HealthInfo Canterbury
Safe eating & drinking
If you have difficulty with your swallowing, you can be at risk of food or drink entering your airways. There are some things you can do to help to make eating and drinking safer.
If you are caring for someone with cognitive problems caused by a stroke or brain injury, see Easy eating with cognitive problems.
General tips
- If you get tired as the day goes on, eat your main meal earlier in the day.
- If you have dentures and they fit well, always wear them when eating.
- Concentrate fully on eating, and avoid talking.
- You might find it easier to eat several small meals rather than three larger meals.
- Monitor your weight. Check it at least once a month to make sure you are eating enough and getting enough calories.
Swallowing food
- Try to avoid dry food, such as cornflakes, coconut and pastry, as it can catch in your throat.
- Changing the consistency of some food may make it easier to swallow – can you cut it into smaller pieces, mash it, mince it or purée it?
- Adding extra sauces and gravies to savoury food, or custard and whipped cream to sweet food, may make it easier to swallow.
- You might have to swallow twice for each mouthful.
- If your voice is gurgly when you eat or drink, give a small cough to make sure your airway is clear.
- Foods that have two consistencies (such as peaches and juice, or soup with vegetable pieces, or cereal floating in milk) might be harder to swallow. Eat the solid food by itself, then have a spoonful of the liquid. If you can, stir the food into one consistency or, for soups, blend them first.
- Smooth brown bread may be easier to swallow than white bread.
Swallowing drinks
- Room temperature water is generally harder to swallow. You may find it easier if all your drinks are hot, ice-cold, or fizzy.
- If you've been advised to have thickened fluids, avoid jelly and ice cream, as they melt into a thin liquid before you swallow them.
- Try drinking thin liquid from the top half of your cup only, to avoid tipping your head backwards.
- If your voice is gurgly when you eat or drink, give a small cough to make sure your airway is clear.
Specific tips for you
Try the following suggestions to see if they help. If you still have difficulties, discuss this with your doctor.
- Sit upright in a chair. It is best to sit at a table.
- Keep talking and other distractions to a minimum.
- Take small mouthfuls of food and liquids (sips or bites). It may help to use a teaspoon.
- Have a strong swallow to help move the food or liquid.
- After swallowing, do extra swallows until your mouth and throat are clear. Wait before putting more food or liquid in your mouth.
- Try alternating a sip of liquid with mouthfuls of food. If this makes swallowing more difficult, try avoiding liquids with meals.
- Check your mouth is clear at the end of meals. Use your tongue or finger to clear food from your cheeks. You may need to clean your teeth and mouth.
- Stay sitting upright for half an hour after you have had food or liquids.
Ask if you can do anything else to make eating and drinking easier.
You may also want to access private specialist help.
Written by speech-language therapists, Canterbury DHB. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed October 2020. Last updated November 2020.
SourcesReview key: HISWD-121957
