Texture Modified Diet and Fluids
- People with swallowing problems may be advised to modify their diet and fluids to make swallowing easier and safer.
- For example, food may be easier to chew and swallow, if the food is softened, cut up finely or sauces are added.
- Some people may find it difficult to swallow regular fluids such as water, tea, coffee, etc. Regular fluids do not hold together well in the mouthand can easily pass down into the back of the throat and go down the wrong way into the lungs (aspirated).
- In this case, thickened fluids may be recommended because they allow better control of swallowing.
- Your MSAC speech pathologist will advise you on the safest diet and fluids for your swallowing problem.
- We can also provide you with advice on how to go about:
- thickening fluids
- where to purchase thickening agents
- and how to know if you are swallowing them safely.
- It is important to behave ongoing review and monitoring when making diet and fluid changes, as often, recommendations will change as swallowing improves or becomes more difficult.
- The Melbourne Swallow Analysis Centre (MSAC) recommends diet and fluid modification based on the IDDSI framework. www.iddsi.org
