Staying properly hydrated is essential for good health and healthy aging. In summer, older people should be especially careful because they sweat more due to the heat and their feeling of thirst is reduced, which can lead them to ingest less liquid than they need. Drink water, infusions, milk, smoothies, juices, gazpacho, etc. and eating foods with significant amounts of water, such as fruits and vegetables, promotes better hydration. The problem arises when these older people present dysphagia or difficulty swallowing, in which case, it is necessary to modify the textures. Gelatin, gelled water and textured food are very interesting resources to achieve correct hydration in case of dysphagia.
Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing or swallowing food, both solid and liquid, and even saliva. This condition can cause coughing and choking, which can be complicated if food enters the respiratory tract, which could cause a serious lung infection and even pneumonia.
The aging process itself is a cause in itself of dysphagia due to the weakening of the muscles involved in chewing and swallowing, the loss of teeth or the reduction of salivation. People with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, are also at greater risk of dysphagia.
Beware of malnutrition and dehydration
The enormous effort it takes for people with dysphagia to drink and/or eat can cause malnutrition and dehydration. Hence the importance of planning a correct diet, which requires modifying the texture of foods.
On the one hand, the solids must be crushed and avoid the double textures that can be found in dishes such as lentils, soups, sponge cake soaked in milk, etc. In this sense, Antonella Moniz and the other chefs at the centers prepare textured meals for residents with swallowing problems, which modify the texture of the food, preserving the flavors and guaranteeing the nutritional contribution they need and, all of this, without neglecting an attractive presentation.
On the other hand, liquid foods, such as water, milk, juices or broths, should maintain a thin but thickened consistency. To this end, gelatins and gelled waters become perfect allies for the person with dysphagia to be hydrated, because they are mostly water and offer a slippery consistency, which prevents liquid food from being retained in the throat, and cohesive, which allows it to not easily divide or fragment or stick to the palate. In addition, they provide a sensation of freshness in the mouth, very pleasant and refreshing in the summer months.
Types of thickeners
Not all thickeners have the same properties or behave in the same way. Therefore, “when we seek to modify the texture of liquids we must take into account the different types of thickeners that exist,” warn professionals.
Commercial jellies are made with collagen that gives it its pudding viscosity, but that texture does not remain stable when it comes into contact with the mouth or is at a temperature above 25ºC. Then, that viscosity transforms into liquid and increases the risk of choking for people with dysphagia. Therefore, it is a product that requires some caution. Regarding its nutritional properties, it is an important source of proteins and essential amino acids.
For their part, gelled waters, made with gums, maintain their texture at room temperature and in contact with the mouth, and can be mixed with other foods such as yogurt, flan, custard, fruit porridge, etc. “In this way, they are safe to hydrate people with dysphagia, since the food breaks down in the stomach,” they maintain.
On the market there are also commercial thickeners based on starch, maltodextrins and gums, which maintain an adequate consistency and are not modified in contact with saliva.
There are also natural thickeners that we can use to achieve the desired texture at home. The problem is that they do not thicken at any temperature and some of them alter the flavor of the food.
