Aliquid diet is adiet that mostly consists ofliquids, or soft foods that melt atroom temperature (such asice cream). A liquid diet usually helps provide sufficient hydration, helps maintainelectrolyte balance, and is often prescribed for people when solid food diets are not recommended, such as for people who suffer with gastrointestinal illness or damage, or before or after certain types of medical tests orsurgeries involving the mouth or thedigestive tract.[1]
A liquid diet is not recommended outside of hospital or medical supervision. Negative side effects includefatigue,nausea,dizziness,hair loss anddry skin which are said to disappear when the person resumes eating.[2]
The most common reason for going on a liquid diet isgastrointestinal problems. The human stomach can, on average, hold 1 to 1.5 liters of food. As solid foods must be converted into smallwater-soluble compounds to enter theblood plasma, the overallsurface area for digestion of solid food is small.[3] Liquid foods, by contrast, almost entire surface area can be digested, and have a higherbioavailability than solid food. This can lessen negative effects from digestion, likebloating,nausea andstomach ache.[4]
A clear liquid diet, sometimes called asurgical liquid diet because of itsperioperative uses, consists of a diet containing exclusively transparent beverages that do not contain any solid particulates. This includes vegetable broth,bouillon (excepting any particulatedregs), clearfruit juices such as filteredapple juice or white grape juice, clearfruit ices orice pops, cleargelatin desserts, and certaincarbonated drinks such asginger ale andseltzer water. It excludes alldrinks containingmilk, but may accepttea orcoffee. Typically, this diet contains about 500calories per day, which is too littlefood energy for long-term use.[5]
A full or strained liquid diet consists of both clear and opaque liquid foods with a smooth consistency. People who follow this diet may also take liquidvitamin supplements. Some individuals who are told to follow a full-liquid diet are additionally permitted certain components of amechanical soft diet, such as strainedmeats,sour cream,cottage cheese,ricotta,yogurt, mashedvegetables orfruits, etc.[1]
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