In 1980, my Dietitian fiancée (now wife), Elizabeth, expressed concern that, although her patients received the proper special diet foods in her hospital, they had no source when they went home. As a food scientist, I knew that there were ingredients and technologies available to create many special diet foods. To accomplish this I founded Med-Diet Laboratories, Inc. and began developing foods for gluten free, kidney disease, and metabolic diets to be sold via mail order. (There was no internet back then)

 

In 1995, when the American Dietetic Association's National Dysphagia Task Force asked me to help develop a system that would objectively measure the food textures and viscosities used to treat dysphagia, I felt that this was the opportunity of a lifetime. This could improve the lives of millions of people which was the whole purpose of Med-Diet! Out of this ground breaking work the National Dysphagia Diet: A Standard for Optimal Care was published in 2002, which has been adopted by many healthcare facilities across the U.S.

 

 

I know that dysphagia can seem overwhelming. My goal is to help you to feel comfortable with the new food textures and consistencies which are part of the dysphagia diet. So I created the Dysphagia-Diet Division to give you the most choices for meal planning, including beverage thickeners, convenient pre-thickened drinks, heat & eat purees and adaptive eating aids.

 

 

You don't have to leave your home to buy these foods and thickeners, which frees up your time for more important things. Call 1-855-DYSPHAGIA (855-397-7424) to talk to a caring, knowledgeable person who will take the time to make sure you feel comfortable with your food and drink choices. Or visit www.Dysphagia-Diet.com to view all the products, helpful videos and books.

 

 

Don Tymchuck is an author of the National Dysphagia Diet: A Standard for Optimal Care and recipient of the 2012 Golden Apple Award presented by the Minnesota Dietetic Association for outstanding service to the dietetic and nutrition community.