THE LIQUID DIET was big in the late 80s, but versions of the plan still exist and thrive on social media. And there actually are two types of liquid diets you need to know about.
The first time is one you’ll be familiar with if you’ve ever woken up from surgery and wanted a snack only to be presented with a tray of Styrofoam cups of Jell-O and chicken broth.
Your healthcare provider may prescribe an easy-to-swallow, easily digestible liquid diet if you are dealing with certain health conditions, such as preparing for or recovering from a medical procedure or if you have difficulty chewing or swallowing food. These diets are designed to reduce the risks associated with these conditions, especially the risk of vomiting or choking, says Katherine Basbaum, MS, RD, a clinical dietitian for UVA Health.
So can are you on a liquid diet? There are two types of liquid diets: the very restrictive, clear liquid diet and the less restrictive, all liquid diet. On a clear liquid diet, you’ll crave a boring rotation of broth, Jell-O, and maybe a little apple juice. With a completely liquid diet you have many more options. You can consume virtually any food that has been pureed thin and smooth enough to be slurped through a straw.
Healthcare providers carefully prescribe these diets based on the patient’s needs. You may also have heard of a friend (or social media influencer) who is following a DIY liquid-only diet.
These influencers tell you that a liquid diet is a challenging but effective way to lose weight quickly, reduce inflammation, and cleanse your body of disease-causing toxins. It’s not a long-term solution, they admit, but more of a baseline “reset” that can help you recover from bad eating habits or start new, better ones.
“I have quite a few patients who come to me and say, ‘Well, what about a liquid diet?’” says Basbaum. Many think it’s an easy way to lose weight, she says, but the truth is much more complicated. Here’s what you need to know about liquid diets, when they’re recommended, and why it’s probably best to leave them to the experts.
What is the liquid diet?
Remember in science class learning about the states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas? (And plasma, but we don’t eat that).
On a liquid diet, you only consume liquids, nothing solid or chunky that requires chewing.
What can you eat on a liquid diet?
A clear liquid diet is very restrictive, limiting you to clear juices such as apple juice, Jell-O and clear broths such as chicken broth. If the liquid is opaque, meaning you can’t see through it, it’s not on the menu.
A completely liquid diet, on the other hand, offers many more options.
“Solid liquid is basically anything that’s smooth and blended and pureed, so if you’re thinking about yogurt, as long as it doesn’t have any chunks in it, a creamy rice soup or an applesauce or other pureed fruit, ice cream, milkshakes, anything that’s even slightly smooth. but you could almost drink through a big straw if you had to,” says Basbaum.
A completely liquid diet allows patients to consume more nutrients than the clear version, Basbaum says.
“We have the ability to actually get more important nutrients in a completely liquid diet than in a clear diet, which really only has a little bit of calories and a little bit of sugar or carbohydrates,” she says.
Is a Liquid Diet Good for You?
If a healthcare provider recommends a liquid diet, it is to your benefit.
Liquid diets are common before surgery. Anesthesia can cause nausea, and your surgeon doesn’t want you to throw up on the table. There is a risk of choking on your own vomit while unconscious. For certain procedures, especially in gastroenterology, the surgeon also needs an empty stomach to help him do your job.
After surgery, you may still experience nausea, especially if your intestines were the target of the surgery.
“We want to give the body a chance to return to baseline,” says Basbaum. “They provide some relief to the person or patient and return the person or patient to normal eating.”
Usually this means starting with a clear liquid diet, moving to a completely liquid diet, and then returning to regular food.
Another common reason for a liquid diet is dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing. Strokes and other conditions that affect the nervous system, certain cancers of the mouth and esophagus, or gastroesophageal reflux disease can cause dysphagia.
If you can’t swallow your food properly, you are at greater risk for aspiration, or accidentally breathing food into your lungs instead of swallowing it into your intestines. Complete liquid diets are usually recommended for people with swallowing problems because they provide much more nutrition than clear liquid diets, which is especially important if someone needs to follow the diet for a long period of time.
Sometimes dental problems are the reason for a liquid diet. For example, someone who has lost their teeth may need a liquid diet because they can’t chew, Basbaum says.
Liquid diets for weight loss are more complicated. A doctor may recommend this under limited circumstances, such as for patients preparing for bariatric surgery. Researchers have conducted some studies where people who followed very specific short-term liquid diets, monitored throughout the journey by healthcare professionals, lost weight. But the help of professionals is crucial to ensure the plan is safe and effective.
“They have a whole team that weans them off the liquid diet and transitions them to maintenance, regular foods and the right amount of protein and calories to promote weight loss,” says Basbaum.
But do you try it yourself, or do you follow a ‘cleanse’ or some other fad diet? That’s probably not smart. “DIY is a big red flag for a liquid diet,” says Basbaum.
First, it would be very difficult to get all the nutrients you need from a liquid diet and safely return to regular food.
“Someone could put themselves on a liquid juice diet or whatever for two or three weeks and lose 20 pounds, and the next thing you know they’re in the hospital for all kinds of reasons related to nutrient deficiencies,” she says .
The plan could also completely backfire, because eating a liquid-only diet just isn’t that satisfying.
“If you consume your calories through liquid, like a shake or juice or something put in the blender, your brain doesn’t register fullness and satiety as it would if you had actually eaten,” says Basbaum.
You miss the steps of chewing and swallowing, breaking down the food in your stomach and other digestive processes.
“What can happen in turn is that people who follow these liquid diets don’t end up feeling as satisfied as they would if they had consumed the same amount of calories from real food, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whatever,” she says. You may be so hungry that you consume more calories than you planned.
Plus, a liquid diet makes it difficult to get enough fiber, an important nutrient for weight management and a host of other things, like bowel regularity, she says.
The bottom line: If you want a safe, effective weight loss plan, talk to your doctor and consider hiring a registered dietitian who can help you develop a personalized approach.
How long should you follow a liquid diet and when should you stop?
When liquid diets are prescribed around surgery, they are usually recommended for only a few days. You may normally resume your normal diet sometime between one and three days after your procedure. By then, you’ll probably need to eat some protein and fat to help your body heal from surgery, Basbaum says.
For people with dysphagia, an all-liquid diet can last much longer. Sometimes dysphagia can be improved with interventions such as speech therapy. In other cases, a patient with dysphagia may need to stay on a liquid diet forever. The same could be true for a patient without teeth.
If you are on a liquid diet, check with your healthcare provider to see how long you should continue it.
Julie Stewart is a writer and content strategist whose work has also appeared in Health, And Women’s health, daily health, vice, And Form.