Complete Meal Soups and Smoothies

One way to approach a dysphagia diet is to plan for 6 smaller meals a day that, in total, meet the daily requirements for adequate energy, protein, carbohydrate, and at least 1500mls water.
Traditional soups made with a few extra ingredients can contribute.  They make complete meals an easier task when designing modified texture diets. The following soup recipes are designed to provide approximately 900-1300kJ at mealtimes with at least 17-25g protein and enough vegetable to meet healthy eating plans. Breakfast and in-between meals could be a fruit smoothie with cereal and nuts providing extra calories to meet energy requirements. See meal plan below.

Example Meal Plan Using Smoothies as Complete Meals

(Recipes from “Super Foods for Small Appetites” (SFSA). Other recipes will be added to this blog over the next few weeks.

Breakfast: Quinoa Porridge with cinnamon, berries (SFSA) and half a mashed banana providing 1000kJ, 10g protein, 5g fat, 30g carbohydrate, 10g fibre.

   OR

High Energy Breakfast: Oats express using a tetrapak of Dairy Farmers flavoured Oats Express with extra oats (SFSA) with half a mashed banana providing 1500kJ, 16g protein, 4g fat, 55g carbohydrate 10g fibre.

Morning Tea: Green Smoothie (SFSA) made with a green vegetable, rockmelon etc. plus added sweet potato for extra thickening if required providing 6-700kJ, 5.6g protein, 0.6g fat, 30g carbohydrate, 6g fibre.

Lunch: Split Pea & Ham, Lentil & Vegetable, or Minestrone Soup (recipes to follow) providing 1100kJ, 20g protein, 6.5g fat, 30g carbohydrate, 6g fibre.

   OR

High Energy Lunch: Soup as above with approx. 20g  Sustagen (or similar) whisked in before serving. This will add 300kJ and 5g protein.

Afternoon Tea: Chocolate and Chia Seed Smoothie (SFSA) providing 800kJ, 11.6g protein, 7.5g fat, 25g carbohydrate, 8.5g fibre. OR  Tropical Quinoa Smoothie. (SFSA)

Dinner: Meat or Fish based soup eg Scotch Broth (see below), Beef Daube Soup, Cream of Chicken Soup (SFSA), Fish Bisque. These will provide 1000-1200 kJ, 20g protein, 30g carbohydrate, variable fat and fibre content depending on recipe.

Supper: Fruit Flavoured Beverage jelly. (SFSA). This can be made with a clear fruit supplement OR a favourite cordial or fruit juice. Tapioca provides the stability for thickening the jelly so melting in the mouth before a swallow is avoided.             

If a fruit flavoured supplement is used for extra nutrition up to 1500kJ would be available as well as an extra 13g protein.

 My experience with blending colours leads to my recommendation to include green leafy vegetables in the fruit smoothies that have become extremely popular with the provision of powerful blenders on the market. The Internet has lots of examples but I recommend the book “Super Foods For Small Appetites” available as download or printed format from www.familyconcernpublishing.com.au. This book has a section on ‘Smoothies’ giving examples of general and specific ways of creating smooth thick textures for easier swallowing with appropriate nutrition information.

My first recipe is a traditional Scotch broth with lamb and barley. If cooked in a Slow Cooker the lamb falls off the bones easily and the barley is soft. The meat, vegetables and barley provide small pieces that float in a tasty broth. This constitutes a mixed texture and can be a challenge for those with chewing and swallowing problems   where the thin broth may cause coughing. Blending the soup will create a thick consistency that is easier to manage in the mouth.

Scotch Broth

Ingredients                                                                Serves 5

500g lamb neck chops trimmed

150g carrots

1 medium onion

2 leeks

3 sticks celery

¾ cup pearl barley

1.5 litres hot water

1 beef stock cube

salt & pepper to taste.

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. Peel carrots and onions and trim leeks.  Chop into small pieces.

2. Sear lamb chops and onions in slow cooker.

3. Add washed barley, water, vegetables and stock cube.

4. Slow cook for at least 3 hours.

5. Remove lamb chops, separate meat from bones and chop into small pieces.

6. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped meat and parsley.

7. Blend the soup until smooth thick consistency is achieved.

Nutrition Information per serve: Energy 1126 kJ, protein 20.6g, fat 6.5g, sat fat 3.2g, carbohydrate 29.7g, sugars 7.5g, fibre 5.8g, sodium 519mg.

Scotch Broth as a Smooth Purée showing a 'figure of 8' motif to demonstrate extremely thick consistency