Nourishing Diet Level 6 Soft and Bite-sized

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Tracy Watson
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1 Nourishing Diet Level 6 Soft and Bite-sized Part of: South Tyneside and Sunderland Healthcare Group

2 Introduction: If you are having problems swallowing, or you are unable to chew your food, you may find you need a soft and bite sized diet. This booklet will help you choose foods of a suitable texture and help ensure that you obtain all the nourishment you need. Soft and bite-sized - Foods should be soft, tender and moist, but not sticky and are best served with a smooth sauce, gravy or custard (thickened to the required consistency e.g. to the stage of thickened fluid required). Food should be easily mashed using a fork at the point of service/consumption, with the exception of pasta which should be mashed using a potato masher. Food should require some chewing and contain no mixed textures and no thin loose fluid. Food pieces should be no larger than 1.5cm2 Contact name:. Contact Number:. How can I make my food softer? Adding thickened sauces e.g. gravy, stock, white/cheese sauce, milk or cream. Mashing e.g. potatoes, vegetables or soft fruits. Mincing e.g. cooked meat or poultry. A Balanced Diet To ensure that you receive all of the nutrients you need it is important to eat a variety of foods each day. Try to eat something from each of the following food groups daily Protein foods soft tender or finely minced meat or flaked fish without fat, bones, skin or gristle. Pieces approximately 1.5cm with no hard lumps served in a thick smooth sauce or gravy. Boiled, poached or scrambled eggs. Starchy foods Weetabix soaked in milk, porridge, creamed or mashed potato, very small soft chips with gravy or tinned pasta in a thick sauce. Fruit and vegetables very soft, mashed boiled vegetables (carrots, parsnip, turnip, cauliflower, mushy peas, tinned plum tomatoes with no juice, courgette, beetroot), well stewed, soft or mashed fruit with skins and seeds removed (melon, banana, strawberries, pears, apricots, peaches, plums.) Milk and dairy foods thickened milkshakes, yoghurts, fromagefrais, cream cheese, butter, thick milky pudding.

3 The following foods should be avoided to prevent choking: Starchy foods such as peanut butter, toffee, chocolate. Coarse, dry, hard foods such as nuts, seeds, coconut, dried fruit, celery, muesli and crisps. Crunchy or crumbly foods such as biscuits, toast, pie crusts and crumbles. Stringy fibrous foods such as pineapple, shells of beans, peas, sweet corn, lettuce and vegetable or fruit skins (broad beans, grapes, tomatoes.) Mixed consistency foods such as cereals that do not blend with milk like muesli, mince with thin gravy, minestrone soup. Ideas for a soft, bite-sized diet Breakfast Weetabix (soaked in milk.) Porridge/ Ready Brek. Yoghurt, crème fraiche or fromage-frais with stewed or mashed fruit. Boiled, poached or scrambled eggs well covered with tinned spaghetti or baked beans and grated cheese. Omelette with cheese and tinned tomatoes (with no juice). Milkshakes (thickened if advised by your speech and language therapist.) Plain shop bought pancakes chopped with butter/ margarine and syrup/jelly type jam or yoghurt/ cream/evaporated milk and mashed or stewed fruit. Main meals Cottage or Shepherd s pie with well cooked, soft vegetables. Minced meat in a thick smooth sauce or gravy and mashed or creamed potatoes and well cooked, soft vegetables. Chicken or fish supreme. Fish pie (with mashed potato topping) and well cooked, soft vegetables. Corned beef hash or skinless sausages, mashed potato and gravy. Ready prepared meals e.g. ravioli, macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognese with plenty of sauce (avoid those with crispy toppings.) Jacket potatoes (without skin) with butter and houmous/ tuna mayo/minced beef/egg mayo/grated cheese/baked beans. Puddings and snacks Milk puddings (e.g. rice pudding, sago, semolina, custard.) Sponge puddings or soft plain cake with cream/ custard or ice cream*. Instant desserts, whips, blancmange. Thick smooth yoghurt, fromage frais, mousse or fruit fool. Ice-cream*, sorbet, frozen yoghurt or banana split. Egg custard, crème caramel or sweet pie fillings. Mashed or stewed fruit with cream, custard, crème fraiche or yoghurt. *If you are on thickened fluids avoid ice-cream as it will melt in the mouth and become too thin.

4 How to enrich everyday food and drink Sometimes, following a soft diet means that you end up eating less than usual. It is very important that what you do eat is as nourishing as possible. Extra nourishment can be added to everyday foods try some of these simple ideas: Store cupboard foods If you have difficulty preparing meals or do not feel like cooking, you may find it useful to have some of the following products in your fridge, freezer or cupboard. They can easily be mashed to the correct texture: Milk Add 3-4 heaped teaspoons of dried milk powder to each pint of full cream milk (aim to drink 1 pint per day). Keep this in the fridge and use in hot and cold drinks, on cereals and in desserts and sauces. Tins Stew, minced beef, macaroni cheese, vegetables, spaghetti, pasta shapes, curry, bolognese, milk puddings and custard, soft fruit (not pineapple or grapefruit), boneless tinned fish. Cheese Fats Cream Sugar and preserves Grate into soups or scrambled eggs, and on to potatoes, vegetables or baked beans. Add butter and margarine to mashed potatoes and vegetables. Add to potatoes, porridge, cereal, milk puddings, milky drinks, sauces or soups. Add sugar, seedless jam, honey, syrup or lemon curd to drinks, cereals and desserts. Frozen meals Packets Hot-pots, fish pies, fish/pasta in sauce, cottage pie, chicken supreme. Instant mashed potato, instant dessert mixes, dried milk powder, UHT milk, pasta in sauce, boil in the bag meals. Helpful hints Ensure that all foods are well cooked. Remove skins, bones, seeds or pips. Always serve with lots of thickened sauce or gravy. Allow plenty of time to eat your meals and take small sips of drinks if this helps.

5 Recipe Ideas Cauliflower Cheese 1lb (500g) cauliflower 1 ½ dessertspoons cornflour ¾ pint (400ml) milk 4oz (120g) grated cheese 1oz (30g) butter Salt and pepper, to taste Remove leaves from cauliflower and break into small bitesized florets. Boil in water until soft. Mix the cornflour with a little of the milk in a large jug, to make a paste. Pour the remainder of the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour onto the cornflour, stirring all the time. Return the milk and cornflour to the pan and simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened (stir continuously.) Remove from heat and stir in cheese and butter. Drain water from cauliflower and add cheese sauce. Divide into 4 servings and freeze the remaining portions when cooled. Chicken/ Fish Supreme Cooked chicken, finely cubed Or Piece of white fish 1 tin condensed mushroom or chicken soup Pre-heat the oven to 375 F / gas mark 5 / 200 C. Place the chicken/ fish in a casserole dish and pour over the condensed soup. Place in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Serve with mashed potato and vegetables or pasta.

6 Notes Notes

7 South Tyneside District Hospital Harton Lane South Shields Tyne & Wear NE34 0PL Tel: For information about our Trust: We are committed to raising the standard of written information for patients, their carers, people who use the NHS and the general public. This information can be made available in another format or language on request. For further copies of this leaflet please contact on the telephone number above. Production date: Nov 2018 Author: Nutrition Code: 1118/530 Review date: April 2021

Nourishing Diet Level 5 - Minced and Moist

Nourishing Diet Level 5 - Minced and Moist Part of: South Tyneside and Sunderland Healthcare Group Introduction: If you are having problems swallowing, or you are unable to chew your food, you may find