VARIATION IN THE ENERGY AND MACRONUTRIENT CONTENTS OF TEXTURE MODIFIED HOSPITAL DIETS

objective: to compare the nutritional content of the main meals of a normal hospital diet with those of texture modified diets (soft, puréed and liquid). methodoloogy: the ash, moisture, macronutrient and energy contents of the foods comprising the main meal of the hospital diets were determined. the values were calculated per capita for each food item comprising the diets and then added up in order to estimate the total amount of energy and macronutrients supplied by main meal. results: compared with the normal diet, the puréed and liquid diets presented higher moisture content as well as reduced content of energy (31.4% and 39.9%, respectively), protein (45.4% and 79.8% ,respectively) and lipid (41% and 76%, respectively). conclusion: texture modified diets exhibit lower energy and macronutrient content, the main changes being detected for the liquid diet, which might imply an insufficient micronutrient supply.