For those of you who are familiar with dysphagia and safe swallow strategies, you may be familiar with the term “extra sauces and gravies.” For those of you who are less familiar, allow me to explain… 🤓
Oftentimes, a speech pathologist will prescribe certain strategies in addition to food and drink modifications that will provide additional support during mealtimes and further mitigate the risk of choking and/or aspiration. One of those strategies often prescribed is “extra sauces and gravies.”
The reason for this is that by adding moisture to food by using.. yes, you guessed right… extra sauces and gravies, it can help to improve;
Bolus cohesion, or food sticking together in a ball;
Oral transfer, or food moving from the mouth to the throat;
Pharyngeal clearance, or food moving through the throat and into the stomach;
This helps to reduce;
Oral residue, or food being left behind in the mouth after swallowing;
Effort to move the food to the back of the mouth;
Food sticking in the throat after swallowing.
Of course, there are always the standard and usually favourite options to go to such as tomato based pasta sauces, white sauce and meat gravies that can never do you wrong. However, there is a world of different sauces and gravies out there that can not only provide assistance for safe swallowing but also really elevate and bring a dish to life.
Having touched on the need for variety and versatility in the menu to keep up interest, appetite and quality of life, sauces and gravies can be a great tool to achieve this!
There are so many tips, tricks and ideas to keep things changing such as using different herbs and cheeses, anchovies for a salty depth, lemon for freshness, spices for warmth, the list goes on. I assure you too, the more you try new tricks, the more familiar you become with the elements and the easier it all becomes.
The Fourth Place is eternally encouraging of creativity, inspiration and creation so don’t be afraid to swap out an ingredient, substitute a sauce or try a spice you’ve never heard of before. A subtle change can be game changing and wildly exciting. So please, go forth. A whole world of extra sauces and gravies awaits you… ✨
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