How to deal with
Swallowing Problems
Living with dysphagia
An appetizing and tasty diet plan seems almost unmanageable whilst suffering from swallowing problems (Dysphagia). This can reduce your quality of life in an undesirable way. Due to swallowing difficulties the risk of dehydration and malnutrition increases.
Furthermore: simply blending and straining food into a homogeneous mash destroys any joy of eating and taste.
How to manage dysphagia?
One way to manage dysphagia is an adequate supply of texture-modified foods. Ingredients have to be chopped, minced, pureed, and thickened to the necessary consistency just as all liquids. Carefully chosen textures and drink consistencies recommended by your doctor and healthcare professionals may help to manage your dysphagia. Please follow the diet modification instructions from your healthcare professional, as not all patients require a pureed diet.
Nevertheless: Living with dysphagia doesn’t mean giving up on good meals!
Much of the appeal of food is visual. If a meal looks attractive, it can stimulate the appetite. To sustain dysphagia patients’ enjoyment of eating it is important to keep variety in the diet, and individually preferred foods on the menu, and to prepare meals that are appetizing and attractive.
