Tips & Recipes For People With Dysphagia
by Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S of SwallowStudy.com
Introduction to Dysphagia Tips & Recipes
It’s that time of the year, and there are gatherings from Thanksgiving through the New Year! Typically, parties in the United States center around food and drink (even though some of us think they should center around music and dancing). Getting together in-person with family and friends is wonderful, but – let’s face it – it may be stressful at times. If you, your loved ones, or friends have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), these gatherings can be extra challenging. SwallowStudy.com and Hormel Health Labs teamed up to provide help and support for those who struggle with dysphagia. Click here for our article: Tips for Managing Dysphagia at Home During the Holidays. Not everyone with dysphagia will require a texture modification in what they eat and drink; therefore, those tips covered a wide variety of topics to make for a successful gathering. For those who benefit from pureed/blended foods or foods that are soft, moist, and easy to chew, I have compiled this list of recipes for people with dysphagia, along with cooking tips.
Prior SwallowStudy.com Articles
In these blogs, I advised: don’t forget the flavor when modifying textures, and don’t ignore our desires to snack all day long!
Other helpful blogs:
- Learn more tips if you are a survivor of head/neck cancer, including how to make foods slippery and how to make a high-calorie smoothie: https://swallowstudy.com/tips-survivors-head-neck-cancer/
- Learn more on how to make and test the ideal puree: https://swallowstudy.com/why-puree/
International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) Recipe Ideas:
IDDSI’s Special Features
- The sticky and not so sticky issues with hot cereals, per our Asian IDDSI Reference Groups: https://iddsi.org/news/rice-porridge-around-the-world
- Lots of tips on puree: https://iddsi.org/news/focus-on-puree
From the Country-Specific Charts on IDDSI.org
United Kingdom
See the United Kingdom chart on IDDSI.org. Additionally, they had great tips shared at the UK’s IDDSI Festival 2022. I especially recommend the chart of foods at the end of this linked pdf document of slides that can be a high choking risks: https://cms.iddsi.org/media/aroundtheworld/uk/9_iddsi_uk_festival_janne_schack_audit_tool.pdf
There are good resources in that United Kingdom chart from Dorset HealthCare University. Dorset states: “This booklet contains a small selection of recipes from the new IDDSI recipe book called: Modify your style – tips for dysphagia cooks at home, written by the DART team at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust.” https://cms.iddsi.org/media/aroundtheworld/uk/dorset-healthcare-iddsi-recipe-book-18-page-excerpt-for-iddsi-festival-2022.pdf
United States
See the United States IDDSI Reference Group’s chart of resources.
National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders
IDDSI.org and the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders also teamed up and presented a webinar on December 2, 2021 called: Celebrating the Holidays with Dysphagia. See the full webinar on IDDSI’s YouTube Chanel here. That talk by the dietitian Laura Michaels provided more ideas and recipes for people with dysphagia in these two terrific handouts:
- The Purees of Fall: The Holiday Meal, by Diane Wolff (Author of Essential Puree – The A to Z Guidebook and EssentialPuree.com
- Making Holiday Meal Safer for those with Swallowing Difficulties (dysphagia), by Laura Michael of Dysphagia Solutions.
Special thanks to NFOSD and IDDSI for all the free and open access supports:
- Resources, such as handouts for people with dysphagia: https://iddsi.org/resources/patient-handouts
- Support groups: https://swallowingdisorderfoundation.com/nfosd-support-groups/
Oak House Kitchen
Main recipe tab: https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/recipes-for-dysphagia/
Thank you Oak House Kitchen (chefs Preston Walker and James Ball) for all of your recipes for people with dysphagia. They provide great examples and cooking tips:
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/recipes-for-dysphagia/dysphagia-cakes-and-biscuits/
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/recipes-for-dysphagia/lyonnaise-potatoes/
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/recipes-for-dysphagia/pea-and-ham-soup-level-3/
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/recipes-for-dysphagia/coronation-chicken-salad-level-5/
Great tips on rice, pasta and other starches
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/blog/iddsi-cooking-webinar/ (link to old webinar not working, but text is very helpful).
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/blog/pasta-mousse-a-lighter-way-of-thinking/
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/recipes-for-dysphagia/spaghetti-bolognaise-level-4/
Terrific IDDSI Webinar by Oak House Kitchen:
https://www.oakhouse-kitchen.com/blog/iddsi-webinar-myths-and-truths-about-modifying-foods-for-iddsi-levels/ (See link at end to their YouTube webinar with cooking techniques, but the webinar is also summarized in the text of this linked article).
More Recipes for People with Dysphagia:
from Companies Who Provide Thickened Liquids & Modified Foods
- https://www.simplythick.com/Online-Recipes
- https://www.hormelhealthlabs.com/resources/category/recipes/
- https://www.hormelhealthlabs.com/resources/6-dysphagia-diet-recipes-for-the-holidays/
Summary & Learn More
In summary, I hope this blog takes the stress out of providing a good variety of recipes for people with dysphagia. I also want to let you know that any food or drink recipe that you make can be tested for its softness, moistness, bite-size (aka, particle size), and overall ease of swallowing by using simple IDDSI Testing Methods. See my prior blogs and resources for more information on IDDSI and IDDSI Testing:
- Time for IDDSI Updates
- IDDSI Resources
- United States IDDSI Reference Group (USIRG) Powerpoints:
IDDSI Introduction for Food Service Workers & Caregivers: 101
IDDSI Testing Methods for Food Service Workers & Caregivers: 201
Thanks for reading, experimenting, testing, and sharing!
Please share your party tips and recipes for people with dysphagia too!
Thank you!