Advice after your nerve block for surgery
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Introduction
A liquidised diet may be necessary for a number of reasons, for example, following surgery to the jaw or difficulty swallowing soft or puréed foods.
The following advice will help to maintain adequate nutrition on a liquidised diet. Bear in mind that the texture of the diet may become monotonous, so try to vary the flavours as much as possible.
This leaflet can help you choose suitable foods, adapt your own dishes and give you advice on how to get the most nourishment from your mealtimes.
General Advice
- You may find large volumes of fluid difficult to manage; therefore, it is sensible to take smaller volumes more regularly, e.g. 300mls (½ pt) every 2 - 3 hours
- A liquidiser, food processor or handheld blender will be necessary to enable you to have a more varied diet
- You may find that you need to take food via a drinking straw. If this is the case, it is important that there are no lumps in the liquid
- When you require a liquid diet, your food may need to be diluted, e.g. with milk, gravy or fruit juice. In doing this, the energy (calories) and protein in the food will also be diluted. In order to keep well nourished, your liquid intake will need to be quite high, e.g. 1700 -2300mls (3 - 4 pints) per day. It is therefore a good idea to limit liquids of a low nutritional value, e.g. tea, coffee and water
- Many foods can be liquidised. Solid foods should be well-cooked and chopped into small pieces. It may help to liquidise small quantities at a time. You may need a sieve to remove any pips, lumps or skins
General Food Guide
Try to include the following on a daily basis:
- 850 - 1100ml (1½ - 2 pints) of fortified milk (recipe included in leaflet)
- 1 glass of fruit juice or blackcurrant drink with added vitamin C
- 30 - 60ml (1 - 2oz) of finely liquidised meat - strained into soup or savoury sauce
- 2 servings of fortified soup
Refer to the meal plan (in this leaflet) for further details.
Maximising Nutrition to Help Maintain Weight
Nourishing drinks can provide protein, vitamins and minerals as well as extra calories. Try to have at least two nourishing drinks each day, taken between your meals.
Ready-made drinks, such as Mars, Yazoo, Frijj, Galaxy, Aero, Bounty, and Alpro, as well as supermarket own-brand flavoured milk, can be purchased from most supermarkets and convenience stores.
Over-the-counter supplements: these are high-energy and protein drinks that are available from most supermarkets and chemists, without a prescription. Examples include Aymes, Complan, Meritene Energis and Nourishment.
The recipes below can be made at home:
1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5ml
1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 15ml
| Milkshake | Hot milky drink | Energy shot |
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Prescribable supplement options are also available; please speak with your
Dietitian or GP to discuss if these are appropriate for you.
It is important to make meals as nourishing as possible, particularly if your appetite is small. It is often easier to improve your nutritional intake by adopting a small, frequent meal pattern.
Here are some suggestions:
- Use high-energy liquids when extra fluid is required to give the correct consistency. Whole milk, creamy sauces, rich gravy, custard or juice will add extra calories to the meal. Try to avoid using water
- Add high-energy foods where possible, such as butter/margarine, skimmed milk powder, grated cheese, evaporated milk, cream, sugar, seedless jam or honey
- Use full-fat foods, e.g. ordinary fromage frais, thick and creamy yoghurts, full-fat margarines/butter, whole milk. Try to avoid skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, any product labelled fat-free/low-fat/light (lite)/reduced sugar/sugar-free/low-calorie or slimming endorsed foods
- Fortified milk is made by adding four tablespoons of skimmed milk powder to one pint of whole milk. Once made up, keep it in the fridge to use during the day wherever you would normally have milk. (Note, some of this info is on the next page also)
Examples of Liquid Options
The following sections are a guide to using various types of food in liquid form.
Meat, Poultry and Offal
- Remove skin, bones, fat or gristle from the meat
- All meat will need to be liquidised
- Aim to include 1 - 2oz (30 - 60g) of meat daily
- After liquidising meat, it can be added to soups, savoury sauces or thickened gravy
Fish
- Bones will need to be carefully removed.
- Fish, including fresh, frozen and canned options, can all be liquidised.
- Adding a sauce such as parsley, white, or cheese may help achieve a manageable texture
Cheese
- Try adding grated cheese to the soup to increase the energy
- Try making a thin white sauce flavoured with grated cheese - liquidise and dilute with milk to the required consistency
Milk
- Aim to have 850 - 1100ml (1½ - 2 pints) of fortified milk daily
- Use this fortified milk as you would usually use ordinary milk - adding it to hot drinks, making milky puddings/smoothies and along with cereals, etc
- Evaporated and condensed milk could be used in drinks
- A yoghurt (not low-fat or diet), diluted with fortified milk to the required consistency, will make a refreshing high-protein drink
Cereal
- Thin porridge to the required consistency with fortified milk and sugar, liquidise if necessary
Vegetables
- Vegetable juices can be used as a base for a liquid meal, e.g. tomato juice, carrot juice or ‘V8’ - mixed vegetable juice drink
- Vegetable soups can be liquidised if necessary, and fortified with milk, cream or grated cheese
- Soft vegetables can be liquidised with butter and added to soups or savoury drinks. This will provide additional vitamins in the diet
- Potatoes can be mashed with milk/cream/butter cheese. Liquidise if too lumpy
Desserts
- Instant whips or blancmange can be made more liquid by adding extra fortified milk or cream
- Melted, smooth ice cream can be used as a drink
- Fruit can be liquidised with ice cream to make a fruity milkshake
- Milk puddings (that have been liquidised) such as rice pudding, semolina and tapioca can be thinned with fortified milk
- The liquidised milk puddings can be blended with jam, chocolate, syrup or honey to vary the flavour and add extra calories
Fruit
- Fruit juice can be used as a base for a drink
- Soft fruit can be liquidised and added to drinks
- Stewed fruit can be liquidised with cream, ice-cream or thin custard to provide extra energy
Meal Plan - High Protein, High Energy Liquid Diet
Try to have something every two hours; each meal should be roughly ½ pint in volume.
Breakfast (8 am)
- Thinned/strained or liquidised porridge made with fortified milk (and sugar/honey)
- Fruit juice or milky drink
Mid-morning Snack (10 am)
- Milky drink
Lunch (12 p.m.)
- Fortified soup (with added liquidised meat, pulses, cheese, fortified milk or cream)
Afternoon Snack (2 pm)
- Milky drink
Late Afternoon Snack (4 pm)
- Milky drink or dessert
Evening Meal (6 pm)
- Fortified soup or strained/liquidised meat in a thin sauce
Evening Snack (8 pm)
- Custard or liquidised milk pudding
Late Evening Drink (10 pm)
- Milky drink
Recipes
Porridge
- 4 tablespoons cooked porridge
- 6 tablespoons hot whole milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar or glucose
- 1 tablespoon skimmed milk powder
- 1 tablespoon cream
Liquidise all ingredients or push through a sieve. Add extra hot milk or evaporated milk to achieve the correct consistency.
Cereal
- 1 Weetabix
- 1 tablespoon sugar or glucose
- 1 tablespoon skimmed milk powder
Leave the cereal to stand for one minute in hot whole milk until it is very soft. Add the milk powder and sugar or glucose and either liquidise or push through a sieve. Add a little cream or evaporated milk to achieve the correct consistency.
Fortified High Protein Soup
- ⅓ pint cream soup, e.g. cream of tomato
- 1 dessertspoon skimmed milk powder or 1 tablespoon Complan/Build-up
- A dash of cream
Stir into cold soup and heat. Add a swirl of cream.
Meat and Vegetable Soup
- 1 - 2oz cooked meat
- 2oz cooked vegetables
- 4 tablespoons gravy
- ½ cup of stock
Liquidise well.
Vegetable Soup
- 2oz mixed cooked vegetables
- 2oz cooked potatoes
- ¾ cup stock
Liquidise well.
Milk Pudding
- Small can or pot of milk pudding or custard, e.g. Ambrosia creamed rice or supermarket own brand
- 4 tablespoons hot whole milk
- 1 tablespoon skimmed milk powder or Complan
- A dash of cream and seedless jam (optional)
Liquidise together or push through a sieve.
Yoghurt Cup
- 1 tub full-fat fruit yoghurt, sieved
- ¼ pint milk or yoghurt drink, e.g. Yop
- A dash of cream or evaporated milk
- 1 dessertspoon sugar or glucose
Stir well and chill.
High-Calorie Fruit Fool
- 4oz soft fruit, e.g. tinned peaches, pears, banana etc.
- 4 tablespoons cream or evaporated milk
- 1 dessertspoon sugar or glucose
Liquidise together or push through a sieve. Serve either hot or cold.
Luxury Chocolate Cup
- 1 cup of hot full cream or fortified milk
- 1oz plain chocolate, dissolved in a little hot milk,
- Sugar or glucose (optional)
- A swirl of cream
Mix together.
Portioning and Freezing Food
If you have a freezer, you may find it convenient to make up a larger amount of a recipe and then divide it into portions to be frozen. Clean, empty yoghurt pots or margarine tubs are ideal for this; cool the food quickly after cooking and freeze immediately. Do not forget to label and date the pots.
Defrost the portions thoroughly at room temperature or in the microwave, then reheat. Food should not be reheated more than once because of the risk of food poisoning, and defrosted food should never be refrozen.
Contact us
If you have any queries relating to this information, please contact the Dietetics service.
About this information
Service:
Dietetics
Reference:
DT/054
Approval date:
1 March 2026
Review date:
1 March 2029
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Important note
This page provides general information only. It is developed by clinical staff and is reviewed regularly every 3 years for accuracy. For personal advice about your health, or if you have any concerns, please speak to your doctor.