Comparing Food Intake among Various Diets after Tonsillectomy

We compared caloric intake between liquid diet and Terumeal soft® (TERUMO) for two days after tonsillectomy. Terumeal soft is a paste type nutritious diet. Average caloric intake of iced Terumeal soft per day in one patient (704kcal) was significantly higher than the average caloric intake of liquid diet (493kcal). During this study, using a questionnaire survey, we compared the degree of pain and easiness of deglutition between patients eating liquid diet and patients eating Terumeal soft. We also compared the evaluations of taste and appearance between liquid diet and Terumeal soft. There was no significant difference in the degree of pain and easiness of deglutition between liquid diet and Terumeal soft. The evaluations of taste and appearance of Terumeal soft were significantly better than those of liquid diet. We concluded that the reason caloric intake of Terumeal soft was higher than that of liquid diet was that the taste and appearance were better, not that Terumeal soft decreased pain during eating or Terumeal soft was easier to deglute. The important thing that we should do to promote food intake by patients after tonsillectomy is to improve the taste and appearance of the food, rather than increasing the easiness of deglutition or decreasing the pain during eating. From this perspective, Terumeal soft is better than liquid diet for two days after tonsillectomy.