Food Consistency
My wife (who has gastroparesis and frequently needs to go on liquid diets) was watching some tiktoks about people on liquid diets.
People in both the videos and the comments had extremely different (and often startlingly wrong) ideas of what a liquid diet is.
So I figured I would do a post to clarify for anyone who might be confused, and maybe save you from having a surgery rescheduled due to eating the wrong things.
Clear Liquid Diet:
A clear liquid diet is a diet where ONLY liquids you can see through are permitted. That means no other solid food (that won't turn into a clear liquid in your stomach), no chunks, and no milk. If you're prepping for a surgery or colonoscopy there might also be limits on what food colorings are permitted as well (usually red and purple). A clear liquid diet includes:
Water
Flavored drinks (sports drinks, soft drinks, Kool Aid, etc...)
Broth/stock (vegetable, chicken, beef, etc...)
Popsicles/italian ice
Fruit juices (no pulp)
Gelatin
Coffee/Tea
Specialty clear liquid protein shakes
Full Liquid Diet:
A full liquid diet is a diet where ONLY clear liquids and cloudy/opaque "full" liquids are consumed. No other solid foods and no chunks are permitted. A full liquid diet includes:
Everything on the clear liquid list
Milk and milkshakes
Yogurt (no chunks)
Ice cream (no chunks)
Pudding
Custard
Blended Diet:
A blended diet is a regular diet in which the food has been blended with water. Usually, this is the consistency necessary for a gastric feeding tube.
Everything on the full liquid list
Smoothies
Blended soups (no chunks)
Applesauce
Literally anything as long as it's been put in a blender and is now liquid-y
Pureed Diet:
A pureed diet is a diet in which the food has been mashed into a very fine mash. It can be thicker and drier than a blended diet and the food can be "molded" into shapes that resemble the original food on a plate. This is good for people who have few to no teeth or pain with chewing.
Everything on the blended list
Mashed potatoes (no chunks)
Anything the consistency of mashed potatoes
Mechanical Soft Diet:
A mechanical soft diet is one that is easy to chew. Unlike pureed, there can be small chunks. Examples include:
Everything on the pureed list
Oatmeal/cream of wheat/cream of rice
Very well cooked vegetables
Ground and finely chopped meats
Poached or soft boiled eggs
Cottage cheese



















