This article has been medically reviewed by Dr Deborah Brunt: BHB, MBCNB, MHSC, FRNZCGP, ASLM, IBLM.
By the time you are on a soft food diet following Bariatric Surgery, it is likely that you are sick of all the smooth and pureed foods you’ve been eating. While protein shakes and other liquids are all well and good… variety is the spice of life and having a collection of bariatric friendly breakfast ideas will come in handy.
Today I’ll be sharing some great Soft food meal ideas that you can eat for breakfast. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
What Is the Soft Food Menu
The soft food stage is when small amounts of soft food–small chunks of meat and vegetables–are allowed into the diet. No more only pureed food. But that leaves the question of what to eat? What does a safe and responsible menu look like? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Keep reading to find out more.
Breakfast After Gastric Bypass Surgery
Breakfast is the first meal of the day. While there is a wide variety of high carb and extremely sugary breakfast cereals to be had, they are not particularly useful for the purposes of a bariatric diet. You’ll be working hard to avoid foods high in sugar as they not only sabotage your weight loss efforts, they could result in dumping syndrome which can leave you feeling very unwell.
The best meals to eat for breakfast are items such as porridge, fish and boiled eggs. There was a time when these foods formed the majority of breakfasts. Protein is essential, especially for the first meal of the day and for anyone who has had a gastric bypass or sleeve.
Simple Breakfast Meals
As mentioned previously, breakfast is the first meal of the day. In modern times, we live modern lives which can be hectic and rushed. We don’t always have the luxury of cooking meals that (though delicious) have long and involved prep times. Often we must make our choices out of pragmatism. This is where simple foods reign supreme.
So here are some great soft food breakfast options to enjoy!
Porridge
Porridge is nothing more (and nothing less) than oats boiled in milk. Grab some oats, grab some milk, and add the heat. By cooking the oats in milk, the cereals are softened allowing them to be safely eaten at this stage of your bariatric diet.
Before bariatric surgery you may have added cinnamon, sugar or honey to your oatmeal. Why not try adding some berries or grated apple, this can add sweetness without the extra sugar.
Oats Soaked in Milk
Leave a bowl of oats overnight to soak in milk. This is the perfect alternative to porridge for when the weather’s hot and you want to ensure that you can get the healthy benefits from your oats without the cooking.
Savoury Oatmeal
Add some soft vegetables to your bowl of porridge before eating it. This can be truly satisfying and a great way to get some soft vegetables into you diet. Try grating in soft carrots or even sweeter leeks. You could also go for soft peppers or tomatoes.
Bananas for Breakfast
Bananas are a soft fruit. Peeled and sliced, they are perfect for the soft fod stage of the bariatric diet. Fresh fruit and vegetables have always been essential in a healthy diet, and the soft food stage post-surgery is no exception. Banana’s are tasty too and give you that sweet hit you may just be craving.
Eggs for Breakfast After Bariatric Surgery
Boiled Eggs for Breakfast
Soft boiled eggs are perfect for the soft food diet and make a great healthy breakfast option. Cooking eggs is fast and easy and whether they are soft boiled or hard boiled this soft food option is full of protein and goodness to help you feel full until lunch.
I’m an avid user of the Instant Pot and I love to use the 5-5-5 Method for cooking eggs the perfect boiled eggs in the pressure cooker.
Check out this article on how to cook boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. It’s easy, simple and you can batch cook a whole lot of eggs in one go.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot – I’d recommend the Instant Pot Duo. That’s my favourite model and you can cook so many bariatric friendly recipes in your pressure cooker.
Scrambled Eggs on the Soft Food Diet
Scrambled eggs are surprisingly soft and can be enjoyed by bariatric patients. Scrambled eggs are super healthy and have a soft, rich texture and delicious flavour.
When soft scrambled eggs are done right they can have a creamy consistency that is very satisfying. You can add flavours such as salt and pepper and even add mixed herbs for extra flavour!
Soft Boiled Or Soft Scrambled?
It doesn’t really matter what method you use to cook soft boiled or soft scrambled eggs, the important thing is that they end up soft!
Check out this high protein recipe for Devilled Eggs With Shrimp.
Canned Fruit for Breakfast
There is a wide variety of canned fruits which might be perfect as a breakfast dish. Canned peaches, canned apricots, and canned pears come readily to mind, but there are others out there too. While these are certainly staples of being added to corn flakes and porridge, they are also certainly worthy additions to the bariatric soft foods breakfast menu.
If you’re on a bariatric diet and working on your weight loss goals, be sure to drain any syrup from the fruit and wash them. You don’t want extra unnecessary sugar in your diet.
Canned Fish For Breakfast
Canned Fish such as tuna, salmon and sardines is great for the soft food diet. Fish is an easy to digest source of protein and is a quick and fast meal option.
In addition, canned fish can often be bought in various pre-seasoned varieties such as lemon pepper, chilli or tomato and basil. Variety is important when on a soft food diet and trying different flavoured tuna or sardines can keep things interesting.
Protein Shakes
After weight loss surgery, it is important to have a high protein diet. With that in mind, a great way to start your day is with a protein shake. There are different kinds of shakes, but a good approach is to source out a high protein shake that is low in sugar, carbs, and fat.
Greek Yoghurt
Greek yoghurt is a great way to get a healthy amount of protein into your breakfast. Greek yoghurts come in lots of varieties and flavors, but the lowest calorie option is nonfat plain Greek yogurt. Mix this with some kind of fruit for extra flavor and low carb fruits such as strawberries for fiber.
Breakfast Burrito
A breakfast burrito is a great soft food meal idea. This can be made in two ways, meat and scrambled eggs or just eggs with cheese. Either way, this provides a good serving of protein while staying low in carbs.
Putting Simple Breakfasts Together on the Soft Food Diet
So you’ve seen a couple of quick and easy ideas for your breakfast meals… but where’s the protein in porridge? Where’s the carbohydrate in eggs? Well… there isn’t. This is why simple breakfasts can be combined to meet the requirements of your bariatric soft foods diet.
For this reason we have put together a small Bariatric Breakfast Menu for you to use: I hope you find this menu useful.
Feel free to save this menu by bookmarking the page or saving the post to pinterest!
Use this menu guide or simply mix and match soft food breakfast options of your own.
The soft foods stage is the perfect time for experimenting with new soft food meal ideas – so go ahead and try something out of the ordinary
Examples of a Soft Food Diet Menu
Day One
- A boiled egg
- Half a banana
- ¼ a cup of porridge
Day Two
- A poached egg
- Other half of that banana
- ¼ a cup of porridge
Day Three
- A small can of tuna
- ¼ a cup of canned peaches
- ¼ a cup of rice pudding
Day Four
- A boiled egg
- ¼ a cup of peaches
- ¼ a cup of oats soaked in milk
Day Five
- A small can of tuna
- Half a banana
- ¼ a cup of rice pudding
Day Six
- A poached egg
- Half a banana
- ¼ a cup of porridge
Day Seven
- A small can of tuna
- ¼ a cup of apricots
- ¼ a cup of oats soaked in milk
Enjoy Breakfast on the Soft Food Diet Stage
It can be clearly seen that using just basic components a meal plan that stretches over a week (and potentially beyond) can be made. By using a variety of foods with different combinations it is entirely possible to create a meal plan and a diet that will cover breakfast with sufficient protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins, in addition to being healthy and balanced.
Eat soft foods for breakfast that will make you feel fuller for longer and help with weight loss. The soft food diet plan doesn’t have to be difficult! Don’t be afraid to experiment and batch cook when needed and if your looking for soft food lunch and dinner ideas be sure to check out our list of soft food lunch meals here!
