NPR

Gels, Foams and Purees: Cookbooks Serve Up Recipes For Those Who Struggle To Swallow

Swallowing disorders are becoming increasingly common. Some chefs are now whipping up nutritious recipes that are not only easy on the throat, but help restore the joy of eating.
Swallowing disorders are becoming more common. Some chefs are now whipping up nutritious recipes that are not only easy on the throat, but help restore the joy of eating. Left: Pureed satay chicken with edamame, shaped into the form of a drumstick. Right: Pureed fruit and yogurt set with agar agar — Australian chef Peter Morgan-Jones calls it an ideal finger food for those with dysphagia.

In 2007 Diane Wolff, an Asian scholar about to move from California to New York City, got a call from her mother: Dementia had made it hard to take care of herself. Couldn't Diane move to Florida instead of New York? "My mother was beautiful and headstrong, and even in her old age I thought of her like Scarlett O'Hara," says Wolff. "She needed me, and I packed up and moved to Florida."

In 2010, however, her mother's dementia led to a swallowing disorder called dysphagia. When Wolff tried to source soft foods, or recipes for those with dysphagia, she came up virtually empty handed. "Commercially

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