A person may develop problems swallowing if she has nerve problems in her upper body; this is called dysphagia. If you develop dysphagia, you will need an exam by a doctor, a speech pathologist and a dietitian to prescribe the right diet so you can maintain or improve your health. The diets prescribed are in the National Dysphagia Diet (NDD), which which makes sure all diets are standardized.
Dysphagia
When a normal person swallows, the food and liquid goes from his mouth to his esophagus to his stomach where it is digested. When a person with dysphagia swallows, the food and liquid goes from his mouth to his trachea (wind pipe) to his lungs; this can cause aspiration pneumonia. Three levels of liquid diets are recommended depending upon your needs if you have dysphagia.
Nectar Thck and Honey Thick Diets
Regular liquids such as sodas, water, coffee and tea are thin liquids that are not tolerated if you have dsyphagia. However you can add commercial thickeners to the liquids so you can have them. You also must add thickener to ice cream, supplements and milkshakes, as these items turn to liquid at room temperature. Start by taking a glass of what you want to drink and follow the thickener's directions to achieve a nectar thick or honey thick diet. A honey thick beverage will drip off a spoon while a nectar thick liquid will have the consistency of unset gelatin.
Pudding Thick Diets
A pudding thick diet takes a lot of thickener to make liquid foods plop off of the spoon. The liquid will form a soft mound as it falls off the spoon. This diet is used little and is not well tolerated, particularly when you add thickener to coffee and tea. It may be easy to get dehydrated if you do not drink your thickened water and other thickened liquids. Try adding lemon to water to make it more palatable.
Tube Feeding
If you are not able to take adequate fluids, you may start to lose weight and become malnourished. Some people very much dislike the texture of liquid consistencies and refuse to eat. In these cases a registered dietitian will perform a nutrition assessment and make a recommendation to your doctor regarding a tube feeding. The tube feeding's goal will be to return you back to a state of normal nutrition. Sometimes a tube is placed directly into the stomach (PEG tube) for long-term feeding.
References
- Dysphagia Diet
- "Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy, 10th. Ed."; L. Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump; 2000
