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Eating and ALS
Part of Your ALS Guide
Open source (opens in a new tab)Link checked August 2026
About this source
Your ALS Guide’s practical guide.
Where this source is used
Used in 21 places across 2 domains.
Questions
Lifestyle
Swallowing Support
- How can I keep mealtimes enjoyable and reduce stress?
Used across the whole answer
- How can swallowing change in ALS/MND?
Used across the whole answer
- What are the signs that food or drink is going the wrong way, and what should I do?
Used across the whole answer
- What are the signs that food or drink is going the wrong way, and what should I do?
Supports this
“A chest infection matters more when swallowing or breathing are already affected by ALS/MND, so it is worth getting checked promptly.”
Names aspiration as a safety concern alongside choking and says that flu-like symptoms after aspirating are a reason to get checked for pneumonia, because pneumonia can become serious for people living with ALS.
If you've been aspirating and develop flu-like symptoms, possibly with a cough, you may want to get a chest X-ray to check for pneumonia, which can become serious for people living with ALS.
ALS Food Safety and Modification - What can help me eat and drink more safely and comfortably?
Used across the whole answer
- What can help me eat and drink more safely and comfortably?
Supports this
“Thin drinks such as water are harder for some people to control than thicker ones.”
Treats thin liquids as a specific problem in ALS. It says that if you find yourself choking on thin liquids like water, a chin tuck and one sip at a time may solve it, and that thicker liquids or added thickeners are the next thing to try.
If you find yourself choking on thin liquids like water, tucking your chin while taking one sip at a time may solve the problem.
ALS Food Safety and Modification - What should I ask my team about swallowing?
Used across the whole answer
Nutrition & Weight
- What about food textures and easier-to-manage meals?
Supports this
“Some people manage thicker drinks more easily than thin ones.”
Suggests thicker drinks such as smoothies and nectars, and thickeners added to thin drinks, for people who choke on thin liquids like water. It offers this as something to try at home rather than something a speech pathologist has to set, so the answer is the more cautious of the two.
If you are still choking, you can try thicker liquids like smoothies and nectars.
ALS Food Safety and Modification
Resources
Lifestyle
- Feeding Tube
Further reading
Practical guidance on eating with ALS, including how swallowing changes connect to the feeding tube decision and whether you can still eat for pleasure.
- Nutrition & Weight
Further reading
Down-to-earth tips on making meals easier to eat and getting enough calories when eating becomes harder.
- Swallowing Support
Further reading
A practical guide to how swallowing changes with ALS and hands-on ways to make eating and drinking safer and more comfortable.
Feeding Tube
- Can I still eat and drink with a feeding tube?
Further reading
How swallowing changes are managed and what can make eating safer and easier
Swallowing Support
- How can I keep mealtimes enjoyable and reduce stress?
Further reading
Keeping eating and drinking positive as things change
- How can swallowing change in ALS/MND?
Further reading
Plain-language guide to swallowing changes and eating in ALS/MND
- What are the signs that food or drink is going the wrong way, and what should I do?
Further reading
Recognising and responding to swallowing difficulty in ALS/MND
- What can help me eat and drink more safely and comfortably?
Further reading
Practical guidance on safer, easier eating and drinking in ALS/MND
- What is a swallowing assessment, and what does it involve?
Further reading
What a swallowing assessment involves and how it helps
- What should I ask my team about swallowing?
Further reading
Background on swallowing support to help frame your questions
- When should I see a speech pathologist about swallowing?
Further reading
When swallowing changes are worth a professional assessment
Nutrition & Weight
- What about food textures and easier-to-manage meals?
Further reading
Eating and swallowing changes in ALS/MND
Medical Care
- Saliva Management
Further reading
A practical guide to eating and swallowing in ALS that helps you understand how swallowing changes connect to drooling and managing saliva at mealtimes.
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