Purpose: The bland or soft diet is designed to decrease peristalsis and avoid irritation of the gastrointestinal tract.
Use: It is appropriate for people with peptic ulcer disease, chronic gastritis, reflux esophagitis or dyspepsia. It may also be used in the treatment of hiatal hernia.
The soft/ bland diet consists of foods that are easily digestible, mildly seasoned and tender. Fried foods, highly seasoned foods and most raw gas-forming fruits and vegetables are eliminated. Drinks containing Xanthine and alcohol should also be avoided.
| Food Recommended | Foods to Avoid |
|---|---|
| MILK & DAIRY (2-3 servings each day) | MILK & DAIRY |
| All milk and milk products | None |
| Plain mild cheeses | |
| Cottage cheese | |
| VEGETABLES 3-5 servings each day | VEGETABLES |
| Mild flavored vegetable juices | Raw vegetables, dried peas and beans, corn |
| Cooked, frozen or canned vegetables as tolerated (asparagus tips, beets, carrots, green or waxed beans, mushrooms, pumpkin, green peas, white or sweet potato, spinach, summer or winter squashes) | Gas forming vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, cucumber, green pepper, corn, rutabagas, turnips and sauerkraut |
| Lettuce in small amounts | |
| Salads made from allowed foods | |
| FRUIT (2-4 servings each day) | FRUIT |
| All fruit juices | All other fresh and dried fruit |
| Cooked or canned fruit without skins, seeds, or tough fibers | Berries and figs |
| Avocados and bananas | |
| Grapefruit and orange sections without membrane | |
| BREADS AND GRAINS (6-11 servings each day) | BREADS AND GRAINS |
| White, refined wheat, seedless rye breads. Plain white rolls, white melba toast, matzo, English muffin, bagel, pita bread, tortilla | Seeds in or on breads, and crackers |
| Saltine, graham, soda or plain crackers | Bread or bread products with nuts or dried fruit |
| Cooked, refined cereals such as cream or wheat, oatmeal, farina, cream of rice. Dry corn and rice cereals such as puffed rice or corn flakes | Potato chips, fried potatoes, wild rice |
| Potatoes | |
| Enriched rice, barley, noodles, spaghetti, macaroni, and other pastas | |
| Couscous | |
| MEAT & MEAT SUBSTITUTES (2-3 servings each day) | MEAT & MEAT SUBSTITUTES |
| All lean, tender meats, poultry, fish and shellfish | Highly seasoned, cured, or smoked meats, poultry, or fish. Corned beef, luncheon meats, frankfurters, sausages, sardines, anchovies, strongly flavored cheeses and chunky peanut butter are to be avoided. |
| Eggs, crisp bacon | |
| Smooth nut butters | |
| Soybean curd (Tofu) and other meat substitutes | |
| Soups | |
| Mildly seasoned meat stock, broth bouillon, or cream soups made with allowed foods | |
| FATS & SNACKS (use sparingly) | FATS & SNACKS |
| Butter or fortified margarine | Highly seasoned salad dressings with seeds or pickle relish |
| Mild salad dressing such as mayonnaise, French or vinegar and oil All fats and oils | All sweets and deserts containing nuts, coconut or fruit not allowed |
| Sugar, syrup, honey, jelly seedless jam, hard candies, plain chocolate candies, molasses, marshmallows | Fried pastries such as doughnuts |
| Cakes, cookies, pies, pudding, custard, ice cream sherbet, and Jell-O made with allowed foods | |
| MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS |
| All beverages as tolerated | Caffeine-containing beverages (coffee, tea, colas, orange soda, Dr Pepper) |
| Herb teas, fruit drinks | Alcoholic beverages |
| Iodized salt, flavorings | Strongly flavored seasonings and condiments such as garlic, barbecue sauce, chili sauce, chili pepper, horseradish, pepper, chili, powder and other highly spiced foods |
| Seedless jams, taffy, sugar, honey, jelly | Pickles, seed spices, olives, popcorn, nuts and coconut |
| Marshmallows, molasses | Aspirin and aspirin-containing medicines |
| Mildly flavored gravies and sauces | |
| Pepper, herbs, spices, ketchup, mustard and vinegar in moderation |
When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.
When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.
“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit.
“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care—like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider.
Emergency services
If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.
Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center
When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.
If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections.
You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.
You have the following protections:
Check with your State Department of Insurance to determine if you have balance billing protections under state law.
If no state law applies or if you think you’ve been wrongly billed, contact the federal regulators responsible for enforcing the federal surprise billing protection laws at 1-800-985-3059.
Visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers for more information about your rights under federal law.
Shore Gastroenterology Associates can help with questions concerning billing. Contact us before hand if you have any concerns about the procedures we provide and coverage.
