Swallowing advice for: A Soft Diet Fork mashable diet - category E Ladywell Building Speech & Language Therapy Department Community: 0161 206 2333 Hospital: 0161 206 5450 speech.therapy@srft.nhs.uk All Rights Reserved 2018. Document for issue as handout.
What is a soft diet? Should be soft enough to be broken up with a fork into 1.5cm pieces It requires some chewing, but normal muscle strength and teeth are not necessary Foods NOT suitable for soft diet Hard, tough, chewy, stringy, dry, crispy food items Foods with skins, husks or outer shells e.g. peas, grapes, sweetcorn Crunchy foods such as lettuce, cucumber. Hard texture e.g. pieces of apple, cheese chunks Foods and liquids mixed together e.g. soups with vegetable lumps or cornflakes in milk Jelly and ice-cream are only suitable when taking normal drinks (i.e. no thickener) Suggested soft diet meal ideas Snack meals Breakfast Porridge Weetabix soaked in milk Hot oat cereal e.g. Ready Brek. Main meals Steamed or poached fish in sauce / fish pie / tinned salmon, tuna Shepherd s pie / Cottage pie Corned beef hash Tender meat stews Skinless sausages Spaghetti bolognaise Well cooked plain rice with sauce / risotto Mashed or soft boiled potato / soft chips in gravy Well cooked vegetables - cauliflower cheese, mashed or very soft carrots, turnips, swede, courgette. Omelettes / poached eggs / scrambled eggs Soups - with lentils, potatoes, meat / chicken Macaroni cheese Jacket potato (no skin) and baked beans Sandwiches (crustless) with soft fillings e.g. egg mayo, tuna mayo, pate, jam. Vegetables Small, very soft chips in gravy Mashed or very soft boiled potatoes Mashed parsnip Mashed or very soft carrots, turnips, cauliflower, swede, courgette, beetroot etc Mushy peas Cauliflower cheese Tinned plum tomatoes (no juice). Fruit Banana Watermelon or other melons (being careful to separate seeds) Strawberries Skinned: pears, apricots, peaches, plums Stewed fruit. 1 2
Soft snacks Porridge or instant hot cereal e.g. Ready Brek or weetabix served with hot milk Soft fruits or tinned fruit Stewed apple with sugar Banana mashed with milk, cream or custard Yoghurt (not muesli type) - thick and creamy varieties, Greek yoghurt Fromage frais Mousses and crème caramel Milk pudding with jam - homemade, tinned or packet pudding such as custard, semolina, rice pudding and sago are suitable Sponge puddings served with cream or custard Trifle, ice-cream, milk jelly, blancmange Angel delight or Instant Whip Baked egg custard (no pastry). Why is it important to follow Speech and Language Therapy recommendation Following assessment with the Speech and Language Therapist you will be given specific advice about suitable food types. It is important to follow these recommendations as: You may be at risk of food going down the wrong way (aspiration). This may lead to coughing after eating and may cause a chest infection. If you experience difficulty with your swallow e.g. coughing when eating or drinking, frequent chest infections or feel your swallow has generally deteriorated please contact your speech and language therapist for further advice or assessment. What to do if you are losing weight Aim for a little and often meal pattern e.g. 3 small meals and 3 snacks per day Have nourishing drinks between meals e.g. milk, horlicks, ovaltine, hot chocolate High energy drinks are available from your chemist e.g. Build Up or Complan. Have these in-between meals and not as a meal replacement Have nourishing snacks between meals e.g. smooth yoghurts, instant hot cereal or weetabix with hot milk, banana mashed with milk, cream or custard, fromage frais, mousses and crème caramel Use only full fat products e.g. full fat milk, thick and creamy yoghurts, full fat cheese Try fortifying your food i.e. making foods higher in energy and protein without increasing portion sizes. Food fortification Add skimmed milk powder to foods e.g. 2-4 tablespoons into 1 pint full fat milk or 1 tablespoon mixed into porridge or soup Add double cream, condensed or evaporated milk to foods before pureeing e.g. porridge, custard, mashed potato, soups, vegetables, milky drinks Add grated cheese to foods before pureeing e.g. mashed potato, scrambled eggs, vegetables, soups Add margarine / butter to foods before pureeing e.g. mashed potato, vegetables, milk pudding Add extra sugar / syrup / honey (caution with diabetes) - cereals, drinks, puddings Fry foods where possible with oil before pureeing e.g. meats, vegetables, potatoes. If you experience weight loss, you can ask your GP to refer you to a Dietitian for further advice. Salford residents can contact the dietetic team directly on 0161 206 4254. 3 4
Buying prepared soft or pureed meals Wiltshire Farm Foods soft and puree main meals and puddings http://www. wiltshirefarmfoods.com Notes Notes Hermolis kosher food specialists http://www.hermolis.com Punjab Kitchens modified main meals and puree puddings - Halal food specialists http://www. punjabkitchen.co.uk 5 6
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