I think every child who is tube-fed (and adults for that matter) should ideally be on a diet of real food instead of canned formula. Formula is an artifical, preserved food. It is very calorie-dense, full of vitamins in their man-made form, and about as far from nature as you can be. It lacks the variety of a real food diet. I know that formula can sustain and grow children. My child is living proof of this. But imagine drinking a heavy milkshake and taking a vitamin pill at the same time. Imagine doing that several times a day. Not only is it hard to digest, but it keeps you feeling full so you have no interest in learning to eat. Kids who have impaired digestive systems will have a hard time on canned formula.

For several months I was feeding Nitara a blenderized diet that I came up with because at the time her nutritionist was horrified that I would consider putting anything down the tube other than formula. She told me (I kid you not) that the tube is only designed for formula and not for real food, and that she may get a clog or an infection. As far a clogs go, it is always a good idea to run homemade formula through a strainer to get out any chunks. As far as infections go-- this was silly. The tube was flushed with water the same as when she had canned formula. I finally found a nutritionist who supported blenderized food for some of her patients. Nitara seemed to tolerate the formula really well. I added different fruits and veggies every day and had a base of soy milk or soy yogurt. I did research based on several sites of child nutritional needs. It was quite an undertaking but oh so fulfilling to be giving her something I made with my own hands and watching her grow. I was robbed of the chance to hold her and feed her by bottle or breast. We missed the whole babyfood/first foods stage. At least I could do this for her.

Unfortunately Nitara was diagnosed with EE, severe EE at that, and we had to go back to square one. We put her on an elemental formula and we are adding foods back one at a time to see if they bother her or not. The process of coming up with a balanced diet is going to take years. I am at the point that when she gets sick I can put potatoes or apples down her tube and she tolerates it much, much better than formula when she's recovering. In fact she can take 8 oz of pureed food but can only tolerate 4 oz of formula because the formula is so rich and greasy. This is on a good day. I can't wait to get back to blenderized formula someday-- or better yet, have her eating a full diet by mouth.

I have heard so many stories from parents on tube-feeding boards about how great their kids did on blenderized diets vs. formula. For some it was a miracle. No more vomiting or discomfort. It is totally worth the effort to at least consider it. Of course there are children like mine whose diets are so limited that a full blenderized diet is impossible. Even those children can benefit from some food down the tube instead of formula calories. Babyfood is wonderful for this. I use a pressure cooker to cook Nitara's broccoli, carrots, and potatoes down to mush, then blend it with some water and put it down her tube. I don't do it daily but about twice a week she gets a boost of vitamins and fiber. If you are interested in trying this please seek out a nutritionist who will work with you. Below are some links for further reading.

Kids With Tubes newsletters
The one on Nutrition has a recipe for a blenderized diet on page 13. The whole newsletter is a wonderful primer. There is another good article in it that talks about the importance of free water.

Mealtime Notions
Read Joey's story about his blenderized formula

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