Special Situations: How to Create Modified Meals for a Loved One

Special Situations: how to create modified meals for a loved one

“. . . feed me with food convenient for me.” — Proverbs 30:8

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

• What’s the loved one’s current ability to cut food and eat without assistance?
• Is he or she able to chew and swallow?
• How can I best support these abilities?
• Would a change in the way the food is served fill the need?
• What adaptation or modification of food would best meet the need?
• How can the food be served as normally as possible?

MODIFICATION OPTIONS:

Depending upon what your loved one currently needs, there are many ways to use common kitchen tools to create a texture and form that’s comfortable. Many meals can be blended to whatever texture is needed. Here are levels of modifying/blending foods:

Regular: The food is served in the usual manner; no modifications are needed.
Cut-up: The food is cut up into bite-sized pieces.
Cut-up fine: The food is cut into very small pieces — some chewing is needed.
Ground: The food is ground fairly fine (usually with an electric grinder or in a blender with a very small amount of liquid) — very little chewing is needed.
Blended/Pudding: The food is blended finer than “ground” with enough liquid added to make it a pudding-like consistency.
Liquid/Smoothie: The food has been blended very fine and enough liquid has been added that it is like a smoothie — drinkable from a cup or with a straw (or a spoon may be used).
Thin liquid: A liquid with very little sediment, strained to be sure all bits have been removed.
Transparent liquid: May have a color, but no sediment, and it is transparent.
Waters: Clear liquid made with grain, fruit, or vegetables — such as rice water, potato water, barley water, apple water, etc.).
Ices: Frozen liquid

DELICIOUS BLENDER MEALS

Most of us think of a blender as a tool for making smoothies or shakes, but there are actually many recipes for creating flavorful, smooth, nourishing meals . . . with a blender! Here are links to delicious blender soups:

15 blender soups from Brit+Co:
brit.co/blender-soup-recipes

24 gourmet pureed soup recipes from Eating Well:
eatingwell.com/pureed-soup-recipes-for-a-blender

34 Blended Soups That Will Change Your Mind About Blended Soup
traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/blended-soups

SEARCH PHRASES: type in “blender meals” or “blender dinners

BRINGING MEALS IN

If you are bringing pre-prepared meals in for a friend or family member, a few practical ideas will make the meals enjoyable:

• Bring up the subject of food, then ask if having some meals brought in would be helpful at this time.
• Divide a piece of paper down the middle with “Likes” at the top of one column and “Dislikes” on the other
• Name various foods from different categories (meats, vegetable, fruits, grains, nuts, desserts) and then record “likes” and “dislikes”
• Find out if the meal will be heated in a microwave or a conventional oven. Be sure to deliver meals in the appropriate containers for re-heating
• If your loved one can’t spend much time heating and cleaning up, then consider using a disposable plate with divisions. Put each hot food item in a separate area — so it can all be heated up at one time. Salads and dessert would be on separate plates
• If providing a meal for a family, casseroles are preferable
• Attach a note to each meal, naming the contents and any special instructions.