BLENDED DIET FOR TUBE FED CHILDREN IN THE UK
I've put together a few useful links about blended diet for tube fed children. Happy to add other useful ones if you want to contact me via my contact form below
Useful Links
These are resources I have found useful over the years. Some are professional resources, some are parent-to-parent resources and some are commercial. They are included to help you explore blended diet, not because I agree with every statement made on every linked site. Always check current information and discuss individual nutritional or medical needs with your child's clinical team.
An excellent community and source of support and information is a facebook page called Blended Diet UK. There are plenty of people on there who have been doing BD for some time and have a huge amount of information and are always willing to share and support. There are plenty of new people too who are starting out on the BD road.
This is a super book and everyone should get it. Lots of practical advice for starting blending for tubies.
I would recommend everyone get this book as its the most easily accessible for non professionals.
To obtain Calorie breakdowns and vitamin and mineral breakdowns of the food you are blending there are plenty of apps and sites like
My Fitness Pal is free.
We use Nutracheck, which is an inexpensive app, but Elliot decided to become a Type 1 diabetic because he thought our lives were too easy, and Nutracheck works out carbs etc very easily.
Some diets are very specialised, such as the keto diet and exclusion diets for children who have various allergies or intolerances. These can be done with BD of course, as they would be done with an orally eating child, but because the child's health is dependent on getting it right I recommend getting the dietician on board. They should support you in your choice and work towards a safe outcome.
A really nice book of blended diet recipes put together by a blending mum. Whether you’re aiming to boost iron, protein or vitamins, ease reflux or constipation or simply get more calories into a small volume, these recipes are designed to be practical, flexible and realistic. Made with children in mind they can be easily adapted for adults.
Use of blended / liquidised ‘table food’ diets via gastrostomy:
Questions and Answers
Some informative answers to questions that may occur from multiple sources and brought together by the charity Together for Short Lives. Just download from their site.
Ready Made Tube Feed Blends
At long last the UK has a lovely company making ready made blends for kids and adults. Useful in every situation the blends are fully compliant with Government regulations.
Read their story here. They also have a facebook page. Their website has lots of resources as does the BLENDS website.
Nestle
I know it seems odd on a website for full blended diet, but these products by huge food giant Nestle, do look to be a good halfway house if you are starting blended diet, are not sure how to begin, or have the situation of school not happy to do blended without a button being fitted.
I don't know what the percentage of actual food is in Compleat, their paediatric feed, but many families have reported their children tolerate it well. It may be useful in an emergency, or transitioning. Regardless I would always say wherever possible blend your own natural foods because of the importance of good gut health for overall good health, and its much more likely you will achieve that with real food.
The website does have a section on blending from scratch, so that looks useful to have.
There is also a link to a website by a dietician about blending your own food, hygiene instructions and some really good information. Never thought I'd be saying that about such a huge company, but they are sadly not paying me!
DISCLAIMER
Nothing contained on this website is intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information is provided for general information and educational purposes, including sharing my experience of using blended food for tube-fed children. Every child is different, and decisions about a child's feeding, nutrition, medicines or medical care should be made with their own healthcare team.
I have brought together information from publicly available sources, together with my own experience and opinions. I am not affiliated with, or speaking on behalf of, any organisation or official body. I receive no payment for the information provided on this website and do not ask for payment.
I cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of using information from this website in a way that is inappropriate for an individual child or outside the context in which it was provided.
Katherine Stevens
