Good for the elderly
Seniors with this condition get choked easily and might even experience pain when swallowing.
Try these Soft Food Ideas Acceptable items include yogurt, custard, pudding, cottage cheese (small curd), cream cheese, and ricotta cheese. Cheese is a great source of calories for an underweight senior, and can be added as a sauce to many dishes while avoiding hard pieces like cheese cubes or slices.
Choose foods that are easy to swallow. Try breakfast foods like instant oatmeal, grits, pancakes, waffles, and cold cereal that has been softened in milk. For a main dish, try chicken, tuna or egg salad, soups and stews, soft cooked fish, tofu, and meatloaf.
If it turns out that your loved one does suffer from dysphagia, the following tips can help you to manage their condition effectively:
Cottage cheese, yogurt, custard, pudding, cream cheese, ricotta cheese and other soft cheeses are all relatively easy and safe to swallow. You should, however, avoid pieces of hard cheeses, like cubes of cheddar or Swiss cheese, and any product that has added nuts, seeds or granola, such as certain varieties of yogurt.
The elderly can be susceptible to choking due to a number of factors: eating too fast, trying to swallow large portions of food and having difficulty swallowing due to a number of health conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and strokes. All these factors can contribute to the risk of choking.
The most common reason that people choke on saliva is that they have difficulty swallowing. This makes it difficult for them to clear the airway by swallowing saliva and other substances that the airway secretes. Dysphagia makes it difficult for people to swallow.
Try some of these suggestions: Eat or drink in small amounts throughout the day instead of trying to eat large meals. Cut, mince or blend foods before eating to minimize chewing and ease swallowing. Use a straw to help get fluids past a tender or sore area in the mouth.
If you are on a level 2 dysphagia diet, there are certain foods you can and can’t eat. Foods you can eat: Pureed breads (also called pre-gelled breads) Cooked cereals with little texture, such as oatmeal, or slightly moistened dry cereals with little texture, such as corn flakes.
Cook food until soft, cut into small chunks, and place into blender or food processor. Or use an immersion blender. Add a little liquid and puree or blend. Keep adding a little liquid until you have a smooth puree.
Older adults’ teeth are often weak or absent. The mucosal surfaces in the mouth and throat are less moist. There is a loss of muscle strength in the mouth and throat that slows swallowing and makes it difficult to swallow hard or dry solid foods.
Severe choking: back blows and abdominal thrusts
Choking occurs when a piece of food, an object, or a liquid blocks the throat. Children often choke as a result of placing foreign objects into their mouths. Adults can choke from breathing in fumes or eating or drinking too rapidly.
Breads, cereals, rice, and pasta: Moist dry or cooked cereal. Macaroni, pasta, noodles, or rice.
Use milk, cream, or broth to mash vegetables like potatoes, yams, squash or carrots. Blend banana, melon, or frozen fruit into milkshakes or smoothies. Use gravy, broth or sauce to moisten meat, poultry or fish. Use cheese sauce to moisten vegetables, noodles or rice.
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