Do you have to go on a bland diet? Neither soft drinks, nor cold cuts nor cookies

This is probably the most prescribed therapeutic diet, for its multiple uses and its “popularity”. Let us not be confused by the fact that it is known as a “soft diet”, since It has nothing to do with the hardness of the food that make it up, that would be an “easy to chew” or “dental soft” diet, suitable when due to some accident or intervention, it is not possible to chew well, but the digestive system is not affected. Or when many teeth are missing, as can be common in the elderly.

What is the bland diet?

The bland diet is a diet of easy digestion or gastric protection, indicated for when for some reason it is convenient to let the digestive system rest, giving it as little work as possible, generally so that it can recover. That’s why it’s a diet low in fiber, without irritants and low in fat.

It can be very strict or quite broad, depending on the patient’s condition. And it is common for it to gradually expand as tolerance improves, with the idea of ​​reaching a normal diet. In its strictest phases, in which few foods are consumed, it does not usually last more than a few days.

When is it recommended?

It is used so much after mild intestinal diseasesto recover, as in the progression diet after surgery, or in outbreaks of inflammatory bowel diseases and in many other pathologies or situations.

It should be prescribed by a competent healthcare professional. This will also indicate how strict we should be in our case and will control the progression in the introduction of food and the duration. But it’s such a common therapeutic diet that many times it is used at the “home” level to improve mild digestive problems.

How to diet bland

to rehydrate, the ideal is to resort to the pharmacy serum that can be purchased already prepared, or in sachets that we will only have to dilute in water, following the instructions. It can also be made at home, the so-called “alkaline lemonade”, It takes a liter of water, the juice of one or two lemons, three tablespoons of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt and half of baking soda. And obviously, before soft drinks we will recommend water, infusions or broths, better defatted. And no alcohol, coffee or tea, as they are potential irritants and alcohol is also toxic. Recommending processed meats is never a good idea., even less in a therapeutic diet. Better natural boiled meat, boiled fish, white tofu or egg if tolerated, or clear, and peeled lentil. That you have to give protein options also to vegetarians! The same for those sweetened dairy products, which are not healthy for anyone, and also in this case less, because they are usually also rich in fat. It is better to avoid dairy in strict phases and then if they are consumed, opt for unsweetened plain yogurt, cottage cheese, or fresh cheese. Leaving milk for last, since it is the most difficult-to-digest dairy product and it is also common in processes of this type that lactose does not feel too good, and it is milk that has the highest content, while it is almost non-existent. in yogurt because it has been fermented. If we prefer vegetable drinks, rice and almond drinks may be the best tolerated in the strict phase, and then we can gradually introduce oats and soy, always better without sugar. Although it is true that, when we have been prescribed a soft diet, it is better that the cereals are refined, to facilitate digestion and lower the fiber content of the diet, they should not be sweet nor again rich in fat. Much better plain cereals like cooked rice, pasta or toast. It is also very suitable boiled potato or sweet potato. And no cookies or buns! Neither on a soft diet, nor on a normal diet. In general, the cooked or roasted fruits are well tolerated (banana, apple, pear, peach…), even some such as banana or papaya are well tolerated fresh. The cooked vegetables They can also be taken (zucchini, pumpkin, carrot…) avoiding the very fibrous ones such as leeks, asparagus or artichokes, and the most flatulent ones (cauliflower, broccoli and the cabbage family). Not the best time for salads or large portions of vegetables and raw vegetables, we better wait to recover. Like fat, a splash of extra virgin olive oil raw, it will be the best option. Other good tips are: avoid spicy food or very spicy, better to make several small intakes throughout the day than copious meals, prefer temperate temperatures to very cold or very hot food or drink and make sure chew very well to facilitate the digestive process.

The most common mistakes when making a bland diet

The little customization, lack of means and personnel that devastates our health system and the lack of the presence of the dietician-nutritionist in public health to prescribe and control diet therapy means that mistakes are often made when prescribing a soft diet. These are the most common:

there is an extended habit of recommending isotonic drinks commercial in these diets, since hydration is key in the stricter phases or when there is diarrhea and/or vomiting. These soft drinks do not provide the necessary electrolytes, but they do contain a lot of sugar and it is a mistake to recommend them. It is also common to recommend processed meats such as york ham or cold cuts. AND sweetened dairy flan or custard type. along with the classic Maria biscuits, biscuits and muffins. It is also not uncommon for it to be advised completely eliminate fruits and vegetables. This should not happen except in very early phases where the diet is practically liquid. Or sometimes, stays on for too long a very strict version of the soft diet, with very few options, without being really necessary and being able to compromise the nutritional status of the patient.

It is surreal that it is paut a therapeutic diet full of unhealthy foods that they should not even be on a normal diet, and that also several of them do not comply with the basic dietary principles of this nutritional treatment, such as being low in fat.

Always individual tolerance will have to be considered and the needs of each case, but in our environment, with such great access to food, I insist that unhealthy foods should never be prescribed, under any circumstances. As if their consumption were not already alarming, to reflect them as advice in health documents.