What to eat when I can not chew

When you can not chew you should consume creamy, pasty or liquid foods that can be consumed with the help of a straw or without forcing chew, such as porridge, fruit vitamin and soup in the blender.

This type of feeding is indicated in cases of mouth surgery, toothache, lack of teeth, inflammation of the gums and canker sores. In older people, consumption of creamy, easy-to-chew food facilitates nutrition and prevents malnutrition, helping to avoid gagging and complications such as pneumonia. In these cases, the ideal is for the elderly to be accompanied by a nutritionist, who will prescribe an adequate diet according to his state of health and, when necessary, prescribe dietary supplements that will help strengthen the patient.

Recommended foods

When you can not chew, foods that can be used in the diet to maintain good nutrition are:

• Broths and soups passed in the blender;
• Egg, meat and fish, chopped or ground, added to the liquefied soups or with the puree;
• Fruit and vegetable juices and vitamins ;
• Baked, baked or kneaded fruit ;
• Well cooked rice and mashed vegetables such as potatoes, carrots or pumpkins;
• Pulsed legumes, such as beans, chickpeas or lentils;
• Milk, yogurt and cream cheese, such as curd cheese and ricotta;
• Mingau;
• Bread loaf dampened in milk, coffee or broth;
• Liquids: water, tea, coffee, coconut water.
• Other: gelatin, jelly, pudding, ice cream, margarine, butter;

It is important to remember that old people who choke often should avoid drinking, especially when lying down, as this increases their gagging. The easiest foods to swallow are the creamy, textured pudding and purees. The difficulty of swallowing is called dysphagia, and can lead to serious problems such as pneumonia. See symptoms of this disease in: Difficulty swallowing.

Foods to Avoid

During the time you have difficulty chewing and swallowing, you should avoid hard, crunchy and dry foods, such as:

• Dry bread, toast, biscuits, crispy cereals;
• Yoghurts with pieces of fruit;
• Raw vegetables;
• Whole, canned fruits or dried fruits;
• Meats or whole fish.

In addition to avoiding these foods, one should eat slowly to prevent food from injuring mouth sores or causing choking.

Diet menu for those who can not chew

The following table provides an example of a 3-day menu of foods that do not need to be chewed and are easy to swallow.

In cases where there is a great loss of weight due to the difficulties of feeding, a doctor or nutritionist should be sought to evaluate the state of health and adjust the diet.