Thanks, Charm, for your post about this amazing machine. I have had increased dysphagia in the past six months and invested in a Vitamix. Fun, easy to use and allows for creativity in taste and thickness of the blended drinks. I can easily swallow honey consistency food/drinks and like to cook soups in my Vitamix using pasta as my thickener with cooked vegetables. Terrific for smoothies as well. I use Carnation VHC with a few tablespoons of coconut water and unsweetened frozen fruit such as strawberries and peaches, mix for a minute and have a tasty, not too sweet or too chemical meal. I have used Thick-It to thicken liquids, but I find it gritty. Thanks too for the new BD Forum site.