Sample Meal Plans

View our sample meal plan below

With gastroparesis, eating smaller meals may help you feel less full. With smaller meals, you’ll need to eat 4­−6 per day to maintain nutritional intake.

A number of dietary recommendations have been developed based on the understanding of normal stomach emptying of different types of foods. These dietary recommendations are likely to be of greatest benefit to those with mild to moderate disease but are also tried in patients with more severe gastroparesis to complement other medical treatments. 

Here are sample meal plans for 6 small meals throughout 1 day. Your healthcare provider and a Registered Dietitian can help create meal plans that work best for you.

Try This Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast

• • • 1 cup cream of wheat cereal
    • ½ cup skim milk
    • ½ cup grape juice
    • 1 scrambled egg

Snack

• • • 10 ounces of instant breakfast with skim milk

Lunch

• • • ½ cup vegetable soup
    • ½ turkey sandwich
    • ½ cup applesauce
    • ½ cup milk
    • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Snack

• • • 10 ounces banana shake made with l plain or vanilla yogurt, milk and sugar

Dinner

• • • 2–3 ounces baked chicken or fish
    • ½ cup mashed potatoes
    • 1 teaspoon margarine
    • ½ cup spinach
    • ½ cup milk
    • ½ cup fruit cocktail

Snack

• • • ½ cup pudding, custard or gelatin

Learn more about basic dietary guidelines 

Try a smoothie instead

Smoothies can be an easy and delicious way to nourish your body with essential nutrients.
Whether you’re enjoying a smoothie as a meal or a snack, there are endless options when it comes to ingredients and customizations.

Banana Pineapple Green Smoothie

• ½ ripe banana
• ¼ cup frozen pineapple
• 1 cup, loosely packed, spinach
• 1 peeled lemon wedge (1/4 of a lemon)
• 1/2 tablespoon natural peanut butter
• 1/8 teaspoon (or a few dashes) of ground ginger
• 3-4 ice cubes

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in blender, blend ~1-2 minutes until smooth

Read more about customizations for this smoothie recipe

It is recommended that anyone with gastroparesis, but especially those with other medical problems such as diabetes or kidney disease, seek dietary counseling with a dietician to help individualize nutrition therapy and maximize nutritional benefits.

Adapted from IFFGD Publication: Dietary and Nutritional Recommendations for Patients with Gastroparesis by Carol Rees Parrish, RD, MS, Nutrition Support Specialist, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA; Edy Soffer, MD, Co-Director of the GI Motility Laboratory, Division of Gastroenterology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; and Henry Parkman, MD, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Also Adapted from IFFGD Publication #601 by Emily Haller