Patent ID: 8753124

Claim:
A method for determining and prescribing a quantifiable, reproducible and customized diet for a patient suffering from dysphagia, said method comprising the steps of: providing an electronic flow meter, comprising: an inclined chute having an upper end and a lower end; a first optical sensor located proximate the upper end of the chute; a second optical sensor located proximate the lower end of the chute; a timer receiving electrical signals from the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor indicating when a flowable food passes the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor, and calculating elapsed time there between; and a display indicating elapsed time for flowable food to flow between the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor; administering for consumption to a patient a flowable food having an initial quantifiable flow rate; determining whether the patient medically tolerates consumption of the flowable food having the initial quantifiable flow rate, thereby being able to consume said flowable food having the initial quantifiable flow rate without associated health risks of dysphagia; administering for consumption to the patient, who has medically tolerated the flowable food having the initial quantifiable flow rate, additional flowable food having increasing quantifiable flow rates until the patient is unable to medically tolerate without associated health risks of dysphagia flowable food having a further increase in quantifiable flow rate; measuring flow rate at room temperature using the electronic flow meter of the flowable food having highest quantifiable flow rate tolerated without associated health risks of dysphagia by the patient, which is designated as a first quantifiable end of a customized quantifiable dysphagia diet range; administering for consumption to the patient, who has medically tolerated the flowable food having the initial flow rate, additional flowable foods having decreasing quantifiable flow rates until the patient is unable to medically tolerate without associated health risks of dysphagia a further decrease in flow rate of flowable food; measuring flow rate at room temperature using the electronic flow meter of flowable food having lowest quantifiable flow rate tolerated without associated health risks of dysphagia by the patient, which is designated as a second quantifiable end of the customized quantifiable dysphagia diet range; and prescribing a customized quantifiable dysphagia diet range to the patient consisting of foods having flow rates between the first quantifiable end and the second quantifiable end of the customized quantifiable dysphagia diet range, thereby enabling the patient to reproduce flowable foods having quantifiable flow rates within the prescribed customized quantifiable dysphagia diet range.