How to Puree Food for Dysphagia

Pureed food is recommended for people with difficulty swallowing which is called Dysphagia, the pureed diet is completely smooth with no seeds or lumps and do not need chewing. This is how to puree food for dysphagia.

You can puree foods using a food processor or a blender

  • Place the food in blender or food processor
  • Add liquid to the food that is to be pureed, this is depending on the kind of food as some food would be blended with milk.
  • Blend until smooth
  • If there are remains of lumps and skins, use a fine mesh strainer for a consistent smooth pureed food

HOW TO CHECK THE FOOD IS PUREED

This is how to know a well pureed food;

  • Is not sticky
  • Flows very slowly
  • Usually eaten with a spoon
  • Maintains its shape on a spoon
  • Cannot be sucked through a straw

HOW TO PUREE FOOD FOR DYSPHAGIA

how to puree food for Dysphagia

To give an answer to how to puree food for Dysphagia, we will first understand that there are various recipes that are suitable for Dysphagia patients.

Examples of Puree food for Dysphagia are Vegetable recipe for Dysphagia, Bread recipe for puree diet and Desserts just to mention a few.

To properly puree food for Dysphagia, you will need a Blender or Food Processor. A standard Blender will puree most fruits, vegetables, prepare desserts; like the ninja blender used for vanilla ice cream.

Standard blenders can also puree potatoes and portions of pasta. However, food processors are needed to consistently grind meat smoothly. Meat is the most difficult item to prepare when it comes to preparing pureed food for Dysphagia individuals. Here are the best blenders for pureeing meat for home use and Dysphagia patients.

Apart from meat pureeing blenders, you could also use a manual food meat grinder. To prepare meat for Dysphagia patients, make sure you remove the bones, skin, and fat. Use about 1/3 cup of hot Liquid as it is needed for every 2 to 3 ounces of meat. The Liquid should be hot so the meat stays hot.

To prepare puree food for Dysphagia, it is good to use broth, milk, meat juices, sauces or gravies as water dilutes flavor and has no nutritional value.

To prepare mixed meals like Lasagnas, stews, meat pies, casseroles puree food for Dysphagia, the potatoes should be well cooked, no skins, potatoes dishes should be pureed until it is smooth.

You can serve this pureed food for Dysphagia with butter, smooth gravies, add extra moistness, and enhances the flavor.

WHY PUREE FOOD FOR DYSPHAGIA?

Difficulty experienced with swallowing is called Dysphagia, it can result from a number of different conditions. Dysphagia can affect the muscles and nerves of the upper body. Dysphagia can affect people of any age, it depends on your medical situation.

Swallowing is a natural response, when you eat, the food mixes with saliva and form what we call food bolos. The tongue moves the food to the back of the mouth which is then swallowed.

It then moves through the esophagus then to the stomach where it is digested. If food goes through the respiratory tract, it could lead to infections.

It is a well-known fact that people with Dysphagia aren’t allowed to swallow normally, they are advised to follow a puree diet and avoid certain foods that could cause them problems during the swallowing process.

With a Puree diet, food should be in the consistency of a pudding, cohesive pureed food stay together in the mouth and travels easily through the esophagus to the stomach. 

HOW TO PUREE FOOD USING A BLENDER

homegeek blender for pureeing food for Dysphagia patients

As I mentioned above, a standard Powered Blender can puree different recipes for food. To explain how you can puree food using a blender, we are going to puree soup. The ingredients you need for this soup recipe are;

Parsnip, onion, cauliflower, chicken stock, cashew, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Follow this steps below on how to puree food using a Blender;

STEP 1; Boil the ingredients over the fire either on a gas stove using suitable cookware or boil over an induction cooktop using stainless steel cookware.

STEP 2; Boil the ingredients for 30 minutes.

How to puree food using a Blender - homegeek countertop blender for smoothies

STEP 3; Pour the cashew into the Blender. The cashew acts as a thickener, cashews are easy to blend and produce cashew milk. They blend easily than almond milk.

STEP 4; Pour the Parsnip, onion, cauliflower and chicken stock into the Blender.

STEP 5; Take a cultured Vegan Butter cut it into two parts, take one part and place inside the blender to give a creaminess texture. Pour in a bit of vinegar for providing balance with other acidic flavors.

STEP 6; Put on the Blender and Blend until it is smoothly pureed. Finally, you gently pour out the pureed soup into a bowl and enjoy!

PUREED FOOD RECIPES FOR DYSPHAGIA

leek and potato soup
Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

Below is a simple puree food recipe for Dysphagia patients. We are going to pick Pureed Vegetables and how you can naturally thicken a puree and add more flavor for Dysphagia recipes.

These are the ingredients you need for this pureed food for Dysphagia;

 ½ cup frozen vegetables

½ piece of bread (flavored bread adds more taste!)

½ cup to 1 cup of water

1 teaspoon better than bouillon chicken or vegetable flavor

½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon butter salt and pepper.

Kindly follow this steps to prepare this tasty Pureed food Recipe;

vegetable puree for dysphagia individuals

STEP 1; Boil all ingredients except for salt and pepper until very soft (3 to 5 minutes).

STEP 2; allow it to cool

STEP 3; Put all ingredients into a blender with salt and pepper and puree until smooth. Put into a mold to make it as attractive as possible.

Using food molds and simple cooking techniques can make pureed food like and taste delicious.

A pureed food or diet doesn’t mean boring. Get creative, your pureed food can just be as tasty as a non—pureed food.

PUREED FOOD FOR ADULTS

Pureed food for seniors and adults

An example of puree food for adults, we will use the Roast chicken with vegetables and potatoes. We need the following ingredients for adult puree food;

1TSP Oil

120g Chicken Fillets

¼ Pint instant or homemade gravy

2 -3 potatoes peeled

100g carrot peeled

100g Parsnips peeled

Salt and Pepper for seasoning

You can easily peel the potatoes with a Y Peeler or Swivel Peeler

Follow these steps to puree food for adults;

STEP 1; Heat the Oil in the Pan, place the chicken fillet in the pan, season with salt and pepper, sauté until slightly colored. Remove the chicken fillet and place it in a dish.

STEP 2; Remove the chicken fillet, place in a dish covered with foil, and place in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius or 180 degrees Celsius. While the chicken is in the oven, start to cook your vegetables.

STEP 3; Place the peeled potato inside a saucepan of boiling water seasoned with salt, allow the water to cover the potato, steamer for up to 10 minutes.

STEP 4; Place the carrot in a saucepan seasoned with salt, let it steam for 10 minutes.

STEP 5; Place the Parsnips into a saucepan seasoned with salt, boil until well cooked. Another alternate vegetable you can use is Broccoli.

STEP 6; Ensure your chicken is thoroughly cooked, cut into smaller pieces, use an instant gravy mix, blend together with the chicken pieces until completely smooth.

STEP 7; once blended, add a cup of thickener until a formed consistency is achieved, and add another scoop of thickener if needed.

STEP 7; Drain all your cooked vegetables, check they are soft and cooked through by mashing it with a fork. Blend the carrots until smooth with no lumps add a scoop of thickener until the desired consistency is achieved.

STEP 8; Blend the Parsnips until smooth with no lumps, add a scoop of the thickener, mix with a fork until the desired consistency is achieved.

STEP 9; Drain the water in the cooked potatoes, serve all puree vegetables into a warm plate, and serve. Don’t pay extra gravies before serving as this will change the consistency.

PUREED FOOD RECIPES FOR ADULT

Pureed food recipe for adults

Suffering from dysphagia isn’t the end of having delicious and tasty meals, there are still many tasteful pureed food options available.

  • Avocado, Chicken and Potato Puree:  Place one cooked boneless chicken breast, one diced potato and ½ dices potato in your food processor, add some pepper, salt and two or three tea spoon of milk. Blend until smooth
  • Easy-peaky Chicken: you will need meat, milk, fruit and vegetables

½ cup of milk

½ cup cooked shredded chicken

½ of canned, drained vegetables

Place altogether in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

  • Pureed cauliflower: Boil your cauliflower until its tender, drain the water, save ½ cup of the liquid. Placed the cooked cauliflower with salt, garlic powder, pepper, and butter with the ½ cup of liquid, blend together until smooth.
  • Mac and Cheese: This is one of the most pureed meal, start by preparing it for yourself then add mac a cheese with a cup of warm milk, blend together.
  • Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup: Make a white sauce, mix 2 table spoon of oil and butter with three spoons of flour. Heat up the mixture, once it starts to boil, add one cup of skim milk. Let the sauce thicken, add broccoli into the sauce, blend until smooth, add the mixture into a pan with a quarter cup of shredded cheese.
  • Beef Stew: This will work for any meat or vegetable. Place 4 ounces of boneless beef in a food processor with a cup of liquid, add vegetable of your choice (carrots, peas) add some salt and pepper for a delicious taste.
  • Spaghetti and Meatballs: Add two pre-cooked meat balls and half a cup of cooked spaghetti noodles to a processor, add three-quarter cup of hot water and a half cup of spaghetti sauce, process until smooth.
  • Blackberry, Kale, and Apple: place 2 chopped gala apples in a blender, add one cup of chopped kale, one cup of blackberries, and ½ cup of water. Blend mixture together.

DYSPHAGIA FOOD TO AVOID

Here are the list of foods to avoid for Dysphagia patients; foods that contain small particles like rice, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese. Foods like pineapple will be stringy or fibrous.

Foods like vegetables, fresh fruits, crusty bread, stew, dried meat might be too crusty, tough, crumbly and chunky to chew and form a cohesive bowel of food to swallow.

ALLOWED FOODS FOR DYSPHAGIA

  1. Pureed or Slurred soft breads
  2. Farina –type hot cereals
  3. Pureed Fruits and Vegetables
  4. Pureed meat and casseroles
  5. Mashed potatoes, Pureed rice or pasta without lumps
  6. Pureed thickened soup
  7. Fats, sauces and gravies to moisten pureed food and add flavor
  8. Pudding, yogurt, pureed desserts
  9. Spices, smooth condiments like Jelly and honey

NOTE; As long as the above foods for Dysphagia are prepared coherently to be a cohesive puree diet that ensures a smooth passage of the food.

WHERE TO BUY PUREED FOOD FOR ADULTS

You can get pureed adult food in stores or you can easily prepare any recipe explained above. However, to answer the question of where to buy pureed food for adults, one place we consider easy is to get your pureed adult foods from Amazon.

Below are the best pureed adult foods that is suitable for dysphagia;

BOOST NUTRITIONAL PUDDING PUREE FOR ADULTS

Vanilla pudding puree for adults

Do you want to add extra protein to your diet? Then this adult pureed food is for you!

This Nutritional pudding is suitable for Dysphagia as it can boost your body’s protein, vitamins, calories, and support normal energy.

Here is the Nutritional value of this Adult Pureed food; 240 CALORIE PUDDING: One BOOST Nutritional Pudding provides 240 calories, 7 grams of protein & 24 vitamins & minerals for a nutritionally-balanced snack that will add texture and variety to any diet.

This high protein Nutritional Pureed food is suitable for fluid patients; those having issues with swallowing. It is also sugar-free, gluten-free, kosher free, and lactose-free diets.

NOTE: NOT FOR USE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH GALACTOSEMIA

PUREE LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Puree Lasagna meat sauce for Dysphagia

Hormel’s are known for providing best-pureed foods for adults. This Puree lasagna recipe with meat sauce is specially designed for those with swallowing difficulty.

This thick and easy pureed meat is designed for safe swallowing and it is also easy to prepare. It can be ready in 60 seconds, nutritious, and delicious.

It comes in various delicious flavors for all meals of the day. This is one of the simplest pureed food for adults as it provides quality exceptional taste.

Furthermore, this Hormel pureed food doesn’t require a refrigerator for storage. You simply need one of these best microwave brands for home use for preparation and it will be ready to serve in 60 seconds.

Great for Dysphagia patients, those on a feeding tube and has swallowing difficulty, easy to eat, and digest.

HORMEL DRINK THICK AND EASY CRANBERRY JUICE NECTAR CONSISTENCY

The thick and easy Hormel food is a great recipe for Dysphagia patients that have damaged or deteriorated muscles and nerves that have issues with swallowing.

Finding flavorful foods and beverages can be a bit challenging but Hormel Health Labs understands this challenge by providing tasty, easy, and complete meals that are suitable for Dysphagia patients.

Hormel pureed drink for Dysphagia

This Hormel puree thick and easy beverage for patients with Dysphagia meets the international Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiatives (IDDSI) guidelines for Level 2 Mildly Thick (Nectar) and Level 3 Moderately Thick (Honey).

Hormel Puree thick and easy thickened beverages are designed to provide easy, time-saving preparation for the caregiver while providing great tasting, nutritious and safe options for those who suffer from dysphagia.

BREAD RECIPE FOR PUREE DIET DYSPHAGIA

Bread recipe diet for Dysphagia
Photo by https://rubiconfoods.com/pur%C3%A9e-cornbread

To prepare the Bread recipe for Dysphagia, you could use a Pureed bread mix, bread crumbs to make a bread like pudding.

A food processor is perfect for pureeing the pieces of bread crumbs. Use of a slurry is advisable. Slurry means soaking the bread in Liquid until it is saturated.

Apart from Bread, you can slur cake, cookies, pancakes and crackers using coffee, juice, syrup or milk.

The process is to pour Liquid over the food item cover and refrigerate the food until the food is evenly soaked through with Liquid.

Similar Posts