Hull and East Riding Speech and Language Therapy

Sarah: level 4 thick purée So for my evening meal, I made a spag bol. My hubby’s looked yummy and following advice about pureeing pasta becoming sticky I added a cheese sauce to the pasta before blending, however the starchyness of the pasta made this very sticky and I didn’t blend it for long enough to achieve a fully smooth consistency - mainly because of the noise of the blender and for fear of waking my children!!! I was really craving some garlic bread to go with it, and although it didn’t taste too bad - the creamy ness made me reluctant to finish a full portion and the taste was lacking - likely as lack of chewing required meaning taste not developed. Overall things I’ve found out are: blending needs to be carried out for a LONG time. Limited snacks available. Difficulty with savoury foods for snacks. Lots of prep required and I can imagine wearing blenders out regularly. Taste perception changed also due to textures. I really think if I was on this long term I might cons...

Puree Nightmare - Louise S Being a big foodie, I found it incredibly difficult to stick to a puree diet for the full day. I found the choice of food very limiting and requiring a lot of thought and preparation to stick to this. It seems that you can't just have a little snack without a lot of thought.  For breakfast, I only had a smoothie as I had a bit of a panic about what I could actually eat. The variety of choices only occurred to me on my way to work, so feel I missed out of a lot of calories first thing. If I had been better prepared I would have definitely blended porridge or had yogurt or something more filling. By the time I got to work I was starving!  I went to Asda to pick up a snack in the morning because I was feeling tired and needed a little pick me up. It was when I went into the shop I hadn't appreciated the lack of information on packaging for people on a puree diet. My usual go to would usually be a packet of crisps or chocolate but obvious...

Jo (dietitian): Overall it was really insightful to gain a small piece of experience of how it would be for our patients. The main thing that struck me was how organised you would need to be to plan, and prepare the food. It required a high level of skill to gain the correct consistency and required lots of equipment!! It was also extremely time consuming.   I really missed having different textures to my diet not being able to bite or chew all day was strange. My interest in food was significantly reduced today compared to usual. Having to constantly think if food was the correct consistency would become very over whelming.   I found the limiting in choice very challenging . Whilst cooking my evening meal not being able to taste it whilst cooking was really hard, likewise not being able to “nibble” i.e. grated cheese when cooking lasagne was quite miserable. Losing the ability to have a random ad hoc snack was very hard. I realised about half an hour after I had done ...

Linda: I was assigned Level 5 minced and moist diet for the day. I felt I got off lightly compared to some of my colleagues who were following pureed and liquidised diets! Level 5 minced and moist is a diet I haven’t seen many patients on before so it was all quite new to me. It was interesting to note biting is not required and only minimal chewing is required on this food texture level.   I started off the day with a similar breakfast to normal, porridge. I ensured it was of a smooth consistency and stewed some pears to add to it. I used full cream milk and single cream to add more calories, it tasted lovely and creamy but I missed a spoonful of peanut butter on the top as I would typically have.  For individuals who have dysphagia optimising nutrition by having nutrient dense meals and following food fortification principles is important in preventing malnutrition.   For lunch I had some leftovers from my dinner the night before. This was a beef rendang curry...

Harry: I was given the level 3 liquidised diet, and created a level 4 dessert for the competition. I found sticking to the level 3 diet very challenging. I struggled to keep a normal nutritional profile of a meal while keeping to the correct consistency, I tended to produce too much volume which was unrealistic to consume. I made a peanut butter milkshake for breakfast, however I found by adding oats and bananas I made the consistency too thick and had to start again. I also struggled to get used to the consistency when using the Nutilis clear thickener, I found it to alter the taste of the meal significantly. Overall I spent a lot time, energy, and thought into creating interesting meals, however the outcome was minimal in terms of taste and overall satisfaction.    I found making a level 4 pureed dessert a lot easier than the level 3 consistency. I chose a to make a chocolate mousse dessert which was a simple recipe and I didn't have to add any Nutilis clear thickener. I...

Kinza: I am on a IDDSI level 6 diet. I also made a level 4 mango and peach pudding. I found the diet to be fairly similar to what I usually have for example sweet potato, and soft foods. However, for my dessert I struggled to keep the texture and taste palatable. It required time for preparation and ensuring it was the correct consistency. I imagined myself in the position of someone with dysphagia on a level 4 diet and this made me realise the challenges involved in their everyday life and how this can affect their relationship with food. When adding the thickener 'Nutilitis' this gave an unpleasant after taste. I found this day interesting and was able to reflect on this experience for my learning as a student dietitian. I will carry this experience and understanding throughout my career as a future dietitian.