Why Add Medically Tailored Dissolvable Solids to Inpatient Food Service Menus?

For many healthcare facilities, the shift from the traditional dysphagia diet framework to onboarding the IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative) standards has created new opportunities for improving the safety and enjoyment of meals for patients with swallowing disorders, but can require a lot of time and interdisciplinary communication. The IDDSI framework, which categorizes foods into levels (0-7) based on texture and consistency, has made it easier to test and align food to the needs of patients on puree diets or with more advanced texture requirements.

Often, with the IDDSI testing of existing foods, the food and nutrition team become very aware of the limited choices in IDDSI snacks available.  Highly dissolvable transitional solids, like Crispy Melts, can help fill that gap on IDDSI Levels 4, 5, 6 and easy to chew 7.  These foods fit in the transitional food category on the IDDSI pyramid and add tremendous value to menu planning for your dysphagia patients. If tailored for dysphagia, these foods are designed to dissolve quickly in the mouth, making them a safe choice for individuals recovering from conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or head and neck cancer—all of which can result in dysphagia or difficulty eating.

By incorporating dysphagia therapeutic snacks into your food service menus, you can bridge the gap between the traditional dysphagia diet and the newer IDDSI standards, offering a wider range of dysphagia appropriate, nutritious options for patients who are at risk of aspiration pneumonia or malnutrition.

High dissolving transitional foods like Crispy Melts are made specifically for dysphagia as well as people recovering from oral surgery or gastroesophageal surgery, requiring a texture modified diet. Because it is clean dissolving with less oral residue than puree, and no sugar added, it can not only improve your IDDSI menu selection, but supports reduction of risks associated with residue and microbes entering the lungs.

6 Reasons to Add High Dissolving Transitional Solids to Menu Planning in both transitional care and long-term nutrition management for patients 

1. Improve Nutritional Intake for Dysphagia Patients

• Enhanced Nutritional Absorption: Patients on puree diets or soft diets often struggle to consume enough calories or nutrients. Including finger foods on their meals may improve overall nutritional intake and hydration.

• Customizable for Different Needs: Dissolvable snacks like Crispy Melts can be adapted for patients on IDDSI Levels 4 (pureed), 5 (minced and moist), 6 (soft and bite-sized), and even 7 (regular easy-to-chew). By offering such flexibility, hospitals can ensure that every patient—regardless of their dysphagia severity—receives safe, enjoyable food.

2. Increase Patient Satisfaction and Experience

• More Inclusive Dining Options: Many patients recovering from stroke, TBI, or head and neck cancer feel restricted by their diets. By adding savory transitional foods to the regular food service menu, facilities can offer patients a more inclusive, enjoyable dining experience.

• Familiar and Palatable: One of the biggest challenges for patients on texture-modified diets is that the food often doesn’t resemble what they’re used to. 

  Crispy Melts focus on flavors that provide a familiar, palatable option that patients are more likely to enjoy, contributing to higher patient satisfaction scores and potentially boosting HCAHPS scores.

3. Improve Workflow and Efficiency for Dietary Staff

• No Preparation: Dissolvable snacks are easy to incorporate into meals, reducing the burden on dietary staff. This streamlining is particularly beneficial in hospital settings where meal preparation must be fast and efficient, allowing staff to focus more on patient care.

• Consistency Across Meals: Offering medically tailored dissolvable snacks as part of the standard menu or added to floor stock, reduces inconsistencies. By integrating these options into meal plans, food service, clinical dietitians and SLPs are aligned, improving overall workflow and communication.

4. Support Positive Clinical Outcomes

• Prevent Malnutrition in High-Risk Inpatients: Patients on puree diets or those with difficulty swallowing are at a higher risk of malnutrition, which can lead to longer lengths of stay and increased complications such as pneumonia. Providing easy-to-consume, nutrient-dense snacks  that function as well to stimulate the mouth, helps prevent malnutrition in these vulnerable populations.

• Aid in Faster Recovery and Shorter Length of Stay: Early nutrition plays a significant role in recovery. Ensuring that patients receive the right medical nutrition from day one can help expedite recovery, potentially shortening hospital stays and reducing healthcare costs. Having a snack that supports recovery of chewing and swallowing function can contribute to faster recovery and shorter length of stay as well.

5. Cost Savings and Value for the Facility

• Reduce Waste from Rejected Meals: Patients who are on texture-modified diets often refuse food due to eating anxiety, dislike or discomfort with the texture, leading to wasted meals. By offering more palatable options like dissolvable solids, facilities can reduce food waste and minimize the need for costly nutritional supplements or tube feeding.

• Maximize Budget Impact Across Departments: Instead of relying solely on the speech therapy budget, incorporating dissolvable snacks into regular meal service allows the dietary department to share the cost, maximizing the value and impact of these products across departments. This also helps reduce unnecessary spending on supplemental interventions.

6. Align with Current Industry Standards (IDDSI)

• Ease of IDDSI Compliance: As more hospitals and healthcare facilities adopt IDDSI standards, offering snacks that are pre-compliant with IDDSI Levels 4, 5, 6  and ETC7 ensures that your dietary team meets dysphagia management guidelines. This reduces the risk of non-compliant food textures, which can lead to serious health complications, including aspiration pneumonia.

Conclusion

Incorporating medically tailored dissolvable solids like Crispy Melts into your hospital or facility’s food service menu offers a wide range of benefits. From improving nutritional intake and enhancing patient satisfaction to streamlining workflow and ensuring IDDSI compliance, these snacks are an invaluable addition to any dietary program for patients with dysphagia or soft food needs.

For Directors of Food and Nutrition Services, adding dissolvable solids to your menu isn’t just about meeting dysphagia care standards—it’s about improving the patient experience, supporting clinical outcomes, and enhancing the overall efficiency of your facility.