Food should be finely chopped, chewed thoroughly. Foods that are hard to digest should be avoided. These include foods with a hard or tough surface or a fibrous structure.
The diet should follow the soft food diet principles. To suit the diet food can be peeled, grated, cooked, purée or otherwise processed. The rule of thumb is that the structure of food is suitable if it can be crushed with a fork, if necessary. Help from a nutritional therapist is required in planning the diet.
Examples of foods that are hard to digest:
Large portions of grated vegetables or salad
The skins of grapes, plums and tomatoes
The membranes of citrus fruits
Dried fruits and berries
Tough or dried meat
The crispy surface of an oven-baked casserole or the hard crust of a loaf of bread
Full grains, seeds, nuts or bran
Mushrooms