Full-Liquid Diet At times during your treatment it may be necessary to follow a special diet to correct nutritional problems that have occurred. Only your doctor or dietitian should decide when you need to follow a special diet and for how long of a period you should follow that diet. Once your body has begun to digest liquids, but still is unable to handle solid foods, you can progress to a full-liquid diet. Your doctor or dietitian may recommend this diet following surgery or when it is difficult for you to chew or swallow. This diet includes all liquids served at room or body temperature. It may include most of the recommended food groups, with the exception of meat. There is extra milk in this diet to ensure protein needs are meet. This diet can be used for longer periods of time than the clear-liquid diet. If the full-liquid diet is in place for a long time, your doctor or dietitian may prescribe a dietary supplement and/or vitamins. Protein intake can be increased by adding nonfat dry milk to beverages and soups, instant breakfast powder to milk, puddings, custards, and milkshakes, and strained meats, like in baby food, to broths.  Calorie intake can be increased by adding butter to hot cereal and soups. Sugar or syrups can be added to beverages. Smooth ice cream can be added into desserts and beverages, and prepared breakfast mixes can be added to milk or milkshakes. Examples of Full-Liquid Diet Foods from NCI: Cereal beverages, coffee, tea, fruit drinks, strained lemonade, limeade, fruit punches, water Refined or strained cooked cereal Cheese soup Plain gelatin desserts, soft or baked custards, sherbets, plain cornstarch pudding, fresh or frozen yogurt, ice milk, smooth ice cream Pasteurized eggnog Butter, cream, oils, margarine All juices, and nectar, thin fruit purees Small amounts of strained meat in broth or gelatin Buttermilk and chocolate, skim, and whole milk, ice milk, milkshakes, plain yogurt Potatoes pureed in soup Bouillon, broth, clear cream soups, any strained or blenderized soup Honey, jelly, syrups in small amounts Tomato puree for cream soups, tomato, vegetable juices Flavoring extracts, salt Sample Full-Liquid Meal Pattern from NCI   Breakfast 1 cup fruit juice 1 cup strained cereal 1 cup milk Coffee or tea with sugar Snack 1 cup fruit juice Lunch 1 cup strained soup, made with vegetable puree 1 cup strained cereal 1/2 cup allowed dessert 1 cup fruit juice 1 cup milk or yogurt Coffee or tea with sugar Snack 1 cup milk or eggnog Dinner 1 cup strained cream soup with a small amount of strained meat 1 cup milk 1 cup strained cereal 1/2 cup allowed dessert 1 cup vegetable juice Coffee or tea with sugar Snack 1 cup milk or yogurt