Modified Diet Textures

A Preparation Guide

You or your loved one may have been prescribed an ‘easy to chew’, ‘soft and bite-sized’, ‘minced and moist’ or ‘pureed’ textured diet after seeing a Speech Therapist.

In this guide, we have provided a description of the various modified diet textures (using The IDDSI – International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative terminology) and simple instructions for preparing them.

Level 7 Easy to Chew Diet

What are easy to chew diet items?

• Soft texture (no crunchy, fibrous, chewy, hard foods)

• Easily broken up with the side of a fork or spoon

• Require some chewing

• Can be of any size

How to prepare?

• Cook all ingredients until they are soft and tender. You may use a slow cooker or rice cooker

Examples:

• Carbohydrates: soft rice, wellcooked potatoes, soft pasta/ noodles

• Proteins: soft fish or chicken, tofu

• Fruits: soft and peeled fresh fruits with seeds removed (e.g. sliced papaya)

• Vegetables: non-fibrous vegetables that are well-cooked and peeled (e.g. boiled/steamed carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)

What are soft diet food items?

• Soft and moist in texture

• Consist of smaller pieces no bigger than 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm

• Requires some chewing

• Easily mashed with a fork

• No separate thin/watery liquid

How to prepare?

• Cook all ingredients until they are soft and tender. You may use a slow cooker or rice cooker

• Cut or chop the food into smaller pieces no bigger than 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm

Examples:

• Carbohydrates: soft rice, wellcooked potatoes, soft pasta/ noodles, yam cake

• Proteins: tofu, steamed fish, egg

• Fruits: soft and peeled fresh fruits with seeds removed (e.g. sliced papaya)

• Vegetables: non-fibrous vegetables that are wellcooked and peeled (e.g. boiled/ steamed carrots, soft broccoli or cauliflower)

What are minced and moist diet food items?

• Consist of very small and fine pieces (no bigger than 4x15mm)

• Can fit between the prongs of a fork

• Easily mashed with tongue, require little chewing

• Slides off spoon when tilted

• No separate thin/watery liquid

How to prepare?

• Cut up the food into small pieces and then chop or slice the food repeatedly in one direction

• Rotate chopping board 90 degrees and chop or slice food again until all pieces are minced

• You may also use a food processor to help mince the food

• Drain out any excess gravy or liquid

Examples:

• Carbohydrates: porridge, oats, minced or mashed potatoes

• Proteins: minced tofu, minced fish, minced meat, scrambled eggs

• Fruits: minced fresh fruits with seeds removed (e.g. minced/ mashed banana)

• Vegetables: minced and moist non-fibrous vegetables (e.g. minced winter melon)

Level 4 Pureed Diet

What are pureed diet items?

• Smooth in texture, no lumps

• Should hold their shape on a spoon, and fall off the spoon easily when spoon is tilted (not sticky)

• Should be thick enough to sit in a mound on a fork, without flowing through the fork prongs

• Requires no chewing

How to prepare?

• Avoid fibrous vegetables and tough cuts of meat

• Cook ingredients until soft and tender

• Blend each dish separately with a food processor until smooth. Small amounts of gravy can be used to add some moisture when blending

• Remove any remaining hard or fibrous bits

Examples:

• Carbohydrates: blended porridge, mashed potato, smooth oats*

• Proteins: blended meat, fish, tofu

• Fruits: blended or mashed fruits (e.g. banana, papaya, mango)*

• Desserts: sesame paste, smooth yoghurt, custard*

• Cream based soup*

*Disclaimer: Thickener may need to be added to these items if they are too watery and you have been prescribed thickened fluids.

Yishun Health is a network of medical institutions and health facilities of the National Healthcare Group in the north of Singapore. It comprises Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Yishun Community Hospital and community extensions such as Admiralty Medical Centre and Wellness Kampung. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital • (65) 6555 8000 • www.ktph.com.sg Yishun Community Hospital • (65) 6807 8800 • www.yishuncommunityhospital.com.sg