Weight Loss Surgery Diet

Stage 3 - Pureed Diet

Following the full liquid diet, patients often enter the third stage, which also lasts for 2 weeks. The pureed diet consists of soft foods that have been blended until they become very smooth and easy to digest. Pureed foods can be made from vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and even some meats if you have a sufficiently powerful blender. Patients should continue to avoid any solid or chunky textures during this stage. Remember to cook (consider steaming) the food until it is soft and easy to mash before pureeing it to make it suitable for a pureed diet. Think "baby food". Do not consume more than ½ cup of food during any single meal, and stop eating and drinking before that amount if you start feeling full or uncomfortable. After surgery, patients should only consider moving to a subsequent diet stage if they are tolerating their current diet stage without any problems.

Options to Consider:

Anything from diet Stage 1 or Stage 2

Pureed Vegetables and Fruits (Minimize the sweet ones due to high sugar content)::

Apples

Apricots

Bananas

Bell peppers

Berries (Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries) 

Broccoli

Carrots

Cauliflower

Cucumbers

Green beans

Parsnips

Peaches

Pears

Plums

Spinach

Squash (Butternut squash, Pumpkin, Yellow squash, Zucchini)

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes

Turnips

Pureed Proteins (only if pureed though):

Beef

Cheese (soft varieties like ricotta or cottage cheese)

Chicken

Fish

Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, black beans, peas, kidney beans, edamame)

Tofu

Turkey

Yogurt

Pureed Grains:

Oatmeal

Quinoa

Rice (cream of rice)

Notable Things to Avoid:

Caffeine containing liquids (like coffee or green tea) - May contribute to reflux and heartburn

Avocado - High fat

Beets - Will make your bowel movements appear to be bloody

Especially spicy foods (hot peppers, etc.)

(For surgery that involves stapling) Papayas or pineapples - Might injure some healing tissues