You may have seen me mention "dual consistency" in previous posts which I outlined ever so briefly, but here is a whole post dedicated to the delightful yet tricky characteristic of many of our favourite foods.
Dual consistency is a term used when a dish has both solid or semi solid foods AND fluid. Although, in order to be considered a dual consistency, there should be enough fluid to be able to scoop up with a spoon. Some prime examples of dual consistency options include minestrone or chunky soups, curries, cereal with milk, casseroles or stews, just to name a few.
The reason this characteristic is highlighted within the IDDSI descriptions is because dual consistency foods are notoriously difficult to manage for some people when they have difficulty swallowing and can be a significant aspiration risk or risk of food and drink going the wrong way. The fluid can separate from the food in the mouth and trickle into the throat before the food is ready to be swallowed. During this time, the throat and airway is left relaxed and open. A sitting duck so to speak. So as I said, dual consistencies can be tricky little things.
Often though, avoiding dual consistencies is an additional recommendation from the speech pathologist, not to be presumed that all people with dysphagia cannot handle them. So it should be made clear whether or not someone needs to avoid these textures. Otherwise, you could be wiping a whole lot of delicious options off the menu‼️
It’s a good thing to be aware of but not something that is important to everyone and it doesn’t mean that dual consistency dishes can’t be further modified to accommodate someone by further reducing the fluid or cleverly adding a magic ingredient. So on that note, go forth, get creative and find the magic ✨🔮
** These posts are not meant to be used as a diagnostic tool. Diet and fluid recommendations should be prescribed by a practicing speech pathologist. **
** ‘These are NOT official IDDSI resources, educational materials or education programs and they are NOT meant to replace materials and resources on www.IDDSI.org’ **
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