Currently, one of the big food sensations is smoothie bowls. The basic concept is to make a thicker-than-usual smoothie, place it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon (vs drinking through a straw).
Smoothie bowls are taking over the internet as the next insta-wellness, ultra-cool trend. There are even eateries that specialise in smoothie bowls and they are not cheap, prices range from $10 - $16. For a SMOOTHIE! In a BOWL!
I have to admit, I don’t get it. Is it a chilled fruit soup? Is it a franken-porridge? Is it a smoothie gone horribly wrong?
If you have lived under a rock the past few years and don’t know what a smoothie bowl is, here is a fairly standard iteration…
As a dietitian, I can’t help but wonder... if you have a perfectly functional set of teeth, your swallowing apparatus is working as intended and you are older than one, why on earth would you want to puree your food?
Dysphagia is a condition that describes difficulties in swallowing, it is diagnosed by speech pathologists who typically prescribe a texture modified diet. One study estimates that up to 68% of residents in nursing homes are affected by dysphagia.
An individual with dysphagia might be restricted to one of three textures.
1. Soft diet – food must be moist, cut into pieces no larger than 1.5cm x 1.5cm and easily break apart when pressed with a fork, we’re talking cooked in the slow cooker all day soft.
2. Minced diet – as above but food must be cut into pieces no larger than 0.5cm x 0.5cm and there should be no hard or sharp lumps.
3. Pureed diet – as above but food must be pureed, smooth and free of lumps.
Being prescribed a pureed diet is one of the biggest determinants of malnutrition in elderly because it isn't considered to be palatable. They call it baby food! Nobody wants to eat baby food, well nobody but babies (and Millenials)!
Another common reason that our aged care residents are prescribed texture modified diets is poor dentition. In a recent Australian study 82% of residents required a dental referral due to decayed or broken teeth. Naturally, this led to them being prescribed a texture modified diet. Do you know who else doesn't have teeth and can't chew their food? Babies!
There are thousands of elders who would love to chomp into something solid! They can’t experience the juicy crunch of biting into a crisp apple, instead, they can only have applesauce.
I don't get it... are Millenials the first generation of adults to voluntarily puree their food?
1. Soft diet – food must be moist, cut into pieces no larger than 1.5cm x 1.5cm and easily break apart when pressed with a fork, we’re talking cooked in the slow cooker all day soft.
2. Minced diet – as above but food must be cut into pieces no larger than 0.5cm x 0.5cm and there should be no hard or sharp lumps.
3. Pureed diet – as above but food must be pureed, smooth and free of lumps.
Being prescribed a pureed diet is one of the biggest determinants of malnutrition in elderly because it isn't considered to be palatable. They call it baby food! Nobody wants to eat baby food, well nobody but babies (and Millenials)!
Another common reason that our aged care residents are prescribed texture modified diets is poor dentition. In a recent Australian study 82% of residents required a dental referral due to decayed or broken teeth. Naturally, this led to them being prescribed a texture modified diet. Do you know who else doesn't have teeth and can't chew their food? Babies!
There are thousands of elders who would love to chomp into something solid! They can’t experience the juicy crunch of biting into a crisp apple, instead, they can only have applesauce.
I don't get it... are Millenials the first generation of adults to voluntarily puree their food?
No comments:
Post a Comment