The Complete Guide to Texture Modified Diets

Despite the benefits texture modification can offer, many studies have actually shown that, in reality, people on texture modified diets may actually eat and drink less [7].

Why? Because texture modified food and fluids aren’t always enjoyable to consume. Ask your loved one what they’d rather eat: a tenderly cooked steak smothered in a rich mushroom sauce with a side of chat potatoes and beans … or a plate of vegetable puree thickened with nutritionally complete powder.

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, they’ll choose the steak, even if eating it is more difficult, time-consuming and risky.

Consequently, one of the big challenges when caring for people with dysphagia is preparing meals that are safe, nutritious, and look and taste like real food.

If your loved one needs a texture modified diet because they have dysphagia or another medical condition, you should seek a referral to a qualified speech pathologist. A speech pathologist, in collaboration with a dietitian, can help develop a diet based around your loved one’s individual needs and preferences, although most texture modified diets share a common focus on high-protein high-energy meals [12].

Once your loved one’s speech pathologist and dietitian have put together a meal plan for a texture modified diet, it might be up to you to actually cook and prepare the meals. Many people find texture modified diets, especially pureed or liquified meals, to be undignified, so try implementing some of the following strategies to create texture modified food and fluid that’s enjoyable to consume.

• Use a moulding powder and moulds, like those from Flavour Creations’ Shape It range, to form mince and puree into recognisable food shapes.
• Use foods that naturally have the required IDDSI level. Many everyday foods are IDDSI Levels 4, 5 or 6, so try creating meals with them instead of simply pureeing or mincing foods like biscuits or steak. For example, eggs, baked beans, most fish and heavily cooked pasta are all acceptable for Levels 5 and 6, while ice-cream, jelly, soup and certain cheeses can be acceptable for Level 4.
• Don’t skimp on fancy cooking. Just because your loved one can’t have certain textured foods doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the taste of them. Prepare sauces and flavour combinations in the same way as you would a normal meal.
• Use neutrally flavoured thickening powders to thicken fluids. You don’t want your loved one’s coffee, water and tea to all have an unpleasant artificial flavour.  Purchase flavourless thickening powders that can easily dissolve into drinks without affecting their taste.      
• Get creative! Don’t stick to the same meals, day-in, day-out.  Dust off your cookbook and start making mealtimes exciting again.