Does anyone have experience with sourcing food for a "mechanical" soft diet?

I batch did it GA and froze it all it small pots then I could pick and choose what he had. Things that blended and froze really well and were colourful. Carrots, Rutabaga and carrots (with a knob of butter!), Squash, pumpkin, peas, Cabbage doesn't, cauliflower does especially if you do it in a cheese sauce but you have to be careful defrosting it, mash potato and sweet potato obviously freeze well, broccoli I found a bit hit and miss, instead of tomatoes I used pasta. creamed leeks work and freeze well


If you are worried at all about nutrients an ensure will git a boost.

Dad lost a lot of his taste for anything in the end so I tried to give him stuff that was pretty instead. He didn't want to eat it initially but once he realised that the taste was the same (and you have to pick your battle here - I did it with sausage and onion and mash and a sort of dahl type pureed baked beans he realised he wasn't losing flavour and all was well with the world again.

As for desserts (oddly enough that never seemed a difficulty at all)
He loved eton mess - meringues crushed into cream with ice cream and pureed red fruit (I used strawberries but change to raspberries because dad preferred them)
Banana which I mashed with sugar and poured custard (HOT OR COLD) over
tapioca or semolina or ground rice pudding with a dollop of jelly in it
He adored peaches and I pureed those and gave him them with condensed milk
so easy to do dessert so much more difficult to do mains.

Easiest mains to get every nutrient under the sun in? SOUP

I could give dad a full meal using a soup maker. Just chuck everything in turn it on and 20 minutes later a blended soup. If Mum ever realises what she has when she has soup she wouldn't eat it believe you me. Kale, broccoli all the greens she hates plus some meats she wouldn't otherwise eat
Pea and ham is her favourite for sure but she like lentils too and all soups freeze well.

I think I would take the blender to Dads and use it there rather than do the double journey then bring it home with me. The one thing you are going to need is a lot of those teeny tiny pots with lids that are freezable and microwavable. I literally used to cook of say 1 whole rutabaga and 6 or 7 carrots mash it all up in the blender with butter and pepper and no sodium salt and put about a tablespoon or two into each pot - boy did I run out of pots quickly the first time I did the cook off!

First, a very big, grateful, thanks to everyone who responded. The suggestions are very helpful, so I'm copying each and every post to save and add to my dysphagia file. I do want to comment on just a few issues though.

Second, pureed foods aren't required at his stage, so that's an easy aspect to eliminate before even having had to consider it.

Third, some of the foods allowed and disallowed are surprising: White bread but not whole wheat or artisan (too much texture, good things we normally would like such as grains, flax, etc.), ice cream (uh, oh, no Dairy Queens either!), milk shakes (another disappointment), oatmeals but not with fruit, and corn and peas. I guess it's the very thin skins on these 2 veggies.

I'm going to inquire about using Thik-It in milk shakes, ice cream or sherbet and cut the portions to about 1/2 cup, which could be eaten before it melts and becomes too liquid.

Fourth, I do have a Level 2 dysphagia diet guideline now, so that's our temporary manual.

Fifth, I did check out the sources of prepared meals suggested, both here and in PMs. There seems to be a good selection, but...see Sixth point.

Sixth, we've figured out a way to reinstitute Meals on Wheels, which is great not only b/c I won't have the added food prep time (other caregiving issues have arisen), but because it provides a social source for Dad. Even if it's just a few minutes "meet and greet", it provides a nice break in his day.

And our local MOW apparently works with some local schools; periodically there are handwritten/drawn cards from youngsters offering support, providing a little bit about their life, but generally overall, very cheering.

Ground meats such as hamburger are permitted; chicken can be cut up; breads will not be eaten, as they're off the current diet. There might be a few meals that won't provide much since the ingredients aren't on the current diet, but that's a small portion of what Dad will be getting.

CWillie, I wasn't aware of being able to purchase frozen MOW; I'm going to inquire about that, or perhaps just order extra meals for the weekend and freeze them.

There will be some loss of food, such as the fresh vegetable salads, but overall the diets can be adapted.

Seventh, the Speech Language Therapist (SLP) has provided a list of exercises to be done daily, a few of which are those which Dad did over a decade ago when he had a more severe form of dysphagia after prolonged intubation and reliance on a trach.

One thing I would caution against if anyone does have a parent or loved one who's given these exercises. DON'T do the exercises yourself. Initially I suggested doing them along with Dad, but the then SLP specifically told me not to. These exercises are not for people with normal swallowing functions and could actually harm the vocal chords.

So, I don't get to grunt and groan like a caveman (apologies to the Neanderthals and early humans) along with my father to provide moral support.

Eighth, thanks to some private messages as well as the posted ones, I was given information on a delivery service for special diet meals. They seems to be varied, and I'm keeping that as backup information in case anything changes.


I still have some research to do, but at least the change isn't as drastic as I anticipated.

Perhaps the hardest part is to remember to tuck the chin when swallowing, and accepting the potential loss of treats as hotter weather becomes more prevalent - I don't think anyone can deny the relief provided by a nice cool dish of ice cream, sherbet, or a trip to the Dairy Queen for some really luscious temptations.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond; your suggestions have all been helpful, and as noted above, I'm saving and studying all of them to see how I can integrate them into the new menu.

And as for now, there are some other nonfood issues that have developed, so it's on to the next challenge (of which I frankly have had enough).

The speech therapist will give you lists and booklets and all kinds of detailed material. Until he or she is on board, "creamed" (blended) soups and smoothies/milkshakes will get you through, at least until the weekend when you can cook.

It is true that a mechanical soft Dysphagic diet will effect every aspect of a meal. Not every patient can handle that psychologically.

I'm sure I have seen frozen meal suppliers in the States but I have been searching for you and coming up blank. Here we thankfully have the option to buy frozen meals-on-wheels dinners, many of which are modified for special diets.
Do you need fully pureed or is minced and moist still possible? I expect you will be able to tweak the diet a little as you go. I wouldn't worry too much about the protein issue, most North Americans are used to consuming way more than we need. As the others have said, cream type soups, smoothies, custards and yogurt are all naturally pureed and can be packed with protein, fruits or veggies. Silken tofu blends up really nicely with fresh or frozen fruits, protein powders can be added to smoothies, and of course there is dairy and the various nutritional supplement drinks.
If he needs a total puree then frankly I would stay away from meat completely unless it is whizzed into a flavourful gravy-like sauce.

Beware of blanket declarations; "OBrien, it puzzles me that hot meals on wheels programs appear to be so universally available in the USA yet they don't seem to offer therapeutic diets or the option of frozen meals for those in hard to service areas"
A few years ago I had lunch with friends at a senior center. The same center prepared and delivered MOW. Some of which were frozen for recipients to store. Even around MA there is a huge difference , so I am told, between service areas. Senior centers and AAAgencies are places to ask what is available.

Dad stopped eating bread and rolls to be fair he couldn't manage them at all UNLESS it was dunked into soup. I imagine gravy is the same but it wont taste like bread any more. he could however eat a bread and butter pudding as long as I gave it a quick whisk. Line a tin with bread and butter add a layer of sugar and sultanas, then another layer of bread and butter and then a layer of sugar and sultanas finish with a layer of bread and butter - whisk up a couple of eggs (more for a big tine) with milk add some nutmeg, cinnamon or vanilla pour it over and bake it - Now normally I would bake it till the top was a little crispy but when I did it for Dad I adjusted the recipe to use blended sultanas (which I had soaked in tea to plump them and cooked it soft and then a quick whisk just broke the bread up sufficiently for him but you might want to judge that one for yourself - it may be a step too far

Jill Corleone, RDN, LD lists: Foods allowed on a mechanical soft diet for dysphagia include bread, hot cereal, ready-to-eat cereal soaked in milk, canned fruit, soft cooked vegetables, juice, scrambled eggs, ground meat, cooked beans, cooked peas, cottage cheese, yogurt without fruit, custards, puddings, cream soups and noodles.

For several years since I inherited the job of chief-cook-and-dishwasher I have been preparing meals for my ADW. I now cook using a microwave oven and a counter top electric steamer. The diet is based on fish, sea scollops, chicken, vegies and tofu with a hearty base of Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce.I guess 90% of our meals are steamed. This permits food to be from mush to tender. The best thing is the microwave and steamer shut themselves off and eliminate stove top concerns.

Try throwing the meals-on-wheels into the steamer and cook and cook and cook...and cook

grind up the meat after it has been cooked... Bought a little Proctor Silex 72507 Food Chopper that does a about a cup+ of stuff and is a handy counter top tool for grinding.

Have you tried Moms Meals out of Iowa? I referred a few clients to them and they seem to like them. They make pureed meals, ship them frozen - look at this link:

I agree with the oatmeal. If he has been a fan before it is a more normal type of food and it can be enhanced in so many ways, I stir ground flax seed into our oatmeal and have made up a selection of low sugar freezer jams to be used in place of the traditional brown sugar.