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Level 7 Easy to chew food

What is easy to chew?

“Easy to chew” is a part of Level 7 (normal food) and refers to foods that are soft, with no need to worry about the size of the pieces. This level is for people who can control how big their bites are and how fast they eat.

The food should be soft and tender.
It can be cut or separated easily with a fork or spoon.
There’s no need to cut food into specific sizes.

Difficult foods

Some foods are very difficult to chew or swallow. These foods need to be avoided. Speak to your Speech and Language Therapist about these.

Mixed consistencies Solid foods with thin liquid. E.g. Soup with food pieces, hard cereal with milk

Hard foods E.g. Nuts, boiled sweets

Fibrous or stringy foods E.g. beans, pineapple, rhubarb

Juicy food Where juice separates off in the mouth E.g. watermelon, oranges

Chewy foods E.g. chewy sweets, chewing gum, dried fruit

Crispy foods E.g. crisps, flaky pastry, crispy bacon

Crunchy foods E.g. raw carrot, raw apple, popcorn

Crumbly foods E.g. biscuits, pie crust, dry cake

Pips, seeds and pith E.g. apple seeds, orange pith

Skins and outer shells E.g. peas, grapes, beans with tough shells

Skin, bone and gristle E.g. chicken skin, fish bones

Round or long shaped foods E.g. sausages, grapes, sweets

Sticky food E.g. marshmallows, some cheese, peanut butter

Floppy food E.g. lettuce, cucumber, salad leaves

Level 7 Easy to chew

Foods should be soft and tender
Foods can be cut or separated easily with the side of a fork or spoon
Foods do not need to be cut or presented in any specific sized pieces

Please note: The following list provides examples of foods that are suitable for a Level 7 easy-to-chew diet. It is not a meal plan. If you need more ideas or options, please talk to your Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) or dietitian.

Breakfast

Porridge
Weetabix
Cereals softened with milk
Scrambled eggs/omelette
Yoghurt
Pancakes
Boneless mackerel/kippers
Avocado
Lightly toasted toast (softened with butter/may need crusts removed)

Mains

Fish pie, fish in sauce, fish cakes
Casseroles or stew
Shepherd’s pie / Cottage pie
Corned beef hash
Pasta-well cooked (e.g. Gnocchi, Ravioli, Lasagne, Bolognese, Macaroni cheese)
Moussaka
Curries / dahl
Risotto
Omelette
Meatballs
Burger
Sausages (skins removed)
Noodles
Omelette
Jacket potato (insides only) with soft filling
Sandwiches with soft filling (e.g. tuna/egg mayo)

Vegetables

Softly boiled vegetables without skins (e.g. carrots, turnips, parsnips, sweet potato, cauliflower, courgettes, beetroot etc)
Mushy peas
Soft potatoes (mashed, boiled, roasted or chipped-if not too crispy and hard, add gravy or sauce if needed)

Sauces (to improve texture and flavour)