Texture-modified Diet

Nutrition

Texture-modified Diet

A texture-modified diet is one in which the texture of the food has been changed to allow the food to be safely swallowed. There are different ranges of texture-modified diet, such as; smooth pureed diet, minced diet and soft diet. Selecting the right range of texture will depend on individual restrictions and swallowing abilities. You may move on to the next range of texture-modified foods as and when you are required to. It is advisable for you to consult a dietitian, if your medical condition requires you to be on a long term texture-modified diet.

You may need some of these kitchen equipments to achieve the desired consistency.
Food processor
Blender
Stick hand blender
Juicer
Mouli
Sieve

Smooth Pureed Diet

Pureed food is thick, smooth and moist with no lumps. It requires no chewing and should be one single consistency. It should not separate into a liquid and a solid. It can be prepared with a blender or food processor.

Food Recommended	Food to be avoided
Bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles
Smooth lump-free breakfast cereals, e.g. pureed oatmeal porridge , semolina, nestum cereals Pureed pasta or noodles Pureed rice porridge or congee	Cereals with lumps, or large pieces All dry cereals All bread Crackers
Vegetables
Cooked, peeled pureed vegetables Smooth, lump-free mashed potato	Lump mashed vegetables All vegetable skins or pips, seeds (remove before blending)
Fruit
Cooked, peeled pureed fruits	Pureed fruit with visible lumps All skins or pips, seeds (remove before blending)
Dairy
Yoghurt (lump-free) e.g. plain Smooth milk-based sauces e.g. cheese sauce, custard pudding	Yoghurt with lumps, pips, pieces of fruit All solid and semi solid cheese including cottage cheese
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes
Pureed meat, chicken, fish, remove all skin and fat before blending Pureed legumes e.g. baked beans, lentils, chickpeas Soft silken tofu Steamed egg (lump-free)	Minced or partially pureed meats Scrambled eggs Sticky foods e.g. peanut butter, pate
Desserts
Dairy desserts e.g. custards, mousse, instant puddings, ice-cream	Desserts with fruit pieces, seeds, crumble, pastry or non-pureed garnishes
Extra
Soups that have been blended or strained to remove lumps Smooth jams, condiments and sauces Smooth savoury dips	Soups with lumps Jams and condiments with seeds, pips, pulps or lumps

Notes on Preparation:

Do not puree a whole meal together, puree each item of the meal and serve separately
Puree and season to taste or add seasonings to enhance flavour
To save time prepare an extra servings of each pureed item and freeze in individual servings
Use liquids such as sour cream, gravy, cheese sauce, soups, cream, or fruit juice to add extra energy and taste when preparing pureed food
Commercially prepared baby foods (stage one or 6 months) are a good option when traveling
Puree meat raw and then again once cooked to reduce the gritty texture

Minced Diet

Food should be able to be easily minced or mashed with a fork. It may be presented as a thick puree with obvious lumps in it. Food should be moist and should easily form into a ball in the mouth.

Food Recommended	Food to be avoided
Bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles
Breakfast cereal with small moist lumps e.g. oatmeal porridge, wheat biscuits soaked in hot milk Soft rice porridge with rice grain broken Noodles e.g. egg, udon, etc may require blending or mashing	All breads, sandwiches, pastries, crackers and dry biscuits Rice that does not hold together e.g. parboiled, long-grain, basmati Crispy or dry pasta e.g. edges of a pasta bake or lasagna
Vegetables
Tender cooked vegetables that are easily mashed with a fork e.g. potato , sweet potato, pumpkin, yam Pureed vegetables e.g. peas, corn, carrot etc	Raw vegetables e.g. salads Large vegetable pieces or vegetables too hard to be mashed with a fork Vegetable skins Vegetables that have outer shells or require extensive chewing, e.g. peas, corn
Fruit
Mashed soft fresh fruits e.g. banana, mango, kiwifruit Finely sliced or diced soft pieces of canned or cooked fruit e.g. pears, peaches Pureed fruit	Large pieces of fruit or fruit that is too hard to be mashed with a fork Dried fruit Stringy fruit e.g. pineapple
Dairy
Yoghurt (may have small soft fruit pieces) Very soft cheese with small lumps, e.g. cottage cheese, cream cheese, cheese spread	Yoghurt with pips or hard pieces of fruit If eating soft cheeses e.g. camembert or brie, avoid the rind Hard cheeses
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes
Minced, tender, meats with sauce or gravy Casseroles or boil up dishes may be blended to reduce the size of larger food pieces Blended or flaked / minced fish with sauce Very soft and moist egg dishes, e.g. scrambled eggs, soft quiches Well cooked legumes e.g. beans, lentils, partially mashed Small pieces of soft tofu	Casserole or minced dishes with hard and chewy pieces, e.g. peas, onion The crusty or pastry of quiches and pies Meat with gristle Nuts
Desserts
Smooth puddings e.g. mousse, custard, instant puddings Dairy desserts e.g. custards, yogurt, ice-cream Soft moist sponge cake desserts with lots of custard, cream or ice cream Soft fruit-based desserts Rice pudding or creamed rice	Desserts with large or hard fruit pieces, e.g. sultanas, seeds or coconut Hard crumble e.g. apple crumble Bread based puddings
Extra
Soup, may contain small soft lumps, e.g. pasta or noodles Very soft, smooth chocolate, e.g. able to melt in the mouth Jams and condiments without seeds or dried fruit	Soups with large pieces of meat or vegetables, corn, or rice Lollies including fruit jellies, hard sweets, toffee and marshmallow Any fast food that cannot be mashed with a fork e.g. sushi, pizza

Soft Diet

Foods may be naturally soft or may be cooked or cut to make sure they are soft enough. These foods can be chewed easily and require no mashing, mincing or blending. Hard, dry or crumbly foods should be avoided.

Food Recommended	Food to be avoided
Bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles
Breakfast cereals well soaked in milk Soft pasta and noodles Soft sandwiches with very moist fillings e.g. eggs mayonnaise Rice, well cooked and sticky Soft pastry, e.g. quiche with a pastry base	Dry or crusty breads, breads with hard seeds or grains, hard pastry, pizza Sandwiches that are not thoroughly moist e.g. sandwiches with thick cuts of cold meat, salad Coarse or hard breakfast cereals that do not moisten easily, e.g. toasted muesli, bran cereals Cereals with nuts, seeds and dried fruit Filo and puff pastry e.g. sausage rolls
Vegetables
Well cooked vegetables served in small pieces and soft enough to be mashed or broken up with a fork Soft, canned or frozen cooked vegetables	All raw vegetables Hard to chew or stringy vegetables e.g. sweet corn, broccoli stalks, asparagus, watercress
Fruit
Fresh fruit pieces that are naturally soft e.g. banana, papaya , melon Stewed and canned fruits in small pieces e.g. pears, peaches , apricots Pureed fruit	Fruit pieces that pose a choking risk e.g. whole grapes, cherries Large pips Dried fruit, seeds and fruit peel Crunchy raw fruit e.g. apple Stringy or fruits, e.g. pineapple, citrus fruit
Dairy
Yoghurt (may have soft fruit) Soft cheeses e.g. Camembert, Brie, Ricotta, cheese spread	Yogurt with seeds, nuts, muesli or hard pieces of fruit Hard cheeses e.g. cheddar
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes
Casseroles with small pieces of tender meat Moist fish that easily broken up with the edge of a fork Eggs Well cooked legumes (the outer skin must be soft) Small pieces of soft tofu	Dry, tough, chewy, or crispy meats e.g. bacon, crackling Meat with gristle Hard or chewy legumes e.g. lentils, beans, pulses Nuts and seeds
Desserts
Soft puddings e.g. milk or sponge based, trifle, custard, mousse, bread and butter pudding Moist cakes, custard sauce may be added Soft fruit-based desserts without hard bases Creamed rice Ice cream Jelly	Dry cakes and pastry Cakes, pastry or desserts containing nuts, seeds, coconut, dried fruit, pinea pple e.g. apple crumble, fruit cake
Extra
Soup – creamy, thick or blended, may contain small soft lumps, e.g. pasta or noodles Soft fruit jellies or non-chewy lollies Soft, smooth, chocolate Jams and condiments without seeds or dried fruit	Soups with large pieces of meat or vegetables, corn, or rice Sticky or chewy foods e.g. toffee Popcorn, chips, biscuits, crackers, nuts, edible seeds Pizza Whole fresh or dried herbs e.g. rosemary, basil