Thick-It: What Is Thickened Water and Who Needs It

Have you heard about thickened water? For those wondering what thick water is used for, it is mainly to enable people to take in liquids better. Thickened water and liquids are great for those who suffer from dysphagia or swallowing difficulties. Read on to learn more about the purpose of thickened water!

What Is Thickened Water?

Thickened liquids give you more control of the liquids in the mouth. They slow the rate of flow of liquids, lessening the chance of liquid getting into your airway. The liquids that go into the airway will end up in the lungs. We want to prevent a lung infection or pneumonia as a result of having liquid in the lungs.

Liquids That Need Thickening

Some liquids are thicker while others will need a thickener to achieve a consistency that is easy for you to swallow. Both cold and hot drinks can be thickened.

You will have to thicken:

Water
Milk
Soft drinks
Fruit juice
Tea
Coffee

Different Levels Of Thickening

Your health care team may suggest a recommended thickness for changing the consistency of thin liquids. There are different levels of thickening and here is the range of thicknesses:

Thin liquids, such as coffee, tea, or water run quickly through the fork’s prongs and leave little to no coating.
Nectar thick liquids, like tomato juice or maple syrup, will coat the fork and sink through the prongs.
Honey thick liquids, will coat a fork and then slowly sink through the prongs.
Pudding thick liquids that are the thickness of pudding, stay on the fork and hold together well.

Making Your Own Thickener

You might now be wondering, what are the thick water ingredients and how do I go about making it? Soup broths and other liquids can be thickened with various household ingredients, such as:

Pureed baby food
Baby cereal
Instant potato flakes
Blended fruit
Corn flour

It is complicated to use one of these thickeners, since you need to experiment in order to get the right thickness you want.

Good Thickener Practices

Don’t use ice cubes. The melted ice will affect the thickness of the liquid.
Be careful when using certain powdered thickeners. Some products will get thicker with time. Read the label and instructions well.
Broth-based soups are considered thin liquids. Broth can be thickened using items such as instant potato flakes, mashed potatoes, flour, pureed vegetables, or cream.
If you are using powdered thickeners, do add more thickener if you find that the liquid is too thin. If the liquid is too thick, continue to add more liquid until it reaches the thickness level.
Make sure to have thickening supplies with you if you go out to eat. You can purchase thickening agents in single-serving packets.

Thickened liquids are for those who require better control of liquids when it comes to swallowing. Thickened water can slow down the flow so it can go down smoothly. The most important benefit of thickened water is its safety.

Choose CWI Medical For Thickened Products

CWI Medical offers thickened products such as Thickened Beverages, Thickeners, and Pureed Foods that meet the nutrition needs of those with swallowing difficulties, dysphagia, or food consistency issues. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us today!