Abstract
The Okayama Society of Dietitians has been requested by various welfare, healthcare, and medical facilities in Okayama Prefecture to develop a tool for promoting a common understanding of the textures of side dishes.
Therefore, with the objective of unifying the names of textures of side dishes, we conducted a questionnaire survey on food texture at these facilities with the cooperation of the Okayama Society of Dietitians, the Welfare Dietitians Committee of the Okayama Society of Dietitians, the Dietitians Section of the Academic Committee of the Okayama Association of Geriatric Healthcare Facilities, and the Okayama Clinical Dietitians Committee, and proposed a draft criteria for promoting a common understanding of textures of side dishes.
The total number of names of textures of side dishes was 171 at welfare facilities (n=112), 102 at healthcare facilities (n=65), and 327 at medical facilities (n=153). However, these items could be classified and organized according to the following criteria proposed for unification of names of side dishes: 1. regular food, 2. bite-size food, 3. minced food, 4. soft food, 5. soft solid food, 6. blended food, and 7. food for swallowing training.
By standardizing the recognition of textures, the criteria proposed herein for textures of side dishes are expected to be useful for promoting a common understanding not just among registered dietitians, but also among various professions.
Provision of nutritionally balanced, safe, and enjoyable meals is a fundamental role of registered dietitians. In the future, we plan to conduct further investigations in order to provide meals that are delicious, visually appealing, and contribute to maintenance of masticatory and swallowing functions.
