Dysphagia Advanced
The IDDSI food texture closest to Dysphagia Advanced textures would be “Soft & Bite Sized”. Testing using IDDSI methodology to determine accurate texture is recommended
A Dysphagia Diet is used for people with swallowing problems because it:
Makes it easier to chew and move food in your mouth.
Reduces the risk of food going into your windpipe or trachea, which leads to the lungs.
Foods you can eat on this diet
Foods should be moist and in bite-sized pieces. Eating foods not allowed on this diet will increase your chance of swallowing problems and of food going into your windpipe and lungs. Click on the categories below to see some examples of foods that are the right texture for a Dysphagia Advanced Diet
Fruit
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | soft (canned) or cooked without skins | Raw |
| Applesauce | OK | |
| Apricots | Without skins | skins |
| Bananas | OK | |
| Cherries | canned/pies | raw/with skins |
| Dates | None | All |
| Fruit--canned | OK | |
| Fruit--dried | None | All |
| Figs | Moist/Soft; No seeds | |
| Fig Newton | OK | |
| Grapefruit | Meat Only | |
| Grapes | Juice only/pureed | |
| Kiwi | OK without peel | |
| Lemons/Limes | Juice | |
| Melons--canteloupe | peeled and ripe/soft | Hard |
| Melons--honeydew | peeled and ripe/soft | hard |
| Melons--watermelon | OK without seeds | No seeds |
| Oranges | Cooked | |
| Papaya | Peeled and Seedless | |
| Peaches | Peeled and ripe/soft | Skins |
| Pears | Peeled and ripe/soft | Skins |
| Plums | Peeled and ripe/soft | Skins |
| Pomegranates | Juice only/pureed | |
| Prunes | Moist/soft | Dried |
| Raisins | None | All |
Vegetables
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Artichokes | tender/heart only/meat off leaves | leaves |
| Arugula | Leaves | Stem |
| Asparagus | soft/cooked/canned/pickles top of spear | Stem and if stringy |
| Avocado | Meat Only | |
| Bamboo Shoots | None | All |
| Bean Sprouts/All Sprouts | Canned | |
| Beets | well cooked/boiled/pickled | roasted or undercooked |
| Broccoli | well cooked/mashable | undercooked/raw |
| Brussels Sprouts | None | All |
| Cabbage | well cooked/boiled | undercooked/raw |
| Carrots | well cooked/boiled/ roasted/soft/mashable | undercooked/raw |
| Cauliflower | well cooked/boiled/ roasted/soft/mashable | undercooked/raw |
| Celery | Ok in soups/well cooked if chopped | Raw/stringy |
| Collard Greens | Well Cooked | Raw |
| Corn | creamed | cooked/canned (all other not creamed) |
| Corn-Baby canned corn | None | All |
| Garlic | Cooked | Raw |
| Ginger | Minced/cooked/ground | Raw/whole pieces |
| Green Beans | well cooked/canned/ mashable | raw/undercooked |
| Guacamole | OK without raw ingredience | no raw ingredience |
| Kale | Finely chopped or cooked | |
| Lettuce | Finely chopped or cooked | |
| Mushrooms | OK | |
| Olives | minced/canned - pitted | |
| Onions | minced/cooked/saute | Raw |
| Parsnips | well cooked/boiled/ roasted/soft/mashable | undercooked/raw |
| Peppers | Cooked | Roasted/Seeds/Raw |
| Potatoes--baked | Meat only | Skin |
| Potatoes--fried | Soft/Meaty | Crispy/Crunchy/Tough |
| Potatoes--mashed | All | |
| Radishes | minced/cooked/saute | Raw |
| Rugula | Like potato | |
| Spinach | Thinly chopped | Stems |
| Squash, crookneck | Cooked/1/4 in slice if young/tender | Skin |
| Squash, Spaghetti | Cooked/Chopped | Seeds/Skin |
| Squash, straightneck yellow | Cooked/1/4 in slice if young/tender | Skin |
| Squash--Winter | soft/cooked/out of skin | Skin/Raw/Seeds |
| Swiss Chard | Soft/cooked | Skin/Raw/Seeds |
| Tomatillos | Peeled/cooked in salsa | |
| Tomatoes | Cooked | Skin/Raw/Seeds |
| Turnips | Cooked | |
| Water Chestnuts | None | All |
| Zucchini | Cooked | Skin/Raw |
Meats/Protein/Beans
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon | Bacon fat | All bacon meat |
| Beans--legumes | well cooked | undercooked |
| Beans--Refried | OK | |
| Beef | Ground/thinly slices/tender | tough/dry/see Lunch Meat for thickness |
| Clams | clam chowder | All (stringy and hard in places) |
| Crab | Soft/cooked | Dry/Tough meat |
| Edamame | Out of pod | In pod |
| Eggs--boiled | OK | |
| Eggs--fried | OK | |
| Eggs--poached | OK | |
| Eggs--scrambled | OK | |
| Falafel | soft or no crust | hard crust/deep fried |
| Fish | well moistened | Dry or dry with boned |
| Fried Meats (Chicken Fried Steak) | Soft/Moist/Meat only | Crusty/Crunchy |
| Ham | Ground/thinly sliced/tender | tough/dry/See Lunch Meat for thickness |
| Hamburger | soft or no crust | hard crust/deep fried |
| Hot Dogs | Ground/thinly sliced/tender | |
| Hummus | OK | |
| Jerky | None | All |
| Lobster | Soft/cooked | Dry/Tough meat |
| Lunch Meat/Deli Meat | Thinly sliced or chopped | Slice more than 1/10 of inch (4 cm) thick |
| Meatballs | soft or no crust | hard crust/deep fried |
| Nuts | None | All |
| Peanut butter | Not allowed | |
| Poultry | Ground/Chopped/Thinly Sliced/Moist | Fried/Skin/Dry See Lunch Meat |
| pepperoni | chopped and peeled | |
| Salami | Thinly sliced and peeled | |
| Sausage--links | Ground | Whole-has skin |
| Sausage--patties | Ground | Whole pattie |
| Summer Sausage | chopped and peeled | |
| Wild Game (Deer/Buffalo) | Ground/Tender/Moist | Whole pieces/Gristle/Dry |
Breads/Grains/Pasta
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Bagels | None | All |
| Baguette/Hard Breads/Hard Rolls | None | All |
| Barley | cooked | |
| Biscuits/Dinner Rolls | Soft Crust/Moist | Toasted Crust/Hard Crust |
| Bread | well-moistened | dry/crusty bread/toast/crackers |
| Cereals--cold | Well moistened | course or dry/shredded wheat or All Bran |
| Cereals--hot | Ok | None |
| Chow Main Noodles | None | All (crunchy) |
| Dumplings | cooked/moist | dry |
| English muffins | None | All |
| French Toast | well moistened | Dry |
| Gnocchi | cooked | Raw |
| Graham Crackers | OK | |
| Granola | None | All |
| Grits | OK | |
| Hash Browns | soft | crisp fried potatoes |
| Lo Main Noodles | OK | |
| Pancakes | Moist with adequate butter/syrup | Dry/Toasted |
| Pasta | Cooked | |
| Rice | Cooked soft | Fried Rice |
| Toast | Moist with adequate butter | Crust |
| Tortilla Shells | Soft/Warmed/Steamed | Fried/Crunchy |
| Waffles | Moist with adequate butter/syrup | Dry/Toasted |
Dairy
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese--hard | cooked with roux* | Uncooked/raw |
| Cheese--soft | spreadable or cheese sliced (i.e. American) | Thickly sliced |
| Cottage Cheese | Ok | |
| Yogurt | Plain or flavored | Nuts and Fruit |
Combination
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Casserole | See individual items/generally OK | See individual items |
| Convenience Foods (Hot Pockets) | Filling Ok with ground/chopped meats | No crust/large chunks of meat |
| Green Salad | Finely shredded lettuce/See ind items | See individual items |
| Pizza | Soft Crust (see food items for toppings) | Hard crust |
| Sandwiches | See individual items | See individual items |
| Spaghetti & Meatballs | See individual items/generally OK | See individual items |
Condiments
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Herbs/Spices | Ground/Minced | Whole leaves/Seeds |
| Jam | Seedless | Seeds (Rasberry) |
| Ketchup/Mayo/Mustard | Ok | Mustard with no seeds |
| Pickle Relish | Ok with small chunks | Large chunks |
| Pickles | Ok when soft | Bread & Butter with mustard seeds |
| Salsa | OK | Cabbage |
Snacks/Desserts
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Corn | None | All |
| Carmel | If soft in candy/ice cream | Hard/By themselves |
| Chocolate | Soft | Nuts/Carmel/Crunchy/Coconut |
| Cobblers | Soft topping | Crunchy topping |
| Cookies | Soft/Hard soaked in liquid (milk) | Chewy/Hard/Nuts/Coconut |
| Crisps (Apple crisp) | None | All (crunchy topping) |
| Candied Ginger | Ok | |
| Gummy Bears/Gum Drops | None | All |
| Hard (Peanut Brittle/Candy Canes) | None | All |
| Hard Candies/Suckers | Ok to suck on | Not to bite |
| Jello | Plain | Nuts/Coconut |
| Junior Mints | Ok | |
| M & M's | None | All - hard shell/crunchy |
| Pies | Soft filling | Nuts/Coconut |
| Popcorn | None | All |
| Pork Rinds | None | All |
| Potato Chips | None | All |
| Pretzles | None | All (soft/chewy/hard) |