About Thickeners and Thickened Beverages

Mealtime is a delight for most people, including our elderly loved ones. When caring for someone at home who may have complications like dysphagia, meal planning can be challenging, and ensuring they get the nutrients they need to stay healthy is a priority. Dysphagia is a medical condition in which a patient experiences difficulty swallowing food or beverages. Food thickeners and thickened beverages are an excellent solution to manage dysphagia. As a caregiver, it's important to remember that enjoying a delicious meal requires good taste, texture, and good presentation. Although your patient or loved one may no longer be able to enjoy foods of different textures, you can still offer them a nice variety of flavorful meals. Foods like tomato sauce or soup can easily be thickened to serve an enjoyable dinner. When you need thickened foods or beverages on the go, try our Hormel Thick & Easy products that come in several flavors like thickened apple juice, peach mango, iced tea, cranberry, prune, or orange juice, and more. These foods come in a ready-to-eat, disposable container making them easy to enjoy. When the cravings kick in, you can offer some interesting options outside of mealtimes like thickened decaffeinated coffee, thickened dairy beverages, or decaffeinated tea.

Thickener consistency can vary in textures such as thin, nectar-like, honey-like, or spoon-thick. Depending on the severity of swallowing difficulty, your doctor will recommend a certain consistency that works best. Mealtime can be overwhelming and stressful for many seniors, especially those with swallowing difficulty. Our ready-to-use thickened foods and beverages add a pop of flavor and bring the joy back to mealtime.