If you spend much time on Youtube or social media, you’ve probably heard of the thick water challenge, but what is thick water?
For the more than 13 million Americans who experience difficulty swallowing, thick water provides a safe and effective way to stay hydrated. By increasing the viscosity of thin liquids like tap water, juice, or soda it’s possible to slow down their flow rate, lowering the risk of coughing, choking, and aspiration pneumonia.
As you age, the 50 pairs of muscles and nerves responsible for helping you swallow experience wear-and-tear. Over time, these changes can cause the muscles to atrophy, making it difficult to keep food or liquids down. Thickening agents help make consumption easy and hassle-free.
In this blog, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of thick water, including what it is, who can benefit, and where to buy it.
Drinking thickened liquids can help prevent choking and stop fluid from entering the lungs. Thickened liquids move slower than thin liquids giving your body more time to protect the airway. Some liquids are naturally thick. Other liquids can be made thick with powders or gels.
Can You Make Thick Water at Home?
If you aren’t interested in purchasing pre-thickened water, it’s possible to make your own at home. We offer several all-natural thickening agents in our online store, including:
Thick-It® Food & Drink Thickener, Unflavored
Thick-It brand thickening agents have been on the market for more than 30 years. This particular product is corn-starch based and easy to mix into almost any beverage, including water. You can add more or less to change the consistency of your loved one’s favorite drinks.
Key Benefits & Features:
- Dissolves instantly
- Helps reduce the risk of choking and aspiration
- Gluten-free
- Kosher Parve
- Easy to digest
Price : $12.30 – $107.04
SimplyThick® Easy Mix™ Food and Beverage
SimplyThick Easy Mix is a gum-based thickener that comes in a 1.6-liter bottle attached to a pump. It’s unflavored and can be mixed to any consistency, including nectar, honey, or pudding-like.
Key Benefits & Features:
- Allows for maximum flexibility when thickening food or drinks
- Pump releases six grams of thickening agent per stroke
- Only five calories per serving
Price : $73.09
What is Thick Water?
Thick water is a beverage specifically designed for people with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). You can purchase pre-thickened water or you can thicken drinking water at home with over-the-counter thickening agents.
Increasing the viscosity of thin liquids, like water, makes them easier to swallow. For seniors with a sensitive gag reflex or neurological conditions that make eating and drinking difficult, thick water allows for proper hydration. In addition, it prevents liquid from entering the trachea, allowing for proper digestion and more enjoyable mealtimes.
Gaylord’s Dysphagia Education Series: Thickened Liquids
FAQ
What are the side effects of thick water?
What are the benefits of thickened water?
What are the risks of thickened fluids?
Is thick water more hydrating?
Is thick water good for You?
Thick water can have several potential benefits, including reducing the risk of aspiration and improving hydration. Thick water is a beverage designed explicitly for people with difficulty swallowing – a term called dysphagia. Thickened liquids move slower than thin liquids, giving your body more time to protect the airway.
What are the benefits of drinking water?
Water is fundamental to the body. It helps to regularize almost every function of our organism. It interferes with the digestion, absorption and transport of nutrients, filters toxins, facilitates the body’s excretion process, helps with weight loss, fights acne, cellulite and stretch marks. Already its lack can cause dehydration, fatigue, tiredness, irregular bowel, cramps, irregular blood pressure, dry skin and kidney problems.
Why do people use thickened water?
The primary use of thickened water is to allow people with swallowing difficulties to still get the water that they need. Swallowing issues can be caused by a number of different factors, including: The term for people who have trouble swallowing is dysphagia.
Does thickened water make you full faster?
Because thickened water contains additives, many people become full quicker than they normally would. To make the transition from thin to thick fluids as easy as possible, start with small glasses. “Try mixing in flavor additives like lemon juice or stevia.