires chewing. By the time you get your permanent dentures, you should be able to eat most foods you ate before.
If you can’t maybe your dentures aren’t designed or fitted properly. If you’re tired of eating a soft diet and want dentures that can give you more options when it comes to your diet, please contact a local FOY ® Dentures dentist today.
