A Nutrition Guide: What to Feed Someone Who Can't Eat?

October 22, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a study published on the National Library of Medicine, 15–30% of community-dwelling elderly experience appetite loss. For caregivers, understanding what to feed someone who can't eat is crucial for preventing malnutrition and ensuring adequate hydration and energy intake.

Quick Summary

This guide provides detailed strategies for nourishing individuals unable to eat solid foods due to illness or other conditions. It covers methods like texture-modified diets, nutrient-dense liquid foods, and medical enteral feeding, highlighting key considerations for caregivers.

Key Points

Consult a Professional: Always seek advice from a doctor or dietitian to determine the safest and most effective nutrition plan for an individual's specific condition.
Modify Food Textures: For those with mild swallowing issues, modifying foods to a soft, minced, or pureed consistency can prevent choking and make eating easier.
Fortify Meals: Increase nutrient and calorie intake in smaller food portions by adding protein powders, nut butters, or extra fats like butter and cream to meals and drinks.
Utilize Liquid Nutrition: Nutrient-dense liquids like fortified milkshakes, smoothies, and nutritional supplements are excellent ways to provide energy and hydration when solid food is difficult.
Consider Medical Feeding Options: For long-term or severe conditions, enteral feeding via NG, PEG, or J-tubes ensures adequate nutrition directly into the digestive tract.
Practice Safe Feeding Techniques: Ensure the person sits upright while eating and during recovery, and supervise mealtimes to watch for signs of swallowing problems.
Focus on Hydration: Encourage regular sips of water or electrolyte-rich drinks throughout the day, as dehydration is a significant risk.

Understanding the Challenge of Inadequate Oral Intake

There are many reasons why an individual may not be able to consume adequate nutrients orally, ranging from acute illnesses to chronic conditions. These can include neurological disorders like a stroke or Parkinson's disease, head and neck cancers, severe illness, or simply a loss of appetite due to aging or disease progression. For a caregiver, the primary goal is to ensure the person receives sufficient calories, protein, and hydration while minimizing the risk of complications, such as choking or aspiration. The approach to nutrition must be carefully tailored to the specific reason for their inability to eat normally.

Modified Diets for Swallowing Difficulties

For those who can still swallow but have difficulty with certain textures, modifying food is the first step. Texture-modified diets are often recommended by a healthcare team and can be categorized into different levels, from soft to pureed, to reduce the risk of choking.

Pureed Diet: Foods are completely smooth and lump-free, similar to a commercial pudding or baby food consistency. This is suitable for severe dysphagia.
- Examples: Blended soups, pureed meats moistened with gravy, mashed potatoes with added cream, smooth yogurts, and puddings.
Minced and Moist Diet: The food is minced into very small, soft pieces (around 0.5cm) and is moist, easily forming a ball. This requires some chewing but is significantly easier than solid food.
- Examples: Finely minced chicken in a creamy sauce, cottage cheese, soft pasta with a smooth sauce.
Soft Diet: This is the least restrictive modified diet. Foods can be chewed but are naturally soft or cooked until tender and easily broken down with a fork.
- Examples: Ripe banana, soft-cooked vegetables, moist fish, scrambled eggs.

Fortifying and Enhancing Liquid and Soft Foods

To ensure enough nutrients and calories are consumed in smaller volumes, food fortification is a key strategy. This is especially important for those with poor appetite.

Add extra protein: Mix skimmed milk powder into drinks, porridges, and soups. Add nut butters or yogurt to smoothies.
Boost calories with fats: Add butter, margarine, cream, sour cream, or mayonnaise to foods like mashed potatoes, soups, and vegetables.
Use full-fat dairy: Substitute whole milk for skimmed milk in recipes and opt for full-fat cheeses and yogurts.
Prepare nourishing drinks: Milkshakes, smoothies, and hot chocolate made with fortified milk provide an easy way to increase intake. Commercial nutritional supplements like Ensure or Boost can also be used.

Medical and Enteral Feeding Options

For individuals who cannot safely consume anything by mouth, medical intervention may be necessary. This involves providing nutrition directly to the gastrointestinal tract via a feeding tube, known as enteral nutrition.

Nasogastric (NG) Tube: A flexible tube inserted through the nose into the stomach, used for short-term feeding, typically less than four to six weeks.
Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) Tube: A longer-term feeding tube inserted directly into the stomach through a small incision in the abdomen. It is suitable for those requiring nutrition for longer than 30 days.
Jejunostomy (J) Tube: A tube inserted into the small intestine (jejunum), often used when stomach feeding is not possible.

Making the Best Choice: A Comparison

Choosing the right nutritional support depends on the individual's condition, needs, and prognosis. It is essential to work with a healthcare team, including a dietitian, to make an informed decision.


Feature	Modified Oral Diet (Pureed/Soft)	Enteral Tube Feeding (NG/PEG)
Mechanism	Chewing and swallowing are possible but limited by muscle function or pain.	Bypasses the mouth, delivering liquid nutrients directly into the stomach or small intestine.
Best for	Short-term issues, recovering from surgery, or managing mild-to-moderate dysphagia.	Long-term needs, severe swallowing issues, or conditions preventing oral intake altogether.
Flexibility	Allows for a greater variety of flavors and textures, with some restrictions.	Requires specialized liquid formulas, but offers precise control over nutritional intake.
Risks	Potential for choking or aspiration if textures are inappropriate.	Risks include tube displacement, infection, and potential gastrointestinal issues.
Management	Requires careful meal preparation and supervision during meals.	Requires training for tube care, flushing, and formula administration.

Practical Tips for Caregivers

Supporting someone who can't eat is challenging, but a few simple practices can make a significant difference.

Create a Routine: Eating or being fed at the same times each day can provide a sense of normalcy and encourage a regular intake pattern.
Maintain an Upright Position: Always ensure the person is sitting upright at a 90-degree angle during and for at least 30 minutes after feeding to prevent aspiration.
Minimize Distractions: Create a calm environment free from distractions like television to help the person focus on eating.
Small, Frequent Meals: Offer small portions more often throughout the day, as large meals can be overwhelming for someone with a low appetite.
Monitor Intake and Weight: Keep a record of what is consumed and monitor the person's weight weekly to track nutritional status.
Ensure Oral Hygiene: Since the person may not be producing as much saliva, regular oral care is essential to prevent dryness and infection.
Check for Swallowing Difficulties: Be alert for signs of dysphagia, such as coughing, choking, or a wet-sounding voice after swallowing. Consult a healthcare professional if these signs appear.

Conclusion

Addressing the nutritional needs of someone who can't eat requires a compassionate and well-informed approach. For those with swallowing difficulties, adapting food textures and fortifying meals can make a world of difference. For more severe or long-term needs, medical interventions like tube feeding provide a safe and reliable method for nourishment. By working closely with healthcare professionals and implementing practical caregiving strategies, you can ensure your loved one receives the nutrition necessary for their health and well-being. It is important to remember that communication and support are just as vital as the food itself in this process. The American College of Gastroenterology provides further resources and guidance on the topic.

American College of Gastroenterology

Frequently Asked Questions

The best liquid diet depends on the individual's needs. Options include clear liquids like broth, full liquid diets with milk and creamy soups, and specialized nutrient-dense shakes or smoothies. A dietitian can recommend the best formula.

To increase calories and protein, you can fortify foods by adding skimmed milk powder, butter, cream, cheese, or nut butters to pureed foods, soups, and milkshakes.

An NG (Nasogastric) tube is a short-term feeding solution inserted through the nose into the stomach. A PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) tube is a long-term solution inserted directly into the stomach through the abdomen.

Signs of swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) can include coughing or choking during meals, a wet-sounding voice after swallowing, or food being left in the mouth. A speech and language therapist can provide an assessment.

Depending on the medical condition, some individuals with a feeding tube may still be able to consume small amounts orally. This should always be discussed with the healthcare team to determine what is safe.

Avoid foods that are dry, hard, sticky, or crumbly, such as toast, nuts, crackers, and bread crusts. Also, be cautious with foods that have mixed consistencies, like soups with lumps.

Try to create a relaxed, distraction-free environment for meals. Offer smaller, more frequent meals, and focus on favorite foods. Do not pressure the person to eat, as this can cause distress. Offer choices and let them guide the pace.