This study has shown the importance of relating NMR spectroscopic information on the water in model food structures to the mechanical properties of those structures. Analysis of the NMR relaxation data can be used to examine the distribution of water domain sizes, and this has been related to the mechanical properties of the samples. A novel NMR probe-head has been designed, which allows both the NMR and the mechanical data to be simultaneously measured during compression of the sample. This probe-head allows compressive stress/strain data to be obtained directly from the NMR sample, allowing changes in the distribution of the water to be directly correlated to changes in mechanical properties.