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Q: Do you have any suggestions for dealing with chewing difficulties?
A person can have difficulty chewing for a variety of reasons. The problem could come as a side effect of cancer treatment, for instance, or be associated with a physical condition like stroke or muscular dystrophy. It can also come about as a result of a condition called xerostomia, which is a shortage of saliva. Dry mouth is one of the more common conditions of aging. Here are some tips to bear in mind if you or a loved one has trouble chewing.
Use ground meat rather than chunks or slices in certain recipes. You could take that a step further by using a food processor to puree the meat. It's best to cook the meat first. The longer you cook vegetables, the softer they will become. If you puree the vegetables in the water in which you cook them they will be easier to eat. The riper a piece of fruit is, the softer it will be. Bake or stew fresh fruit to make it easier to chew. Dry food will be easier to eat if you soak it first in, depending on the food, obviously, in milk, gravy, broth or yogurt.
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