I'm just starting to ease in to the soft food stage. I know I can eat soft cheeses, but hard cheeses are about another 3 or 4 weeks away. I went to my local cheese shop today to ask for recommendations on flavorful soft cheeses, and I got some wonderul options: a goat cheese, an onion and chives cotswald, and a super squishy soft gorgonzola. Yum, yum, yum.

So, now my question: Are hard cheeses okay if they are melted? I also have some gruyere, which I often use for making quiche. If I were to skip the crust and make a fritatta instead, with shredded gruyere, is that allowable in the soft food phase, even though gruyere is a very hard cheese?

Thanks!

I don't have an answer for your question but just wanted to say that onion and chive cotswald is probably my most favorite cheese. and I'm definitely a cheese lover.

Really, you should be able to eat any cheese unless it contains nuts, seeds, fruit or chunks. I would recommend room temperature and slice it very thinly so you don't swallow a hunk at a time. Grated is fabulous.

Melted is great, too.

I LOVE cheese.

I am a year out and some of the richer/denser cheeses are still a bit hard for me. I certainly eat smaller amounts now.

All I had to do was see the word "CHEESE" in this thread and I was hooked.

This is my favorite place to buy cheese.....check it out, it's awesome! I highly recommend the aged cheddar. Muy magnifico!!!

http://harmanscheese.com/

mmmmmmmmmmm cheese.

I'd say once it's melted, it's a pretty soft food.

cheese is one of my "have to have" foods. I was glad my NUT said that in moderation (as with everything) - cheese is a good option post-op. She recommended finding stronger cheeses that would be more satisfying in smaller portions.

My only suggestion is to go slowly on the "spicier" cheeses, ie w/chives/onions, etc. I used to LOVE anything spicy - jalapenos, onions (in moderation), etc., but since surgery, no-can-handle them -- (

I would not have survived if it wasn't for cheese! Seriously. I am sure of it!

My most recent treat (11 1/2 months post-op) is a sort of caprese salad with grape tomatoes and garlic herbed goat cheese. Holy cow!! It is SO good! I eat an ounce of it (fits in my particular food budget) and that goes a very long way.

Sharp cheddar has been a regular part of my diet from early on. As long as it is well chewed, it is fine. I have gotten shredded cheese (not melted) stuck before when I didn't chew well enough...

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely going to try a fritatta with gruyere. Right now I'm enjoying a wedge of laughing cow. :-)

Melted cheese is in the list on my soft foods menu and it doesn't specify any particular kind of cheese. I did pretty much eat any kind of cheese I wanted as soon as cheese was allowed. It's not like you are going to swallow sharp chunks of whole hard cheese. Jeez. <-- rhymes.