The Minced Moist Diet is designed for people who have difficulty chewing or swallowing food. It is a texture-modified diet that consists of minced, mashed, or ground foods that are moist and easy to swallow. With a minced moist diet, biting is not required and only minimal chewing is necessary. This diet may be recommended for those who are not able to safely chew and swallow a more advanced mechanical soft diet, but who also do not require a full pureed diet. People who have dysphagia, a condition that makes it difficult to swallow food, may be recommended to consume a minced moist diet. Dysphagia can be caused by a variety of conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and head or neck cancer.
The Minced Moist Diet is designed for people who have difficulty chewing or swallowing food. It is a texture-modified diet that consists of minced, mashed, or ground foods that are moist and easy to swallow.
Here’s how you can prepare it:
– Food should be minced into lumps no bigger than 2mm for a child and no bigger than 4mm for an adult
– Meat should be finely minced or chopped and served in a smooth, thick, non-pouring gravy or sauce.
– Fish should be finely mashed or chopped and served in a smooth, thick, non-pouring gravy or sauce.
– Fruits should be finely mashed or finely chopped in a blender. Drain excess liquid
– Vegetables should be cooked, finely mashed, or finely chopped in a blender. Drain excess liquid
– Cereal should be thick and homogenous. Milk or other fluids should not separate from the cereal. Drain excess liquid before serving.
– Rice should have a sauce to moisten it and keep it together. Be sure that rice is not gluey or sticky. It should not separate into individual grains once cooked or served. Rice may benefit from a thick, smooth, non-pouring sauce to moisten it and hold it together
– Avoid regular dry bread due to the high choking risk associated with this consistency.
– Keep ready-to-eat meals and snacks for times when you don’t feel like preparing food (e.g., frozen pre-minced meals, tinned pureed soups, yogurt, pudding).
Here are some foods that you should avoid:
– Hard or dry foods (e.g., nuts, raw vegetables, raw fruits, bread)
– Tough or fibrous foods (e.g., steak, pineapple)
– Chewy foods (e.g., candies, gum, dehydrated fruits, and sticky foods)
– Crispy foods (e.g., crispy bacon)
– Crunchy foods (e.g., raw fruits/veggies, popcorn)
– Sharp or spiky foods (e.g., tortilla chips and potato chips)
– Crumbly foods – (e.g., dry biscuits, dry cakes)
– Food with skins or outer shell (e.g., peas, corn, grapes, and skins on chicken, fish, or sausage)
– Sticky or gummy foods (e.g., nut butters, overcooked oatmeal)
– Stringy foods (e.g., beans, rhubarb
– Floppy foods (e.g., lettuce, uncooked baby spinach)
– Crusts formed during cooking or heating (e.g., any crust or skin that forms on food during cooking or heating such as crusty/hard cheese topping, crust on top of mashed potato)
– Juicy foods where juice separates from the food once chewed in the mouth (e.g., watermelon)
Learning how to prepare a new diet consistency can be intimidating, but proper follow-through can improve the nutrition and quality of life for individuals with dysphagia. Are you or someone you love experiencing dysphagia and requiring a minced moist diet? If so ,call Speech Care at Home today at (813) 344-3207.