Hospital Liquid Diet Evaluation, Two-Day Menu

The acceptance and consumption of a new two-day hospital liquid diet were evaluated and compared to the liquid diets currently served at eight military hospitals. On alternating days, patients whose jaws were wired because of a dental procedure or jaw injury were served the new liquid diet or the hospitals current liquid diet for a total of four days. Nine-point scales were used by patients to rate the appearance, flavor, texture, consistency, ease of sipping, portion size, and overall acceptability of each liquid item they were served. The volume of each item was measured before each meal, and leftovers were measured after each meal to determine patients consumption of the liquids. A questionnaire was filled out by dietitians to obtain their opinions about the two diets. Dietitians indicated a clear preference for the new liquid products in comparison to the current products because they are standardized and can be prepared more quickly, more easily, and in more sanitary manner. In general, both the new and current liquids were acceptable to patients. The new products had an advantage over the current products with regard to certain characterisitics such as texture, consistency, and ease of sipping, particularly for foods that are ordinarily difficult to liquefy, such as meats. However, the overall acceptability of the breakfast foods and milkshakes was rated higher for the current diet than the new diet. Keywords Food consumption Senses Physiology Nutrition Nutrients Oral intake.