Tag: dysphagia
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5 Tools For a Modified Texture Kitchen
I love the flexibility of cooking. If you gave 10 home chefs the same request, I bet you’d come away with at least three completely different ways to tackle it. Technique is often the most critiqued aspect of the way that a person cooks, but within the “how” of the dish, there’s also a question…
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Fear of Swallowing: Understanding Anxiety at Mealtimes
Fear-based swallowing difficulties don’t appear out of nowhere. They’re learned. Maybe anxiety heightened your focus on the mechanics of eating, making every movement in your throat feel unnatural, exaggerated, or risky. Maybe you’ve started avoiding certain foods, textures, or entire meals just to sidestep the anxiety. If any of this sounds familiar, know that you’re…
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Pregelled Breads: A Key Technique for Safer Eating with Dysphagia
Bread is one of the most common comfort foods in the world, but it’s also one of the trickiest for people with swallowing or chewing difficulties. On its own, bread tends to crumble, stick, or form dry lumps that can be unsafe. That’s where the pregelled bread technique comes in. Pregelling transforms bread into a…
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What Is Dysphagia or Difficulty Swallowing?
Swallowing is something most of us take for granted, until it doesn’t feel easy anymore. For some people, eating can shift from an automatic, enjoyable part of the day into something that feels uncertain, uncomfortable, or even exhausting. The medical term for this is dysphagia, which simply means “difficulty swallowing.” As both a speech-language pathologist…
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Safe Texture Finder
There is no such thing as too much urgency when it comes to seeking assistance with difficulty with chewing and swallowing. However, some don’t see a speech-language pathologist (SLP) until weeks after symptoms begin. These weeks, no doubt, feel magnitudes longer, as the concern rarely stops when standing up from the table. I want to…
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Introducing the Altered Elevated Project: Making Dining Out More Inclusive
Dining out isn’t just about food, it’s about connection. Whether it’s catching up with friends, celebrating a milestone, or enjoying a spontaneous lunch with family, restaurants are a cornerstone of social life. But for individuals with dysphagia (difficulty chewing/swallowing) those moments can be inaccessible, even isolating. That’s where the Altered Elevated Project comes in. As…