Daily Dysphagia Support: Practical Tips for Safer, Tastier Meals

Dysphagia is a condition that makes it difficult to swallow foods safely and comfortably. Given the importance of enjoying meals to appreciating the human experience, it’s clear that a swallowing disorder can have a dramatic negative impact on patients’ lives. Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the case.

Patients and caregivers who want help with meal preparation and planning are in luck. These days, there are plenty of effective thickening products and specialized recipes available to create safer, tastier meals. Let’s look at just a few of the top tips from industry experts.

1. Make Sure Liquids Are Safe to Swallow

One of the top concerns for dysphagia patients and their caregivers is swallowing liquids without creating an aspiration risk. Whether they’re eating soup or drinking coffee, most dysphagia patients will find that the best help with dysphagia comes from consuming thickened liquids. Each person requires a different level of thickness, which can be determined by a speech therapist.

2. Choose the Right Thickening Agent

When thickening liquids, be sure to choose a thickening agent that is safe to use and does not affect the taste of the drinks. A good thickener will be easy to mix, free from potential allergens, and able to thicken liquids without negatively impacting taste or chemical composition.

3. Make Sure Foods Are Broken Down Properly

Pureeing solid foods is an excellent way to make them safer to consume on a dysphagia diet. However, it’s important to get this process right. High-fiber foods need to be strained after they are pureed, for example, and dry foods typically need to have liquid added to them to make sure they’re the right consistency.

4. Make Use of Sauces

Pureeing food breaks down the cell walls, which does a great job of releasing nutrients but can also reduce the flavor. Adding sauces to pureed foods is a great way to improve the flavor profile, making meals more enjoyable to eat.

5. Make Dining a Full Sensory Experience

Research shows that there’s more to crafting an enjoyable meal for a dysphagic patient than just choosing a favored food and tossing it in the blender. Scent, texture, and other sensory aspects also have an outsized impact on how people feel about consuming certain foods. Following recipes specifically developed for dysphasia diets is a good way to guarantee a positive sensory experience.

6. Eat Slowly and Calmly

Creating a calm eating environment is essential to ensuring the safety of dysphagia patients, even when they are consuming an appropriate diet. Try to keep things peaceful during mealtimes, eating slowly in quiet spaces that are free from distractions. Taking these steps won’t just reduce aspiration risks. It will also increase the enjoyment of the meal by allowing the dysphagic patient to focus on the food.

7. Take Things One Sip at a Time

There’s no need to rush through a meal. People with dysphagia should take one bite or sip at a time and fully swallow before they take the next one. When providing support during feeding, caregivers should pay attention so they can be sure their patients have finished swallowing before offering more.

Be Patient

Following a dysphagia diet can be discouraging, and adapting to eating slowly, one bite at a time, can be hard. It takes longer to finish meals and requires a greater amount of attention. It’s important for dysphagia patients to pay attention to their bodies and be patient with themselves. Taking it slow and following the advice above is the best way to ensure both safety and enjoyment during mealtimes.