Southwestern - The Vegetarian Resource Group

issues. Then, we chop, mince, grind, or purée theentrée to suit clients’ needs. For tasty desserts, wecrumble cake or soft cookies over sorbet; vegan pudding(made with soy or rice milk); baked apples; orchopped or puréed peaches, apricots, or plums.WHAT ABOUT BABY FOOD?Commercial baby food is not appropriate for any populationexcept infants. The texture is generally too thinto counter many swallowing issues, and the food is notsufficiently nutrient-dense enough for anyone over theage of two years. The amount of baby food that anadult would need to consume for adequate nutritionwould probably be far greater than one could comfortablyeat during a meal. In addition, commercial babyfood may be excessively salty and can be expensive.However, baby foods can be used as a base for texturallyaltered menu items or for sauces. For instance,baby food beets or carrots can be used as a colorfulsauce for a main dish. Baby food peaches, apricots,or applesauce can be used as a topping for desserts,such as sorbets.ENSURING THAT CALORIE NEEDS ARE METMany people with dental, chewing, swallowing, orother issues just can’t take in a sufficient amount offood. The whole process of eating simply may be sodifficult or tiring for them that they will not consumeenough calories every day. If a person can eat or drinkonly small amounts, there are ways to ‘pack’ the calorieand protein content of the food eaten:• Add juice to prepared fruit, cereal, or non-dairymilkshakes.• Add fruit preserves to puréed fruit.• Add baby food fruit to juices, smoothies, and hotcereals. (This is a good use for baby food.)• Rather than serving broth, purée vegetable soupor bean soup and use baby food vegetables as partof the liquid.• Serve gravies or sauces made with puréed beans orblended soft tofu over potatoes.• Add vegan cream cheese or sour cream to mashedpotatoes.• Blend silken tofu into soy or rice milk, and use thisthickened milk when preparing soups, sauces,casseroles, or puddings.THICKENING FOODS AND DRINKSA popular commercial thickener, Thick-It, is madefrom modified cornstarch and maltodextrin. This isconsidered to be vegan. You can visit the Thick-It websiteat for ideas about foodpresentation. The Thick-It company also sells readyto-usepuréed foods; however, most are not vegetarianor vegan.Puréed foods can be thickened with mashed potatoesor commercial thickeners and then piped in a pastrybag to simulate sliced carrots, green beans, or potatopearls. Puréed foods can also be thickened and bakedor steamed in small food molds to create attractiveshapes. If cooking creates a product that is too dry,serve with sauces or gravies to create a thinner texture.Additionally, hydration is an important part of ahealthy intake. If possible, 6 to 8 cups of liquid (approximately1 quart) are needed on a daily basis. Somepatients with swallowing problems may not be ableto do this easily. If thin liquids are an issue, fluids canbe thickened with a commercial thickener or can bepartially frozen to form slush. Even if it is not attractiveto the preparer, a patient may accept thickenedcoffee or tea to enjoy the taste.ABOUT THE MENUSFor this article, we have created five different texturelevels from puréed (level 1) up through modified regularfood (level 5). The menus begin on page 23. Themenus vary in texture, and the best one for each patientshould be selected by a health care professional.VEGETARIAN JOURNAL Issue Two 2009 19