When you cannot chew, you should consume creamy, pasty or liquid foods, which can be consumed with the help of a straw or without forcing chewing, such as porridge, fruit smoothies or soup passed through a blender.
This type of food is recommended in cases of mouth surgery, toothache, missing teeth, gum inflammation or mouth ulcers.
In elderly people, consuming creamy, easy-to-chew foods also makes eating easier and prevents malnutrition, also helping to avoid choking and complications such as pneumonia. In these cases, the ideal is for the elderly person to be accompanied by a nutritionist, who will prescribe an appropriate diet according to their health status and, when necessary, prescribe dietary supplements that will help strengthen the patient.
Recommended foods
When you cannot chew, foods that can be used in the diet to maintain good nutrition are:
- Broths and soups passed through the blender;
- Minced or ground egg, meat and fishadded to blended soups or added to puree;
- Juices and smoothies of fruits and vegetables;
- Boiled, roasted or mashed fruit;
- Well-cooked rice and vegetable puree such as potatoes, carrots or pumpkin;
- Mashed legumessuch as beans, chickpeas or lentils;
- Milk, yogurt and cream cheeses, such as cottage cheese and ricotta;
- Porridge;
- Moistened bread crumb in milk, coffee or broths;
- Liquids: water, tea, coffee, coconut water.
- Others: gelatin, jelly, pudding, ice cream, margarine, butter;
It is important to remember that elderly people who choke frequently should avoid drinking liquids, especially when lying down, as this increases choking. The easiest foods to swallow are creamy foods, with the texture of pudding and purees. Difficulty swallowing is called dysphagia, and can lead to serious problems such as pneumonia. See the symptoms of this disease in: Difficulty swallowing.
Foods to avoid
During the period when you have difficulty chewing and swallowing, you should avoid hard, crunchy and dry foods, such as:
- Dry bread, toast, biscuits, crunchy cereals;
- Yogurts with pieces of fruit;
- Legumes crus;
- Whole, canned or dried fruits;
- Whole meat or fish.
In addition to avoiding these foods, you should eat slowly to prevent the food from hurting mouth sores or causing choking.
Diet menu for those who cannot chew
The following table provides an example of a 3-day menu with foods that do not need to be chewed and are easy to swallow.
In cases where a large weight loss occurs due to difficulties with eating, you should consult a doctor or nutritionist to assess your health status and adapt your diet.
