IDDSI swallowing advice
Level 6 / Soft & bite-sized
Why do I need soft and bite-sized food?
This texture is recommended because you may have difficulty biting into food and are at risk of choking. The foods listed are a guide.
Extra care should be taken to ensure these foods are prepared to resemble a texture which is soft, tender and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Breakfast ideas
- Cereal (softened if soaked in milk and drained) e.g. cornflakes, branflakes, cheerios. Avoid nuts, dried fruits, seeds etc
- Porridge/ready brek/weetabix
- Thick Scotch pancakes with syrup
- Soft fruit and yoghurt, e.g banana, stewed fruit
- Eggs: scrambled, poached, boiled or egg mayonnaise
- Level 6 full English: skinless sausages or hot dog sausages, hash browns, poached or scrambled eggs, baked beans, skinless tomatoes (cut into 1.5cm pieces)
Main meal ideas
- Casseroles
- Risotto
- Curries, e.g. chickpea/veg/meat/fish curry
- Pies: remove pastry and top with mashed potato
- Cottage pie, fish pie
- Flaked fish or fish cake in a sauce
- Plain crustless quiche
- Plain or cheese omelette
- Soft pasta / rice and sauce
- Soft chips (avoid hard/sharp pieces)
- Potatoes: remove skin, boiled, creamed, mashed
- Steamed/boiled vegetables, e.g. carrots, swede, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, mushy peas
- Avoid mushrooms, green beans, stir fry veg
Dessert and snack ideas
- Rice pudding
- Cake and custard
- Soft tinned or fresh fruit (see above)
- Swiss roll
- Fruit crumble with custard
- Dunked biscuits in a hot drink
- Sticky toffee pudding
- Jam roly poly pudding
- Inside of custard tart
- Fruit smoothies
- Nutrigrain bars
- Humous