A Correct nutrition is key to health and quality of life, but sometimes, in older people, dietary alterations may occur (chewing and swallowing problems, loss of appetite, reluctance), which compromise their nutrition and state of health and, therefore, it will be necessary to review and adapt the diet to avoid risks and complications.
At the residences, aware of the importance of food for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of older people, the quality of the catering is one of our priorities. In the centers we have our own kitchen where expert cooks prepare dishes adapted to the needs of the residents. Likewise, the menus we offer are designed by dieticians and nutritionists, and are supervised by the Group’s medical management and the center’s medical team.
And, for those older people with chewing or swallowing problems, we have innovated by developing textured food, “a technique that achieves adequate nutrition and hydration and that also helps them regain the pleasure of eating,”.
Change of concept in food
The objective of NAMI is that all the elderly people who live in our centers enjoy the moment of food, with its aromas, smells, flavors and textures. And, in this sense, textured food is a very interesting alternative for residents with problems chewing or swallowing, to taste and have pleasant experiences like the rest of the diners.
Until a few years ago, the options for these people were reduced to purees. However, NAMI advanced this concept of texture modification that allows controlling the protein content, creating more attractive dishes in their presentation and maintaining the organoleptic qualities (flavor, texture, smell, color or temperature) of the original dishes.
In NAMI, older people with dysphagia problems eat the same foods as the rest of the residents, including legumes, meat, fish and eggs, but with modified texture, which is more pleasant. And, for cooks and waiters, it represents an interesting challenge, “with our textured food, the monotony of giving a resident with these problems a daily cream or mash, with the same flavor, a similar smell or a similar texture every day of the year ends,” explains Dr. Pérez.
Benefits of textured food
Some of the main benefits of NAMI’s textured food are that older people with eating problems regain their taste for food, which prevents malnutrition problems and other derived complications. In addition, it improves the mood and promotes the socialization of the resident at the table, since everyone is eating the same thing.
