A full liquid diet includes only liquids and foods that turn into liquid at room temperature. A healthcare professional may prescribe this diet before or after certain medical tests and surgeries. It can also benefit people who have trouble chewing or swallowing food.
The full liquid diet is designed to provide your body with nutrition while minimizing stress on the digestive system. It involves consuming nothing but liquids and foods that become liquid at room temperature.
Liquids take less energy to break down and absorb. This reduces the workload on the digestive system when recovering from stomach or intestinal surgery.
A full liquid diet may also be used if you’re having trouble chewing or swallowing food. For example, if you’ve had throat surgery, your surgeon may prescribe a full-liquid diet until you can swallow solid foods. Full liquid diets may also be used to treat swallowing issues due to medical conditions like strokes.
Although not recommended by healthcare providers, some people use full-liquid diets to lose weight quickly.
Guidelines
When following a liquid diet, you’ll eat nothing but liquids and foods that turn into liquids, like ice cream. The full liquid diet is usually followed for a few days to a few weeks.
You must avoid solid foods for the recommended treatment course if prescribed a full liquid diet. Your healthcare provider will decide the best calorie range for your needs, but a full liquid diet usually provides between 1,350-1,500 calories per day.
A full liquid diet consists of liquids and foods that turn into liquids. Solid foods are not allowed. Here’s what you can eat:
- Water
- Fruit juices, including clear juices and juices with pulp
- Butter and oils
- Dairy products like cream, milk, custard, yogurt, and pudding
- Ice cream without solid pieces, frozen yogurt, sherbet, fruit ices, and popsicles
- Sweeteners, like sugar, honey, and syrups
- Broth and strained cream soups with no solids
- Carbonated drinks like sparkling water and ginger ale
- Gelatin, like Jell-O
- Protein shakes and liquid supplements
- Coffee and tea
In some cases, foods like cream of rice, oatmeal, grits, strained meats, and pureed potatoes may be allowed. You should not eat these foods unless your healthcare provider has cleared them.
Foods Not in the Full Liquid Diet
You need to avoid most solid foods when following a full liquid diet. Solid foods, like raw vegetables and meat, require chewing and are much harder to break down and absorb.
The full liquid diet is designed to rest your digestive system or prevent choking related to swallowing issues.
The following foods aren’t allowed on the full liquid diet:
- Meat and poultry (pureed meat may be allowed in some cases)
- Nuts and seeds
- All cheeses
- Raw fruits and vegetables (cooked purees may be allowed in some cases)
- Bread, chips, popcorn, and crackers
- Cereal (soft cereals, like cream of wheat, may be allowed in some cases)
- Grains and pasta
- Cakes, cookies, and pastries
Speak with your healthcare provider if you have questions about which foods are off-limits on a full liquid diet.
Though your food choices are limited, you can still meet your short-term nutritional needs while following a full liquid diet.
A day of eating a full liquid diet may look like:
- Breakfast: Whey protein shake, tea, and water
- Lunch: Strained cream of tomato soup with added protein, a side of pudding, and sparkling water
- Snack: Greek yogurt, apple juice, and water
- Dinner: Chicken bone broth, pea protein shake, and green juice
- Dessert: Vanilla milkshake
If you’re in the hospital, the staff will design your meals and bring you approved meals and snacks at mealtime. If you’re following a full liquid diet at home, pre-plan your meals to ensure they meet the recommended guidelines and cover your nutrition and medical needs.
It’s important to include at least one protein source, such as a whey protein shake or Greek yogurt, at every meal and snack to ensure you're getting enough protein. Drink plenty of fluids, like water, throughout the day to stay hydrated.
What Are the Benefits?
The full liquid diet is traditionally used to rest the digestive system before or after certain medical conditions and surgeries. After surgery on the intestines, you might follow it for a short time to help your body focus energy on healing.
A full liquid diet can also keep you safe and nourished if you’re experiencing issues with chewing or swallowing. Keeping a full liquid diet can prevent choking and aspiration, the accidental inhalation of food or liquid into the lungs.
A full liquid diet may be used for other purposes, such as weight loss. However, it is not recommended for weight loss, as it is highly restrictive and only meant to be followed if you're unable to safely ingest solid food.
In the short term, a well-planned full liquid diet is safe and isn’t associated with serious side effects.
In general, you should only follow a full liquid diet if your healthcare provider has recommended it for a specific reason, such as when you're recovering from a surgery or experiencing difficulty chewing or swallowing.
Drawbacks
Though the full liquid diet is sometimes necessary, it has drawbacks. It’s extremely restrictive and can be low in calories, so it’s generally only meant for short-term use.
Following a full liquid diet for longer than your healthcare provider recommends could lead to side effects like nutrient deficiencies.
The full liquid diet involves consuming only liquids and foods that become liquid at room temperature.A healthcare provider may prescribe the diet before or after certain medical tests and surgeries. It may also be recommended if you have trouble chewing or swallowing food.
On a liquid diet, nutrients can be obtained from protein shakes, bone broth, strained cream soups, yogurt, and milk. It's also important to hydrate throughout the day. Solid foods, such as meat, raw vegetables, pasta, cheese, nuts, and more, must be avoided.
Speak with your healthcare provider if you have questions about how a full liquid diet works or how long you’ll need to follow it.
