Post-Operative Care - No Chew Diet - Oral and Facial Surgeons (2024)

WHAT IS A ‘NO CHEW’ DIET?

Following your surgery, your jaw will be very tender and sore for some time.

To prevent any additional strain on the surgical area, it is recommended that the jaw is rested and you do minimal chewing during your recovery.

Therefore, only very soft and moist foods should be chosen.

FOODS TO CHOOSE AND AVOID

Protein

Choose

• Scrambled or runny poached egg
• Very soft and moist pureed cooked meats
• Well mashed beans or legumes

Avoid

• Hard boiled or fried eggs
• Chunks of meat
• Fried fish, chicken or meat
• Crunchy peanut butter

Dairy

Choose

• Milk
• Ice-cream or frozen yogurt
• Melted cheese
• Ricotta or cottage cheese

Avoid

• Hard cheese

Breads & Cereals

Choose

• Porridge or semolina
• Weetbix or other cereal soaked well with milk
• Very soft, well cooked small pasta (eg: risoni, small maccaroni)
• Very soft, well cooked rice (eg plain moist risotto, moist rice pudding)

Avoid

• Dry cereals
• Cereals with dried fruit and/or nuts
• Bread, toast, bread rolls, donuts, pastries or muffins
• Sweet or savoury crackers/biscuits (unless soaked in milk or tea/coffee).

Vegetables

Choose

• Pureed soft cooked vegetables
• Finely mashed soft cooked vegetables

Avoid

• Raw vegetables
• Fried vegetables
• Lettuce / salad
• Stringy or very fibrous vegetables (eg celery)

Fruit

Choose

• Pureed fruit
• Mashed banana
• Stewed and mashed soft fruit (eg peaches or apples)
• Mashed avocado
• Mashed soft tinned fruit (eg tinned pear)

Avoid

• Raw fruit (except banana and avocado)
• Fruit skins
• Fibrous fruit (eg pineapple, citrus fruits)
• Dried fruits

SIMPLE MEAL IDEAS

Breakfast

• Porridge, Weetbix, Vita Brits, Weeties, semolina – all cereals need to be softened with warm milk.
• Very moist scrambled or runny poached eggs.
• Mashed stewed or tinned fruit (e.g. apricot, apple, peach) or mashed soft, fresh fruit (e.g. banana)
• Fruit smoothie or milkshake.

Lunch / dinner

• Pureed canned or home made soups with meat, vegetables, barley, canned legumes, cooked split peas or pasta.
• Pureed casseroles or stews.
• Very moist scrambled egg or moist, steamed fish. Serve with well mashed or pureed vegetables.

Snacks

• Custards, yoghurt & other dairy desserts
• Puree fruit – canned, stewed, fresh
• Jelly, mousse, crème caramel
• Moist creamed rice or sago pudding
• Cheesecake without crust
• Milk drinks – Milo, smoothies, milkshakes
• Nutritional supplement drinks (eg SustagenTM, ProformTM, EnsureTM)

KEEPING HEALTHY

To keep your body healthy and prevent loss of muscle mass during your recovery, it is recommended that you eat a good balanced variety of foods.

Each day you should aim to consume/eat some foods from all of the food groups listed in the table on pages 2-3. You should be eating enough food to satisfy your hunger.

However, because eating may be difficult or painful, it is likely that you will be eating less food than you would have before the surgery.

This will mean you will be eating less energy (calories) and protein which could lead to fat and/or muscle loss. You may also be eating less vitamins and minerals which can lead to deficiencies in the long term (eg iron deficiency anaemia).

To prevent weight and muscle loss you should choose high energy and protein foods.

• Eat small, frequent meals.
• Boost the energy in your meals and snacks by adding extra:

• Margarine, butter, oil, gravy, cream, mayonnaise, grated cheese, smooth peanut butter, hazelnut spread.
• Sugar, honey, syrup, ice-cream.
• Boost the protein in your meals by adding: eggs, cheese, milk, ice cream, yoghurt, moist, pureed meat chicken and fish.
• Choose full fat products unless you are overweight.
• Include 1-2 nutritional supplement drinks/day (eg: SustagenTM, ProformTM, EnsureTM)
• Monitor your weight and notify your surgeon or contact your dietitian if you are loosing weight.

ARE SUPPLEMENT DRINKS REALLY NECESSARY?

In addition to choosing high energy and protein foods, a nutritional supplement can be an easy and comfortable way to consume some additional energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.

There are many nutritional supplement drinks on the market available from most pharmacies and some supermarkets.

As a guide, choose a supplement that includes the following:

• 300 Calories or 1300Kj per serve.
• 10-20 g protein per serve.
• Added vitamins and minerals.

It is likely that you will need to drink at least 1-2 nutritional supplement drinks/day to prevent weight loss.

This information is provided as a back up to information provided verbally by a qualified dietitian.

It is not intended to replace advice or recommendations from a medical specialist or health professional. If you should have any concerns or questions in relation to your medical condition(s), you should contact your medical practitioner.