Good nutrition and hydration is essential throughout our lives. It is particularly important after a serious health event such as stroke, when the body needs to work extra hard to recover. However, swallowing difficulties (also known as dysphagia) can make mealtimes a time of fear and anxiety. Normal food and drinks become hard to swallow, and choking or accidentally inhaling food into the lungs (‘aspiration’) becomes a real possibility. This makes hitting nutritional targets difficult, and malnutrition and dehydration more likely, which in turn can create additional clinical problems.
First and foremost, eating and drinking are necessary to give your body the right nutrients for good health. But mealtimes are also important for your quality of life. Ideally, mealtimes should be positive, relaxed, enjoyable occasions.
When mealtimes are less enjoyable, they may start to limit how often and how much is eaten. Over time, this can lead to weight loss, malnutrition and dehydration, and could lead to secondary health issues such as sarcopenia (muscle wasting) and pressure injury. For these reasons, it is very important that dysphagia is identified early and managed appropriately.
After being diagnosed with dysphagia, patients may be recommended to consume specially tailored dysphagia food, known as a ‘texture-modified diet’. This is because people with dysphagia usually find it safer and easier to swallow food and drink with an adapted consistency and smooth texture. A speech and Language Therapist (SLT) or other healthcare professional will determine the severity of dysphagia and the required texture modification. They may also recommend the use of a special thickening agent that will help the person preparing the dish to get exactly the right consistency each time.
When thinking of mealtime priorities for people with dysphagia, being able to swallow food and drinks safely is number one! Second to that is ensuring they get enough of the right nutrition, which plays an important role in their survival, recovery and/or wellbeing. However, whilst safety and nutritional value are both essential, getting pleasure from mealtimes with family or friends is also important for a person’s overall quality of life. Ideally, mealtimes should be positive, relaxed and enjoyable occasions. Therefore, making meals and drinks pleasurable because they look appetizing and taste delicious should also be a priority. Having the right cooking equipment and utensils is a great start – you may have most of these in your kitchen already:
To further improve safety, there are certain foods that dysphagia patients have trouble swallowing so should be avoided. These include thin or watery liquid foods, like tea, soup, or juice, sticky foods, dry foods, like bread, potatoes, or cake, as well as nuts and seeds.
This guide has been created with support from The Chef’s Council, a group of international experts dedicated to improving the quality of food and drinks for people with dysphagia and supporting those who care for them.
Preparing food for someone with dysphagia becomes easier with practice. Try this quick and simple minced beef or Bolognese sauce recipe to help learn the basic skills when cooking for someone with dysphagia.
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