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Diets 

Dysphagia Diet

If you've been on a full liquid diet or you have a condition called dysphagia, your doctor may recommend a special, three-stage diet to help you progress back to eating solid food. During the first stage, you can only have food that doesn’t need any chewing, such as yogurt.

In the next stage, you can add foods that only need a little bit of chewing, like soft-boiled eggs. In stage three, you can add fruits and veggies that have been chopped into tiny pieces or mashed up. After you've moved through each of the three stages, you'll be ready to resume a solid food diet. 

NDD Level 1
 Dysphagia Pureed

FOODS ALLOWED

FOODS NOT ALLOWED

Beverages & Milk

  • Smooth beverages without lumps, chunks, or pulp.

  • Beverages may need to be thickened to the appropriate consistency.

  • Milk, coffee, tea, sodas, nutritional supplements (may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

Breads, Cereals & Grains

  • Cereals should have a

  • pudding-like consistency and may have enough milk to moisten. 

  • Farina-type cooked cereals; cooked cereal should have a pudding-like texture

  • Pregelled or slurried through the entire thickness: doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, French toast, bread

  • Pasta, rice, and dressing that are pureed to a smooth consistency

  • Coarse cooked or dry cereals.  

  • Cereals with seeds or nuts

  • All other breads

  • Crackers

  • Regular rice

  • Oatmeal

  • Muffins

Meat, Meat Substitutes, and Entrees

  • Pureed or strained meats, poultry, or fish

  • Pureed scrambled eggs Souffles that are smooth and

  • homogenous

  • Regular, chopped, or ground meats or casseroles

  • Cottage cheese Cheese  slices or cubes

  • Scrambled or hard-cooked eggs Peanut butter

  • Sandwiches Pizza

Vegetables, Potatoes & Soups

  • Pureed or strained vegetables without chunks or seeds; mashed white potatoes

  • Smooth cream soups or broth-type soups with pureed and strained ingredients

  • Regular cooked or raw vegetables Potato skins and chips

  • Fried or french-fried potatoes or vegetables

  • Regular soups with rice, corn, peas, or large chunks of meat and vegetables

Fruits & Juices

  • Applesauce

  • Pureed fruits

  • Well­ mashed bananas

  • Fruit juices without pulp or seeds (may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

  • Regular canned, fresh, or frozen fruits

  • Fruit juice with pulp or seeds (may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

Fats

  • Butter

  • Margarine

  • Smooth gravy

  • Cream Sauces

  • Mayonnaise

  • Salad dressings

  • Cream cheese

  • Sour cream

  • Whipped Toppings

  • All fats with coarse or chunky additives

Desserts

  • Smooth custard and pudding Plain or custard-style yogurt Desserts pureed to a smooth and

  • moist consistency

  • Ice cream, sherbet, frozen yogurt, other ices (may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

  • Regular cake, pie, cookies

  • Bread and rice pudding Fruited yogurt

Miscellaneous

  • Sugar

  • Jelly

  • Honey

  • Syrup

  • Ketchup

  • Mustard

  • Smooth sauces

  • Jams and preserves Coarsely ground pepper and

  • spices

NDD Level 1: Dysphagia Pureed
Sample Menu

Breakfast

  • Orange Juice

  • Cream of Wheat Pureed Scrambled Egg Biscuit with Slurry Margarine

  • Jelly

  • Milk

  • Coffee

  • Sugar, Creamer

Noon

  • Classic Puree Chicken Mashed Potatoes with Gravy Classic Puree Carrots   Classic Puree Rosy Pears Margarine

  • Pudding

  • Tea

  • Sugar

Evening

  • Classic Puree Beef

  • Classic Puree Pasta Classic Puree Green Beans Tomato Juice

  • Margarine         

  • Classic Puree Peaches 

  • Milk

NDD Level 2
Dysphagia Mechanically Altered

FOODS ALLOWED

FOODS NOT ALLOWED

Beverages & Milk

  • Beverages with minimal amounts of texture or pulp (any texture should be suspended in the liquid and should not precipitate out)

  • Milk, coffee, tea, sodas, nutritional supplements {may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

Breads, Cereals & Grains

  • Cereals may have¼ cup milk or just enough milk to moisten if thin liquids are restricted. The moisture should be well blended.

  • Soft pancakes, well moistened with syrup

  • Cooked cereal with little texture, including oatmeal; slightly moistened cold cereals with 

  • little structure, such as corn Rice flakes, Rice Krispies, Wheaties

  • Unprocessed wheat bran stirred into cereals for bulk

  • Pregelled or slurried breads that are gelled through the entire thickness

  • Well-cooked pasta in sauce

  • Coarse cooked or whole grain dry cereals; cereals with seeds, nuts, or dry fruits

  • All other breads Crackers

Meat, Meat Substitutes, and Entrees

  • Meat pieces should not exceed¼­

  • inch cube and should be tender

  • Protein salads, such as tuna or egg, without large chunks, celery, or onion

  • Cottage cheese; smooth quiche without large chunks

  • Scrambled eggs, souffles

  • Well-cooked, slightly mashed, moist legumes such as baked beans

  • Dry or tough meats (such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, bratwurst)

  • Dry casseroles or casseroles with rice or large chunks

  • Cheese slices or cubes Hard-cooked egg Peanut butter Sandwiches

  • Pizza

Vegetables, Potatoes & Soups

  • Vegetables should be< ½ inch and easily mashed with a fork.

  • Soft-cooked or mashed vegetables, including cooked vegetables without hull or stringy fibers

  • Well-cooked, moistened, boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes

  • Well-cooked shredded hash brown potatoes that are not crisp

  • Soups with easy-to-chew or easy­ to-swallow meats or vegetables

  • Cooked peas or corn; raw vegetables

  • Potato skins and chips

  • Fried or french-fried potatoes or vegetables

  • Broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, asparagus, or other fibrous, non-tender, or rubbery cooked vegetables

  • Soups with rice, corn, peas, or large chunks of meat and vegetables

Fruits & Juices

  • Soft drained canned or cooked fruits without seeds or skin; fresh soft/ripe banana, jelled cranberry sauce

  • Fruit juices with small amounts of pulp {If thin liquids are restricted, fruit juices should be thickened to appropriate viscosity.) 

  • Fruit cocktail, grapes, cherries, or apricots with skin; fresh, canned, or cooked pineapple; fresh fruits except ripe banana; dried fruits; frozen fruits

  • Watermelon without seeds (may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

Fats

  • Butter, margarine, gravy, cream sauces, mayonnaise, salad dressings, cream cheese, sour cream, whipped toppings

  • All fats with coarse or chunky additives

Desserts

  • Custard, pudding

  • Soft fruit pies with bottom crust only

  • Crisps and cobblers without seeds, coconut, or nuts and with soft breading or crumb mixture

  • Soft, moist cakes with icing or slurried cakes

  • Pregelled cookies or soft, moist cookies that have been dunked in milk, coffee, or other liquid

  • Soft, smooth chocolate bars that are easily chewed

  • Ice cream, sherbet, frozen yogurt, other ices (may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

  • Dry cookies or cake Bread and rice pudding

  • Anything with nuts, seeds, pineapple, or dried fruit

  • Chocolates with nuts and fruits

Miscellaneous

  • Jams and preserves without seeds, jelly

  • Sauces and salsas with small tender chunks (< ½ inch)

  • Seeds, coconut, nuts Sticky or hard foods

NDD Level 2: Dysphagia Mechanically Altered
Sample Menu

Breakfast

  • Orange Juice

  • Cream of Wheat Pureed Scrambled Egg Biscuit with Slurry Margarine

  • Jelly

  • Milk

  • Coffee

  • Sugar, Creamer

Noon

  • Classic Puree Chicken Mashed Potatoes with Gravy Classic Puree Carrots   Classic Puree Rosy Pears Margarine

  • Pudding

  • Tea

  • Sugar

Evening

  • Classic Puree Beef

  • Classic Puree Pasta Classic Puree Green Beans Tomato Juice

  • Margarine         

  • Classic Puree Peaches 

  • Milk

NDD Level 3
Dysphagia Advanced
Beverages & Milk

  • All beverages

  • None

Breads, Cereals & Grains

  • All items must be well moistened. Moisten cereals with ¼ cup milk or enough milk to moisten if thin liquids are restricted.

  • Cooked cereals

  • Well-moistened dry cereals Pasta, noodles, rice

  • Moist bread dressing

  • Well-moistened soft breads, rolls, pancakes, plain muffins, biscuits (Use margarine, butter, jelly, or syrup to moisten.)

  • Cereals or breads with raisins or nuts

  • Gr anola-type, coarse,  or  dry cereals such as  shredded  wheat or All Bran

  • Thick-crust breads (such as French bread or baguettes)

  • Crackers

Meat, Meat Substitutes, and Entrees

  • All meats must be well moistened. Add extra gravy or sauces as needed.

  • Tender meat, fish, or poultry Soft cheese

  • Chopped or ground meats, poultry Soft casseroles

  • Meat, fish, or egg salads Eggs (prepared any way)

  • Smooth peanut butter; liverwurst Yogurt without nuts or coconut

  • Dry or tough meats (such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, bratwurst)

  • Chunky peanut butter

Vegetables, Potatoes & Soups

  • Vegetables should be< ½ inch and easily mashed with a fork.

  • Soft-cooked or mashed vegetables, including cooked vegetables without hull or stringy fibers

  • Well-cooked, moistened, boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes

  • Well-cooked shredded hash brown potatoes that are not crisp

  • Soups with easy-to-chew or easy­ to-swallow meats or vegetables

  • Raw or cooked vegetables with tough skins or seeds; fried or raw vegetables; cooked corn

  • Tough, crisp-fried potatoes Soups with tough meats or vegetables; clam or corn

  • chowder

Fruits & Juices

  • Ripe banana, melon, peeled peaches, pears

  • Cooked or frozen fruit

  • Canned peaches, pears, apricots Fruit juices

  • Soft berries with small seeds such as strawberries

  • Fruit cocktail, grapes, cherries , or apricots with skin; fresh fruit except ripe banana and those listed as allowed; dried fruits Watermelon without seeds (may

  • be given if thin liquids are allowed)

Fats

  • Butter, margarine, gravy, cream sauces, mayonnaise, salad dressings, cream cheese, sour cream, whipped toppings

  • Fats with coarse, difficult-to-chew, or chunky additives

Desserts

  • Cake, tender cookies Custa rd, pudding

  • Ice cream , sherbet , frozen yogurt , other ices (may be given if thin liquids are allowed)

  • Pies: cream , custard, pumpkin, soft fruit with bottom crust only

  • Desserts containing nuts, coarse dried fruit, or tough fruit

  • Desserts baked to a hard consistency

Miscellaneous

  • Soft candy

  • Jelly, smooth jams All sauces

  • Candy containing tough fruits, coconut, or nuts; hard candy

  • Chewy caramel or taffy-type candies

NDD Level 3: Dysphagia Advanced
Sample Menu

Breakfast

  • Orange Juice

  • Cream of Wheat

  • Scrambled Egg

  • Biscuit

  • Margarine

  • Jelly

  • Milk

  • Coffee

  • Sugar

  • Creamer

Noon

  • Honey Glazed Chicken, Ground Buttered Potatoes

  • Soft-Cooked Carrots

  • Dinner Roll

  • Margarine

  • Frosted Banana Cake

  • Milk

  • Tea

  • Sugar

Evening

  • Braised Beef with Gravy, Ground Noodles with Gravy

  • Soft-Cooked Green Beans

  • Peach Slices

  • Dinner Roll

  • Margarine

  • Soft Cookie

  • Iced Tea

  • Sugar

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