real food, tube fed

Yes, Self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants may choose to use funding within their Nutrition Supports budget to subsidise the cost of Whole Enteral formulas. Agency managed participants may discuss with their planner incorporating a request for funding under Code 0103.

A tube feeding formula is considered nutritionally complete if: it provides 100 percent of the recommend values of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals and can be used on its own as a sole source of nutrition (Rumsey, 2017). WHOLE have worked hard to ensure that Enrich meets the recommended Australian Dietary Guidelines for carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals for children aged 12 months to adults. However your individual circumstances and medical conditions may mean that Enrich does not meet all of your specific needs and therefore should not be used as a total diet replacement. We suggest using WHOLE enteral formulas in conjunction with a medical/dietitian review. As in all types of food enjoyment – nutritional variety – is the key to a healthy, balanced diet.

Yes, our formulas are commercially sterile and shelf stable, meaning you can safely take them into a hospital setting or pack them in your luggage. HACCP certified manufacturing ensures our formulas are commercially sterile.

Yes! Enrich formula is Gluten, Nut, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Preservative & GMO Free.

We have spent the last four years in product development, extensively testing the viscosity of Enirch to ensure it can be used via a pump. We have used both a Kangaroo & Infinity pump. Just make sure your measure the volume you require independently prior to setting the pump volume. Real food is thicker than formulated feeds because it has fibrous and nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. It is recommended that home-made blended meals be used in gastrostomy tubes greater than 12 French in diameter (Gallagher et al, 2015).

As with milk based formulas, blockages and occlusions may occur from time to time. Please see our tips below.

In the event that food becomes lodged we recommend the following methods, derived from personal experience:

Obstruction: if there is an obstruction, it is usually at the point of the tubing that feeds through the pump. There is a very narrow point feeding into and out of the pump. If there is an obstruction there, we find the best way is to knead or massage it out, and then pump through at a high rate to move it along to a wider passage. The other common spot for obstructions is at the connection point to the PEG. The same process as above applies.

Build up: use a large syringe (60ml) and pull back on the plunger to remove as much liquid as possible. Then push through some warm water.

The Whole Enteral team takes health, growth and safety seriously. Our first-hand experience with the stress of nutrition and tube feeding has led to stringent analysis – both by an Accredited Practising Dietitian and SA Pathology laboratories - of the ingredients and quantities used to make Enrich.