Pureed Food

Pheath

Registered User
Dec 31, 2009
1,094
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UK
My dad's CH have recently started pureeing all his meals not due to problems swallowing but because he has no upper teeth and is very slow to chew and also often spits out hard bits eg. peas, cauliflower, carrots etc. I'm never actually there during mealtimes so haven't seen the appearance of his food (though can't imagine it's that lovely) but just wonder whether pureed meals taste as nice? He's so few pleasures left in life apart from eating it just makes me a little sad that this might now been spoilt and am not sure if it's more for the convenience of the carers so they can feed him quickly although have been assured not. I did mention about mashing his food rather than pureeing but seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Any comments gratefully appreciated.
 

Haylett

Registered User
Feb 4, 2011
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Pheath, I'm so sympathetic to this because it's very hard when you feel that even the simple pleasures are diminished for your Dad. I can't offer anything useful really the home, sorry - but I hope this might reassure you:-

When Mum's dental health deteriorated, she forever got bits of food stuck down the side of her mouth and either it sat there with her chewing to exhaustion or I had to winkle it out - not nice for her at all. I hated the idea of whizzing up her food, but had to give in.

So I made meals in layers - ie, kept the chicken all chicken, pureed peas, carrots and potatoes separately so that the tastes would be separate too. I don't know if it helped, but her appetite rallied because she no longer got things stuck. Could you bring in some food that you've prepared (if you have the time)? Could you taste the puree to see whether it seems to you like the sort of taste your Dad would like? Mum quite often liked things spicier than before, so chicken in a mild home-made curried sauce was a favourite. Would you dad eat haggis with a white sauce? That's very tasty and fairly fine and wouldn't need pureeing. I hope Mum didn't feel that I was treating her like a child - but I don't think so.

Good luck to you and your Dad. I'd definitely have a word with the home if you feel it's an issue.
 

Jessbow

Registered User
Mar 1, 2013
5,678
0
Midlands
No need to whizz everything up together!
Puree the different components separately, shouldn't take long.

If anyone is thinking of home cooking, freeze in silicone muffin trays, tip into containers once frozen
 

Pheath

Registered User
Dec 31, 2009
1,094
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UK
Thanks so much everyone for your helpful responses. I will definitely investigate further (and taste if needs be) as hadn't occurred to me the food types might/ could be pureed separately and had just imagined a liquidised plate of mush!
Unfortunately dad is a bit passed saying whether he enjoys his food or not although am sure would spit out if something was really unpalatable!
 

lin1

Registered User
Jan 14, 2010
9,350
0
East Kent
Hi
When my Mum lost her dentures, she was in mid stages then.
we put Mum on a soft diet rather than pureed.
She basically had the same as us with a few adaptions

Her vegetables were cooked until soft
We mashed greens, cabbage ,carrots etc with a fork
only had mashed potato
We cut any crispy bits off chips
And for my ease, I bought Mum sliced cooked meat, which I cut up fine

I can assure you that mashed or pureed food tastes the same as ours, When Mum needed pureed food I tasted each meal.

IMO in homes or hospitals , pureed food should be laid out separately , just like our meals, as we done with our eyes too.
Having said this, when Mum needed pureed meals ,
I pureed it all together as Mum was virtually blind. It belied it's looks (often green or brown ) and tasted just fine.

personally I do not think it is right to put a person on a pureed diet till it's necessary .
 

Pheath

Registered User
Dec 31, 2009
1,094
0
UK
Lin - many thanks for your comments too. I'm relieved to hear that pureed tastes the same. I was a bit worried that the home were doing it more for their convenience but think dad was struggling to chew some of the food without upper teeth and there was a lot of spitting out going on. It sounds like you were really good taking time to prepare your mum's meals in a way she could still enjoy. I'm definitely going to check though that the different food types are laid out separately.
 

BibleMaggie

Registered User
Oct 5, 2013
1
0
My mum is on puréed food because she would keep food in her mouth all day The purée food looks disgusting ,but actually it tastes really nice and Mum eats it which is great as we know she is eating and she still has her soup and puddings and cake so gets lovely treats So dont worry it will do your dad good and keep him safe from choking have a good day


My dad's CH have recently started pureeing all his meals not due to problems swallowing but because he has no upper teeth and is very slow to chew and also often spits out hard bits eg. peas, cauliflower, carrots etc. I'm never actually there during mealtimes so haven't seen the appearance of his food (though can't imagine it's that lovely) but just wonder whether pureed meals taste as nice? He's so few pleasures left in life apart from eating it just makes me a little sad that this might now been spoilt and am not sure if it's more for the convenience of the carers so they can feed him quickly although have been assured not. I did mention about mashing his food rather than pureeing but seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Any comments gratefully appreciated.
 

Jessbow

Registered User
Mar 1, 2013
5,678
0
Midlands
I don't know if you can still get them, but those baby dishes that your poured boiling water into the base to keep food hot were good, for some reason puree food seems to go cold quicker, no-one likes cold food.
 

lin1

Registered User
Jan 14, 2010
9,350
0
East Kent
I don't know if you can still get them, but those baby dishes that your poured boiling water into the base to keep food hot were good, for some reason puree food seems to go cold quicker, no-one likes cold food.

Yes I noticed that pureed food cooled quicker, mind you my mum preferred lots of food when it was cold so I didnt worry too much, I took after mum
Cold baked beans
cold fish n chips
cold dumplings
All yum
to name but a few
 

moonshadow

Registered User
Aug 22, 2013
16
0
Have you ever seen a single raisin been chewed 30 times?

my mom, 82, has her own teeth but she needs to chew each food bite some 30 times. I'm don't know if has to do with some teeth problem or with some difficulties with swallowing... or even a "dementia" caused weird sense in the mouth, with hard fibre containing food felt as disturbing.

puree or mashed, it can be that your father enjoys swallowing his meals more easily when in this form. As for the taste: they taste similar.

It certainly helps when the food has sauce and is in general soft.
 

KatO

Registered User
Oct 13, 2013
1
0
Pureed food can taste good;)

Hello,
I agree that especially in nursing homes the food may not necessarily look or taste appetising. I feel sorry for residents. I used to work in nursing home and there were some residents who struggled with chewing food because of dentition problems or lack of appetite. I think pureed soups can taste fantastic e.g. carrot and coriander, cauliflower creme soup, parsnip soup and many many more. You can also make a lasagne with vegetables and pasta sheets or use sliced potatoes instead of pasta. It will taste good and look good. Adding spices makes a huge difference as well. You can make meatballs in tomato sauce with peppers and potato mash on side plus s salad made of finely grated carrot and some tasty herb dressing. There are a lot of really tasty and nutritious meals you can make for people who have problems with chewing. I think residential homes do not employ proper chefs or (even better) nutritionist who can cook and make an interesting menu because of finances. It is such a shame.
 

Pheath

Registered User
Dec 31, 2009
1,094
0
UK
Thank you everyone for your interesting comments, so good to hear all your different viewpoints. The home have since reassured me that nothing is taken from the taste in pureeing dad's food and the food groups are definitely pureed separately rather than as a single mush which is what I'd been most worried about. Also I think there are different grades of pureeing. I'm still hoping to see for myself soon, just it's often difficult to get there for mealtimes.
Like the raisin analogy & brings home how incredibly hard it must be to chew without teeth.
 

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