Dysphagia: Simple and Delicious Meal Solutions

Dysphagia is a scar you carry, but it doesn’t have to define your life. Not with the right preparation and accommodations in place. Finding it difficult and painful to swallow foods can be dangerous for your health, yes, but with the right approach, you can enjoy a taste-filled, fulfilling life without much of a problem. Will it be harder to go out to restaurants? Yes, but it isn’t impossible.

Dysphagia: Easy and Delectable Meal Solutions to Help the Condition

You may have slowly developed the issue as you age. You may have walked away with difficulty swallowing after surviving a stroke or throat cancer. Regardless of how you got here, this guide will help you make better steps forward:

Get a Tasteless Thickener

Thin liquids can be hard for many to swallow. That’s why you’ll want to start with a tasteless SimplyThick gel mix for drinks. This thickener can help turn coffee, tea, juice, and any other drink into the right consistency you need to swallow easier. Since it comes in either a gel or a powder, you can easily adapt your drinks no matter where you are. Have those coffees in a café. Enjoy a drink out on the town!

That tasteless thickener is also going to be essential when it comes to adapting your food.

Adopt a Moist Diet

Moist foods are soft foods that are full of moisture, as the name implies. If food is too dry, you’ll have to work extra hard to build up the saliva necessary to swallow, which can be very hard for those with dysphagia. Adding moisture makes the whole process more enjoyable and easier. You can do this by using sauce, that thickening agent, or by using a good old starch slurry.

Prep Dishes Individually

Don’t get lazy and put the whole meal into the blender and be done with it. That’s insulting to your food. Instead, prep each dish so it’s easier to eat and enjoy in separate bites. This is how you can command the flavor profile of each and every meal. You can even meal prep easily this way by making too much and keeping the leftovers.

Split Your Meals Up

Give your throat a break by enjoying more meals more often. Six small meals a day is easier on the throat and can actually help you feel more energized throughout the day, making it a win-win. Alternatively, you can enjoy fewer total meals but then separate them into courses. Both options give your throat a much-needed break so that you can recover in time for the next meal. A marathon rather than a sprint is easier for your throat to manage!

Start Throat Therapy

In order for the above tips to work as well as possible, you’ll want to start up and keep practicing throat therapy and exercises at home. It doesn’t take very long to do and can easily fit into your busy schedule. If things get worse, talk to your doctor, as there are medications and even surgery that can possibly help, though these are often left for worst-case scenarios.