The steak is like mousse, even the elderly with missing teeth can eat it! Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to crush it

Elderly people at home often complain about weak teeth, difficulty chewing food, and even deterioration of swallowing function. In order for the elderly to enjoy food that is colorful, fragrant and delicious, care and attention must be provided. This is the concept of "nursing food" that Japan promoted many years ago. Different from the rare and sweet Japanese "nursing food" in the market, the nutritionist of Mackay Memorial Hospital has launched the authentic Taiwanese-style "soft-core meat steak" including: three-cup chicken, scallion chicken, braised pork, and sweet and sour pork. The meat steak is like mousse and can be swallowed by the elderly with missing teeth. It is nutritious and delicious.

Based on the concept of "nursing food", Mackay Hospital has teamed up with food companies to create "special dishes for the elderly". (Photo courtesy of Mackay Memorial Hospital)

If the elderly eat liquid or paste-like food for a long time, it will affect their appetite and cause nutritional imbalance.

Cai Yixian, section chief of the Nutritional Medicine Center at Mackay Memorial Hospital, said that the protein intake of the elderly population in China is generally insufficient and the rate of sarcopenia is relatively high. Clinically, the diets designed for people with poor teeth are mainly liquid or paste-like foods. However, these foods are prone to poor color and appearance after processing, which affects appetite and makes it more difficult to achieve the goal of balanced nutritional intake.

In addition, patients with stroke, choking, oral cancer and tongue cancer also face the same problem. Compared with fish, egg and bean products, meat has a softer texture and is easier to swallow, but protein-rich meat has a hard texture, making it difficult to chew and swallow. Even the elderly have to spit it out after putting it in their mouths.

Based on the concept of "care food", Mackay Hospital joins hands with food companies to create "special dishes for the elderly"

Therefore, Cai Yixian got the idea from the Japanese concept of "care food" and previously cooperated with food companies to develop "prepared meal packs", which were well received. They decided to start with the most difficult to process chicken and pork, and proposed the idea of ​​developing "soft-heart steaks". They once again received support from the chairman of the food industry, Lin Huimei, and did their best to contribute to long-term care services in the country. Therefore, we invested in mold design, thinking completely about the scale and every detail of creating "exclusive dishes for the elderly", and then completed the special containers with easy-to-tear sealing films, heat-resistant and convenient to pour, so that the elderly can eat nutritious and delicious dishes.

"Soft-heart steak" is available in four "Taiwanese flavors", including three-cup chicken, scallion chicken, braised pork, and sweet and sour pork. The soft-heart steak makes the harder texture of chicken or pork into a very difficult "tongue-crushing" level. (Photo courtesy of Mackay Memorial Hospital)

A 70-gram serving of tenderloin steak contains up to 7 grams of protein, which is the recommended protein intake for the elderly and those in need. (Photo courtesy of Mackay Memorial Hospital)

There are 4 kinds of Taiwanese flavors of "soft-hearted pork steak", the steak is like mousse

"Soft-hearted Pork Steak" is available in 4 "Taiwanese flavors", including Three Cup Chicken, Scallion Oil Chicken, Braised Pork, and Sweet and Sour Pork. The soft-hearted pork steak uses harder chicken or pork to a very difficult "tongue-crushing" level. It tastes softer than pudding, and it's like holding "meat mousse". You don't need to chew hard, just push your tongue against the upper palate to crush and swallow it. We hope that the elderly and those with special needs can regain the familiar taste in their memories, thereby stimulating their appetite and improving their nutritional intake.

A 70-gram serving of tenderloin steak contains up to 7 grams of protein, which is the recommended protein intake for the elderly and those in need. For patients who have had their nasogastric tube removed or are on a full liquid diet, this can be part of "dietary rehabilitation" under the premise of evaluation, training and joint care by doctors, nutritionists and speech therapists to help patients eat on their own and reduce the need to put patients on a liquid diet earlier due to poor swallowing or complexity of care.

The "Soft-Hearted Steak" series has won 5 major awards

This series of soft-heart steak products won five major awards including the "Jury Award", "Silver Award", "Silver Diet Award", "Packaging Design Award" and "Innovation Potential Award" in the "2019 Silver-Friendly Food Selection" hosted by the Council of Agriculture. From December onwards, enquiries can be made through the Mackay Memorial Hospital Nutritional Medicine Centre (02-2543-3535 ext. 2450). To express care for the elderly, Mackay and Lianxia Foods will each donate $1 for every box of soft-heart steaks sold to the Silver Elderly Charity Fund to continue investing in care services for the elderly.