The use of Mechanical Soft Diet is for individuals who have difficulty chewing but are able to tolerate a wide variety of foods. Modifications in the diet need to be individualized according to the patient’s needs.
This diet may be used for residents with missing teeth, ill-fitting dentures, general debility or weakness, and other chewing problems; it may be useful for patients with esophageal stricture (narrowing of the esophagus).
Principles
The
Mechanical Soft Diet is designed to permit easy chewing. The General
Diet is modified in consistency and texture by cooking, grinding,
chopping, mincing, or mashing. The diet includes foods soft in texture
such as cooked fruits and vegetables, moist ground meat, and soft bread
and cereal products.
Foods that “dissolve” readily when held in the
mouth such as graham crackers and some ready-to-eat cereals are also
appropriate. It is most important to individualize or adjust it to the
tolerance of the resident.
Continue reading:
Suggested Menu Plan
The Mechanical Soft Diet article is taken from:
Simplified Diet Manual, Eleventh Edition. Edited by Andrea K. Maher.
