WHOLE science

Emily Lively on why real food trumps milk formulas. Sounds pretty logical, doesn’t it?

Physicians have given blended foods via syringe or tube for patients unable to eat by mouth for the last 3500 years of human existence (1). Throughout the 20th century, advances in medicine and surgery allowed for advances in the development of enteral nutrition – that is feeding via the gastro-intestinal tract. Real food was given via tubes directly into the stomach and intestine to help sick babies, patients recovering from surgery and people with ongoing and progressive illness. It was only in the late 1960’s that nutrient formulas became available and over the last 60 years these initial elemental formulas have developed to include fibre, immune enhancing nutrients and be for specific diseases (2).  Food however has been around since the beginning of time and is what a large portion of society thrives on. We all know that food choices can influence wellbeing, immunity, recovery, health, growth and development.

Internationally in the last 10 years research studies have explored the actual use of blended tube feedings in adults and/or children with a range of medical complications (3,4,5,6,7,8,9). Reported benefits for both adults and children by providing a diverse range of foods include less weight loss than when on formula feeds; improved oral intake; reduction in constipation, reflux, gagging and vomiting; increase in the diversity of healthy gut bacteria and a greater sense of providing ‘natural’ feeding (3,4,5,6,8,9,10).

Making your own blended tube feed can be labour intensive, carries with it risks of contamination, requires additional food storage space and ongoing Dietetic monitoring by an Accredited Practicing Dietitian experienced with homemade blend to ensure growth and nutrition (4). Let WHOLE enteral nourishment take the extra stress out of real food blends for you – so you can be reassured you are meeting all your nutritional requirements, will have a consistent texture, can go on holidays without packing suitcases of formula tins or formula bags and have the freedom of more family time.

1. Chernoff R. An overview of tube feeding: From ancient times to the future. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2006; 21:408-410

2. Campbell SM. An Anthology of Advances in Enteral Tube Feeding Formulations. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2006; 21: 411-415

3. Epp L, Lammert L, Vallumsetla N et al. Use of blenderized tube feeding in adult and pediatric home enteral nutrition patients. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2017; 32:201-205

4. Hurt RT, Edakkanambeth VJ, Epp L et al. Blenderized tube feeding use in adult home enteral nutrition patients: A cross-sectional study. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2015; 30:824-829

5. Johnson TW, Spurlock AL, Epp L et al. Re-emergence of blended tube feeding and parent’s reported experiences in their tube fed children. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2018; 24(4): 369-373

6. Armstrong J, Buchanan E, Duncan H et al. Dietitians’ perceptions and experience of blenderised feeds for paediatric tube-feeding. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2016; 102: 152-156

7. Johnson TW, Spurlock A & Pierce L. Survey study assessing attitudes and experiences of pediatric registered dietitians regarding blenderized food by gastrostomy tube feeding. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2015; 30:402-405

8. Pentiuk S, O’Flaherty T, Santoro K et al. Pureed by gastrostomy tube diet improves gagging and retching in children with fundoplication. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 2011; 35(3):375-379

9. Samela K, Mokha J, Emerick K et al. Transition to a Tube Feeding Formula with real food ingredients in pediatric patients with intestinal failure. Nutrition in Clinical Practice 2017; 32(2):277-281

10. Gallagher K, Flint A, Mouzaki M et al. Blenderized Enteral Nutrition Diet Study: Feasibility, Clinical and Microbiome Outcomes of Providing Blenderized Feeds Through a Gastric Tube in a Medically Complex Pediatric Population. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. 2018; 42(6): 1046-1060

Vanessa McNamara, accredited practising dietitian, supports a real food blenderised diet.

Vanessa graduated from the University of Sydney in 2000 with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics. Since then, she has worked in community health in South Australia, for the NHS in the UK, in private practice in Bangalore and Mumbai, India and Singapore with her family since 2010, working with both adults and children. Vanessa is trained in Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Therapy and the SOS Approach to Feeding, which is an evidence-based approach to dealing with extreme fussy eaters and children with strong food aversions.

Vanessa has a keen interest in helping all of her patients to develop a healthy relationship with food and believes that WHOLE Enrich is an effective way to achieve optimal growth and development for both adults and children. Her experience with tube-fed patients of all ages from a variety of cultures around the world has enabled her to see the direct benefits of using real enteral food containing whole, nutritious ingredients. She is excited to be part of the WHOLE team, developing a food which will meet a wide range of dietary requirements for everyone.