3 wks/pureed diet foods help!

I am about to start on my pureed food portion of my diet.  I am 3 weeks out.  I have read about alot of foods and it seems all are different.  What is the best way to add in the foods?  I am craving to chew something.  So far I have been on the full liquid diet.  Any suggestions for foods and how to go about starting this next step?

Hi Lisa, I presume you had a RNY procedure, which puts you right on schedule for starting your Puree diet at 3 weeks post-op.  After full liquids for all this time, I am certain that you now want to chew something so let's get started.   The best way to add foods in are 1 at a time; this will help you pinpoint foods that might not be tolerated.  Think of this like introducing new foods to a baby... a single grain cereal such as oatmeal or rice is introduced first versus a multi-grain cereal.  This helps to identify a food allergy or intolerance that the baby might have. The Puree diet contains foods that can be prepared in a blender or food processer.  At this point you may only be able to eat your protein foods before you get full, but that is OK.  I would also recommend avoiding concentrated sweets. I would start by introducing something simple tsuch as 1/2 cup cream of wheat, cream of rice or Malt-o-Meal. The next thing to try would be a smooth, nonfat, sugar-free yogurt or low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese (1/2 cup).  I would still recommend drinking at least 1/2 cup of your protein supplement between meals as a snac****il you are able to eat adequate protein (we usually recommend 75-100 grams per day).   The foods that are included on a Puree diet include all strained or pureed lean meats or poultry; small amounts of cooked cereals, mashed potatoes (1/2 cup); unsweetened strained or pureed fruit (easy ones include soft banana or applesauce); strained or pureed vegetables, V-8 or tomato juice; lowfat cream soups that have been strained.   Here is a sample Puree Meal Plan: Breakfast:  1/2 cup Cream of Wheat Snack:        1/2 cup protein supplement Lunch:         2 oz (1/4 cup) puree chicken + 1/4-1/2 cup pureed carrots Snack:         1/2 cup protein supplement Dinner:        1/2 cup lowfat/nonfat cottage cheese + 1/4-1/2 cup unsweeteed applesauce Snack:        1/2 cup protein supplement Try to follow something like this for weeks 3-6 weeks.  The next stage will be a Soft diet at 6 weeks post-op. Best of luck and hope this helps! Melania Behrens, MA, RD eNutritionCare.com

That's perfect!  Thank you so much for the information!