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cjclark1 Asked August 2019

My mother is in the nursing home after having a major stroke. Does anyone have any ideas as to something I can puree?

She can only eat pureed food. Does anyone have any ideas as to something I can puree with good flavor. I am going to take in the broth of lobster soup- but was trying to think of other foods also.


Hopefully someone has been thru the same situation and can help with ideas. There has to be something other than the nursing home food that would be appetizing for her.


Thanks

GardenArtist Aug 2019
This might help:  it's the search results for previous posts on dysphagia:

https://www.agingcare.com/search?term=dysphagia+diets

As you can tell, a lot of folks here have had experience with dysphagia and pureeing foods.   

Not all posts will address recipes, but you might get some ideas.

GardenArtist Aug 2019
Well, today is not my day to discuss dysphagia.  I've just twice lost posts, including links.   Time for a break.   But, just quickly:

I do have some information to share on the various levels of dysphagia diets, so I would suggest that you first ask the staff Speech Therapist or Speech Pathologist what level your mother has:

Level 1:   Pureed Nutrition Therapy
Level 2:   Mechanical Soft, or
Level 3:   Advanced.

Levels for liquids also apply:  Nectar-like, Honey-like and Spoon-thick. 

I received printouts published by the American Dietetic Assn. and very good publications apparently produced by a rehab center locally. 

This is an example of what commercial pureed foods might offer; it gives you some ideas how creative one can be.

https://swallowingdisorderfoundation.com/easy-pureed-meals/

Notwithstanding their creativity, I had a difficult time pureeing meat.  I gave up on ham; just too tough.     Beef is easier if it's already been mechanically treated, such as hamburger (say, vs. roast).  Chicken can be pureed with chicken gravy.  

I used a Kitchen-Aid Mini-Food Processor; blenders were just too large and it was too difficult to get the blended food out.

https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/food-processors/choppers/p.3.5-cup-food-chopper.kfc3516er.html

I'll be back later after my computer and I have a heart-to-processor discussion about its deleting my posts.  Feel free to ask more questions and/or details.

ETA:   another quick thought:  you can take most foods and puree them down to the level required.  Gravy, juices and other liquids can be used to reduce the bulk and, sometimes the tough areas and still add flavor.  

Perhaps you could share what some of her favorite foods are and we can make suggestions on what could compliment them to bring them to one of the 3 dysphagia levels?    Lobster soup is not something in my diet, so I'm kind of lost there, although you might try Thick-it (as Barb mentioned).  

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Ahmijoy Aug 2019
I found a puréed food recipe book on Amazon. There is also a company I posted about under the tube feeding header a few weeks ago who packages puréed food in pouches.

AlvaDeer Aug 2019
You can puree just about anything you can imagine that she likes. From beans to eggs to veggies, it can all be dumped in a processor. Do go online and look for some recipes. I don't know for sure but I cannot imagine that there are not whole cookbooks for puree recipes. Hope someone else here will know and be able to guide you. I always start on Amazon to see what is out there.

BarbBrooklyn Aug 2019
Talk with the speech therapist who did the swallow test which determined the consistency of the food she is supposed to have.

Liquids like broth may need to be thickened with something called Thick-it. In general, mashed potatoes, pureed soups, are good. My brother had the NH puree prime rib!! Mom loved it!

This may be a temporary measure until she starts getting speech therapy to improve her swallowing.

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