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Cancer and its treatments can sometimes cause trouble with
swallowing. If you are having trouble swallowing, try eating soft or
liquid foods. You may be able to swallow thick fluids more easily than
thin liquids. If you are unable to eat enough regular foods to meet
your nutritional needs, drink high-calorie and high-protein liquids.
Your doctor may refer you to a speech therapist. She or he can teach
you how to swallow easier and how to decrease coughing and choking
while eating and drinking.
For more information on difficulty swallowing, ask the
American Cancer Society about Caring
for the Patient With Cancer at Home: A Guide for Patients and Families.
What to Do
- Follow your speech therapist’s instructions for
any special eating techniques.
- Drink 6 to 8 cups of fluid each day and thicken the fluid
to the consistency that is easiest for you to swallow.
- Call your doctor right away if you cough or choke while
eating, especially if you have a fever.
- Eat small, frequent meals.
- Use canned liquid nutritional supplements if you are unable
to eat enough food to meet your needs.
- Chop or puree your food in a blender or food processor.
Try these
thickening products
Gelatin: Use
to form a soft gel with cakes, cookies, crackers, sandwiches, pureed
fruits, and other cold food. Mix 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin in 2
cups liquid until dissolved; pour over food. Allow food to sit until
saturated.
Tapioca, flour,
and cornstarch: Use to thicken liquids. Note that these
must be cooked before using.
Commercial
thickeners: Follow labeled instructions and use to adjust
a liquid’s thickness.
Pureed
vegetables and instant potatoes: Use in soups. Note that
these change the food’s flavor.
Baby rice cereal.
Use to make a very thick product.
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What to eat when you have trouble
swallowing
(pureed and thick-liquid diet)*
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| High-protein: Thickened milk,
yogurt
without fruit, cottage cheese, sour cream; pureed meat, poultry, and
fish, casseroles, soft scrambled eggs; thickened broths and cream soups |
| Breads, cereals, pasta, and rice:
Cooked cereals such as Cream of Wheat and cream of rice; slurried
breads (A
slurry is a thin paste of water and flour that is stirred into hot
preparations as a thickener. A slurry on top of bread or cake makes it
moist and easier to swallow.) |
| Fruits and vegetables: Pureed fruit
and
vegetables without seeds and skins; mashed potatoes |
| Drinks, desserts, and other foods:
Thickened juices and nectars; thick milkshakes; thickened broths and
cream soups, custard, pudding; slurried cakes and cookies if tolerated;
syrups, honey, butter, margarine, spices |
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What to eat once you can tolerate a
pureed-liquid diet (mechanical soft thick-liquid diet)*
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| High-protein: Milk, yogurt,
cheeses,
sour cream; all eggs; ground meats and ground meat casseroles, fish,
sandwiches made with ground meats or spreads |
| Breads, cereals, pasta, and rice:
Soft
breads; graham crackers, cookies; soft cold cereals in milk; pancakes,
waffles; pasta, rice |
| Fruits and Vegetables: Bananas,
canned
fruit; soft, well-cooked, or pureed vegetables |
| Drinks, desserts, and other foods:
All beverages, soft desserts that do not require much chewing (such as
ice cream, sherbet, flavored gelatin, pudding, custard), soft cakes and
cookies, syrups, honey butter, margarine, spices |
*Adapted from Eldridge B, and Hamilton KK, Editors, Management
of Nutrition Impact Symptoms in Cancer and Educational Handouts
Chicago, Il: American Dietetic Association; 2004.
If thin liquids are recommended for you, select from the
following: coffee, tea, soft drinks, liquid nutritional supplements,
Italian ice, sherbet, broth, and thin cream-based soups.
If thick liquids are recommended for you, select from the
following: buttermilk, eggnog, milkshakes, yogurt shakes, and ice
cream.
Revised: 02/04/2008
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