Food Group
Foods to Eat
Foods to Avoid
Menu Ideas
FRUIT
Pureed fruit without seeds
Ripe, well mashed bananas and applesauce
Whole fruits
Chunky applesauce
Fruit with added nuts or seeds
Dried fruits
Use pureed fruit on meats as a sauce to add flavor
VEGETABLES
Pureed vegetables without chunks, lumps, pulps, or seeds
Tomato paste or sauce without seeds
Tomato or vegetable juice
Whole vegetables that are fresh or raw
Any vegetables that have not been pureed
Tomato sauce with seeds
Add margarine to vegetables to add calories
POTATOES AND STARCHES
Mashed white or sweet potatoes with gravy or sauce
Pureed potato casseroles
Pureed pasta, noodles, and rice with gravy or sauce
Rice, potatoes, or noodles that have not been pureed
Baked white and sweet potatoes
Add gravies, butter, margarine, or sour cream to potatoes, rice, or noodles when pureeing to add calories and moisture
MEAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES
Pureed chicken, turkey, fish, meat
Strained baby food meats
Pureed casseroles, lentils, legumes, and hummus
Pureed eggs, potted/deviled meat
Any meat, fish, chicken, or turkey that is not pureed
Casseroles, beans, and eggs that have not been pureed
Lunch meat, unless pureed
Baby food meats can be used for quick, easy meals
OILS/FATS
Butter, margarine, sour cream, vegetable oils, cream cheese, whipped topping, mayonnaise, smooth salad dressing, and smooth sauces
Salad dressings that are chunky or lumpy
Bacon or bacon bits
Use vegetable oil, smooth sauces, and gravies to add moisture for pureeing foods
MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS
Smooth yogurt, custard, pudding
Pureed cottage cheese and melted cheese in cheese sauce
Milk, milkshakes, eggnog, plain ice cream without nuts, fruit, or chunks
Yogurt with fruit, lumpy pudding (like tapioca or rice pudding)
Whole cottage cheese, cheese slices/cubes that are not melted
Ice cream with nuts, fruit, or chunks
Add chocolate syrup or other flavoring to milk for additional calories
BREADS AND CEREALS
Cream of wheat, farina, and grits
Pureed dressing, pancakes, sweet rolls, and Danish pastries
Oatmeal, dry cereal
Crackers, whole bread, whole bread products with nuts/seeds
Rice and pastas that are not pureed
SOUP
Smooth soups without lumps, pureed soups
Broth/strained soups
Cream soups with meat/fish or vegetable chunks unless they are pureed
Margarine or butter can be added to soups to add calories
Melt cream cheese or cheese in soups
DESSERTS
Smooth puddings, custard, pureed cake or pie with no lumps, seeds, or peelings
Gelatin
Smooth candies, such as truffles
Plain ice cream, sherbet, ices, frozen juice bars, mousse, souffles
Pudding with lumps, fruit, or nuts
Rice or bread pudding
Any pureed dessert with lumps, seeds, or nuts
Gelatin with fruits or vegetables
Add whipped topping to pudding, custard, pureed pie or cake to add calories
OTHER
Plain gelatin
Finely ground pepper, powdered spices, powdered herbs, salt, sugar, sugar substitute, brown sugar
Smooth jelly, honey, maple/chocolate/smooth fruit syrups, cream and powdered creamers
Meat sauces, BBQ sauce, marinades, smooth cranberry sauces
Nutritional shakes or supplements
Coffee, tea
Carbonate sodas like ginger ale and cola
Water
Coarse ground pepper, crushed or flaked herbs, seeds, any spice or herb that is not finely ground
Whole cranberry sauce
Add BBQ sauce when pureeing meat to add flavor
Marinate meats before cooking to add extra flavor when pureeing
Breakfast
Snack
1/2 cup (120 mL) cooked cream of wheat
2 pureed scrambled eggs
1 cup (240 mL) milk
1/2 cup (120 mL) fruit juice
Coffee or tea
1/2 cup (120 mL) pureed fruit
Lunch
Snack
1 cup (240 mL) strained soup
3 ounces (90 mL) beef pureed with gravy
1 cup (240 mL) mashed potatoes with margarine and gravy
1 cup (240 mL) pureed carrots with margarine
1 cup (240 mL) milk
1 cup (240 mL) fruit juice
1/2 cup (120 mL) pudding
Dinner
Snack
1 to 2 cups(240 to 480 mL) pureed chicken noodle casserole
1 cup (240 mL) pureed spinach with margarine
1 cup (240 mL) pureed peaches
1 cup (240 mL) milk
Coffee or tea
1/2 cup (120 mL) ice cream
1 cup (240 mL) milkshake or nutritional supplement