Dysphagia Mechanical
This diet consists of foods that are moist, soft-textured and easily formed into a bolus. All foods on Level 1 are allowed. Meats and other select foods may be ground or minced into small pieces no larger than ¼”. All food items should be easy to chew.
If you have any questions about a food or drink being appropriate for a Level 2 Dysphagia Mechanical Diet, ask your speech language pathologist, dietitian or other health care provider. Click on the categories below for some examples of foods that are the right texture for a Dysphagia Mechanical Diet.
The IDDSI food texture closest to Dysphagia Mechanical textures would be “Minced & Moist” (Minced is misspelled in the IDDSI diagram). Testing using IDDSI methodology to determine accurate texture is recommended.
Fruit
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | |
| Applesauce | OK | |
| Apricots | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | |
| Bananas | OK | |
| Cherries | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | |
| Dates | None | All |
| Fruit--canned | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked | |
| Fruit--dried | None | All |
| Figs | None | All |
| Fig Newton | Slurried | |
| Grapefruit | Juice only/pureed | Fruit |
| Grapes | Juice only/pureed | Fruit |
| Kiwi | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked | |
| Lemons/Limes | Juice only/pureed | Fruit |
| Melons--canteloupe | None | All |
| Melons--honeydew | None | All |
| Melons--watermelon | Chopped/Fork Mashable | No seeds |
| Oranges | Juice only/pureed | Fruit |
| Peaches | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | Raw/Undercooked |
| Pears | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | Raw/Undercooked |
| Plums | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | Raw/Undercooked |
| Pomegranates | Juice only/pureed | Fruit |
| Prunes | Juice only/pureed | Fruit |
| Raisins | None | All |
Vegetables
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Artichokes | None | All |
| Arugula | Cooked/Chopped | Raw/Steamed |
| Asparagus | Finely chopped cooked/canned tips or pureed | Stem/Chunks |
| Avocado | Meat Only | |
| Bamboo Shoots | None | All |
| Bean Sprouts/All Sprouts | None | All |
| Beets | Pureed | |
| Broccoli | Pureed | |
| Brussels Sprouts | Pureed | |
| Cabbage | Pureed tips | |
| Carrots | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | Raw/Undercooked |
| Cauliflower | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked/Canned | Raw/Undercooked |
| Celery | Minced and Cooked | Raw/stringy |
| Collard Greens | Well Cooked and Chopped | Raw/Steamed |
| Corn | Pureed | |
| Corn-Baby canned corn | None | All |
| Garlic | Cooked | Raw |
| Ginger | Minced/cooked/ground | Raw/whole pieces |
| Green Beans | well cooked/canned/ | raw/undercooked |
| Guacamole | OK without raw ingredience | no raw ingredience |
| Kale | Well Cooked and Chopped | Raw/Steamed |
| Lettuce | None | All |
| Mushrooms | minced and in Soups/Casseroles | |
| Olives | minced | |
| Onions | minced and cooked | Raw |
| Parsnips | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked | |
| Peppers | Minced & cooked | Roasted/Seeds/Raw |
| Potatoes | Boiled/Mashed/Pureed | Skin |
| Radishes | None | All |
| Spinach | Well Cooked and Chopped | |
| Squash, crookneck | Cooked and chopped/Fork Mashable | Skin |
| Squash, Spaghetti | Pureed | |
| Squash, straightneck yellow | Cooked and chopped/Fork Mashable | |
| Squash--Winter | Mashed/Pureed | Skin/Raw/Seeds |
| Swiss Chard | Well Cooked and Chopped | |
| Tomatillos | Cooked and chopped/Fork Mashable | |
| Tomatoes | Cooked and Strained/Pureed | Raw |
| Turnips | Cooked and chopped/Fork Mashable | |
| Water Chestnuts | None | All |
| Zucchini | Chopped/Fork Mashable/Cooked |
Meats/Protein/Beans
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon | Bacon fat | All bacon meat/No gristle |
| Beans--legumes | Mashed/Pureed | |
| Beans--Refried | OK | |
| Beef | Moist and ground with gravy/sauce | |
| Clams | Moist and Pureed | |
| Crab | Moist and Pureed | |
| Edamame | Pureed | |
| Eggs--boiled | Soft boiled adding moisture | |
| Eggs--fried | None | All |
| Eggs--poached | OK | |
| Eggs--scrambled | OK | |
| Falafel | soft or no crust | |
| Fish | Moist and Ground with sauce | |
| Fried Meats (Chicken Fried Steak) | Moist and Ground/Meat Only with sauce/gravy | |
| Ham | Ground with sauce/gravy | |
| Hamburger | Moist and ground with gravy/sauce | |
| Hot Dogs | Moist and ground with gravy/sauce | |
| Hummus | OK | |
| Jerky | None | All |
| Lobster | Moist and ground/Pureed | |
| Lunch Meat/Deli Meat | Moist and ground/ok in i.e. chicken salad | Don't add celery/onion/large chunks to meat salad |
| Meatballs | Moist and Chopped with sauce | |
| Nuts | None | All |
| Peanut butter | None | All |
| Poultry | Moist and ground/Pureed with gravy/sauce | |
| Salami/Pepperoni | None | |
| Salami | Thinly sliced and peeled | |
| Sausage--links | Moist & ground with gravy | |
| Sausage--patties | Moist & ground with gravy | |
| Wild Game (Deer/Buffalo) | Moist & ground with gravy |
Breads/Grains/Pasta
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Bagels | None | All |
| Baguette/Hard Breads/Hard Rolls | None | All |
| Barley | None | All |
| Biscuits/Dinner Rolls | Slurried | |
| Bread | Slurried | |
| Cereals--cold | Well moistened with little texture | seeds/whold grain dry |
| Cereals--hot | With little texture (oatmeal) | coarse cooked/seeds/nuts |
| Chow Main Noodles | None | All |
| Dumplings | Moistened | |
| English muffins | None | All |
| French Toast | Soft/Well Moistened | |
| Gnocchi | Mashed/Pureed | |
| Graham Crackers | Slurried | |
| Granola | None | All |
| Grits | OK | |
| Lo Main Noodles | None | All |
| Pancakes | Soft and Well Moistened with syrup, butter or jelly | |
| Pasta | Well cooked in sauce | |
| Rice | None | All |
| Toast | None | All |
| Tortilla Shells | None | All |
| Waffles | None | All |
Dairy
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese--hard | Melted with roux* | Uncooked/raw |
| Cheese--soft | spreadable with soft additives/chopped slices | |
| Cottage Cheese | Ok | |
| Yogurt | Ok with chopped fruit | Nuts/crust |
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 | None | All |
| Pizza | Slurried/See individual items | No crust |
| Sandwiches | See individual items/Lunch Meats | See individual items |
| Spaghetti & Meatballs | See individual items | See individual items |
Condiments
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Herbs/Spices | Ground/Minced | Whole leaves/Seeds |
| Jam | Seedless | Seeds (Rasberry) |
| Jelly | Ok | |
| Ketchup/Mayo/Mustard | Ok | Mustard with no seeds |
| Pickle Relish | None | All |
| Pickles | None | All |
| Salsa | OK with small chunks | No Cabbage |
Snacks/Desserts
| Food | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Corn | None | All (crunchy Toppings) |
| Carmel | None | All |
| Chocolate | Soft (Truffles)/Fondue | Nuts/Carmel/Crunchy/Coconut |
| Cobblers | See fruit items/Slurried bread topping | Crunchy topping |
| Cookies | Slurried | |
| Crisps (Apple crisp) | None | All |
| Gum Drops/Candied Ginger | None | All |
| Gummy Bears | 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 | |
| Ice Cream | Smooth | |
| M & M's | None | All |
| Pies | Soft filling with bottom crust | Crust/Nuts/Coconut |
| Popcorn | None | All |
| Pork Rinds | None | All |
| Potato Chips | None | All |
| Pretzles | None | All |