Quantity Food Production Lab
with Clinical Focus for Dietetics Majors
Abstract
Quantity Food Production has long been a requirement in
dietetics programs; however, students do not always see its
importance and relevance to clinical dietetics practice.
Over the past several years an opportunity was presented
to introduce a clinical element into the lab portion of the
course – and at the same time demonstrate a clear link to
the Clinical Nutrition classes taken by the students. The
course now includes two “clinical quantity labs” each
semester. One of these focuses on modified texture for
dysphagia and stroke patients. The other focuses on a
special diet selected by student managers from a case
study from one of their Clinical Nutrition classes. Students
work with Certified Dietary Manager or Registered Dietitian
guest instructor with experience in food production for the
condition, to plan the menu and organize lab
demonstration, product display, and discussion for the
class. Faculty and interested students from Dietetics,
Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, and Nursing have
been among invited guests to participate in discussion and
sample the meal. Student reactions and online search
results are then recorded in an Elluminate Live! online
session as a follow-up and debriefing activity. Face-to-face
and written comments from students have been both
positive and constructively critical; these provide valuable
feedback for development of future clinical quantity labs.
Brief History 2008-2011
 Modified texture lab first done as a “special lab activity”
with puree & thickener demo
 Lab more formalized into syllabus with handout &
recipe packets prepared for students by guest instructor
 Increased student manager involvement in planning
menu & recipes with guest instructor
 Addition of follow-up activity & class discussion of
modified diet products (recently converted to online
Elluminate Live! session to go along with new online
lecture format)
 Addition of metabolic syndrome clinical lab with display
of plates of varying calorie levels
 Decision to keep modified texture lab every semester
but have 2nd clinical lab diet theme selected by student
managers from case study in their clinical nutrition
class in consultation with clinical instructors
*Danielle M Torisky, PhD, RD, *Janet W Gloeckner, PhD, RD, **Victoria HennessyNuckols, CDM, CFPP, *Melissa A Rittenhouse, PhD, RD, & *Lara E Sokoloff, RD
*Health Sciences Department, Dietetics Program
**CISAT Laboratory Operations
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Left: Thickening process –
from nectar to pudding
consistency. Below: Art of
plating and shaping for
appetizing presentation.
Modified Texture Lab Agenda
 8:30 - 9:00am - Team conference with distribution of
assigned duties, recipes, & production sheets
 9:00 – 10:30 or 11:30am (depending on menu) – food
production & set-up of puree demo & thickening product
display
 11:30 -12noon (or earlier) – discussion & Qs, including
participation of visiting faculty/students from Dietetics
and others interested (e.g., Nursing, Speech Pathology,
Occupational Therapy)
Above: Setting up for
portioning & shaping pureed
products. Right: Victoria
demonstrates how to create
pureed meatloaf from ground
beef product.
 12noon (or earlier) – regular, mechanical soft, and
pureed luncheon is served!
 Enough regular diet is prepared for all, but students
are expected to sample modified items as well.
Conducting Clinical Lab
Future Plans for Clinical Lab
 Menu planning, recipe selection
 Completed at beginning of semester
 Guest instructor with expertise in medical diet being
planned
 Student managers assigned
Adding a third clinical lab, with theme also selected by
students, but from a more complicated case study (e.g.,
renal diabetic)
Above pureed plate clockwise:
Potatoes au gratin, meatloaf &
tomato sauce, stuffed tomato.
 Market order for ingredients, products, supplies
 Production meeting with above parties plus course
instructor as needed
 One week before the lab
 Details on demonstration, any class discussion or
worksheet to complete during lab
Examples of Menu Items
For Modified Texture Lab
Above: Baked
stuffed tomatoes for
mechanical soft diet.
 Expanding invitation to a small class of OT or Speech
Path students along with their professors – this would
be planned into the syllabi of both classes
 Continuing to seek practicing clinical RDs as new guest
instructors as available
 Traditional Meatloaf & Tomato Sauce
 Potatoes Au Gratin
 Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
Planning Clinical Lab
Photo Credits &
Acknowledgements
 Beef Stroganoff with Egg Noodles
 Pimiento Green Beans
 Menu planning, recipe selection
 Gramma’s Apple Bread Pudding
 Completed at beginning of semester
 Modified texture lab demo photos taken in Spring 2008;
photographer: Danielle Torisky
 Ground Beef Saute w/Pasta & Tomato Sauce
 Guest instructor with expertise in medical diet being
planned (Victoria Hennessy-Nuckols, Lara Sokoloff)
 Quantity lab scene photos taken in Fall 2010;
photographer: Trey Trumble. Photos taken for College
of Integrated Science & Technology (CISAT) Creative
Services, JMU. Used with permission from Christine
Letsky-Anderson, CISAT Creative Services.
 Student managers assigned
 Production meeting with above parties plus course
instructor (Danielle Torisky) as needed
 Held one week before the lab
Left: Visiting faculty
observers enjoying lunch
with students from class.
 Details on production, demonstration, any class
discussion or worksheet to complete during lab
Above: Students write
label cards for modified
product display. Right:
Dietetics instructor
Stephanie Hudy samples
products from “buffet.”