Blenderized diet?

[Brian_Scott]

Hello,
This is my first post here, as my mother is rapidly deteriorating and not tolerating her tube feeds after 3 years on different formulas. My wife and I have been researching alternatives to the formulas for her, and looking into a blenderized diet (food) for her. Is anyone else here making food for their tube? Any advice or resources?

We did find this packaged food (Just Food Blends) for use in a feeding tube that looks like what we could like to use, but it's not available until January.
Thank you.

 

[*ENV*]

I have a PEG since 2007. For years I used the canned formula, worrying about the fact that corn syrup is the top ingredient after water. Basically, all of the calories from those formulas are high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar. This is deadly for long-term use.

I have no dietary restrictions whatsoever. But in 2010 the formula caused my pancreas to crash. I was barely awake in the day. My GP took a urine sugar reading and immediately put in the ICU. Sugar was beyond 500 and liver enzymes were all in the red zone. The doctors told my family not to expect me to live through the night.

I obviously had other plans...

After fasting brought my sugar down to chartable levels, I was discharged home with drugs, daily insulin shots, and a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. Yet the formula was continued. This made no sense to feed a diabetic corn syrup. A somewhat lower sugar formula was tried, to no avail.

After two months of this nonsense I said get me off the formula completely. If my family could get enough calories from regular food, so could I. With simple additives of coconut oil, avocado, and milk fat from cream, I was able to boost calories without poisoning myself. I consulted a friend who is a nutritionist to be sure, and she approved my plan.

Within a two weeks my sugar was back to normal with no drugs or insulin. Been steady since.

Making food for a PEG isn't difficult. Whatever you eat for your meals can be blended all together with either chicken or beef broth to thin the mixture. Add in any vitamin pills or other supplements desired. Strain through a tight sieve to remove any chunks which could block up the tube (if you really let the blender work, there should be very few).

Voila! Perfectly balanced meals with very little hassle. I have done pizza, steak and potatoes, turkey, japanese noodle soup, etc. Have fun. Your mom will feel so very much better with real food.

 

[Isaiah535]

My husband just got the Peg tube a few months ago. We have chosen not to use the formulas because for the past three years he has been on a an organic, raw, vegan diet and he wishes to continue this lifestyle. We us the vitamix blender. Its the only one powerfull enough to liquify almost anything. The smoothies i make for his tube consist of 1 cup hazzlenut milk, 1 cup cooked lentils, 3 small tomatoes, 1/4 cup brazil nuts, a banana ( or advocado or sweet potato) , handful of strawberries handful of kale (or any leafy green veggie), 3 TBS flax seeds, 2 TBS olive oil, 3 TBS coconut oil, a few cups of fresh veggie juice ( cucumner, carrots, apple and celery). Add water as needed to make best consistancy to flow smoothly through the tube. This makes enough for two meals! With each meal he also take a plant protein powder shake mixed with many natural vitamin and mineral suppliments. He has gained a few pounds on this diet! Hope this helps!

 

[Isaiah535]

My husband has been on a raw vegan organic diet the past three years. When he had to get the Peg tube a few months ago he did not want to consider the formulas. I have been making his smoothies for his tube. He has gained weight doing this. It is possible to get enough calories, fats and protein this way! We use olive oil and coconut oil for the fats, nuts and beans for the protein, banana, frozen fruit and avocados for calories, leafy greens and fresh veggie juice for the nutrients! He also take a plant based protein powder shake mixed with many food based vitamin and mineral supplements at every meal. Play around with the consistency to make it flow smoothly. My belief is if we put foods containing life into our PALS they will thrive!

 

[sadiemae]

If you are on F Book, here is a great site. A few members have ALS.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Adulttubefeeding/

 

[zoohouse]

We recently purchased a blender at Costco after burning out several blenders, and are extremely happy with it. We use a lot of nuts and seeds in his smoothies and they are a smooth as silk. It has a 7 year warrantee and is right up there with the Vitamix, with a slightly lower price tag. Unfortunately we spend more than its price on all the other regular blenders before we figured it out. When you have to use a blender everyday you might as well invest in a good machine, as you will save money in the long run.