BLENDED FOOD FIELD REPORT

patricke

Hey guys, for all of you folks out there who are tube feeders, or blended food eaters, it's time for a field report on a new (to me) line of blended food, which I believe that I heard about on WebWhispers, and happily, like a lot.  REALFOOD BLENDS, Meals For Tube-Fed People is a company that has created packages of complete meals in tidy 9.5 ounce pouches; what a deal.  I ordered a variety pack online, and field tested them recently on a car camping trip with my FL Trail Association Happy Hoofers buds, in the Dinner Island Wildlife Management Area wilderness, primitive campground.  Dinner Island WMA is located lovely south central Florida, a bit west of Clewiston.  The first test came on a sunny, fair weather Saturday.  After an awesome 11 mile back country hike that turned into a 14 miler, much of it in ankle to knee deep water, it was terrific to find our way back to camp, bone tired, but happy.  At the end of a day like that I was famished, and so looked forward to  whop'in up a Realfood dinner instead of the usual cartons that I have always relied on heretofore.  The menu special that night was a package of Beef, Potatoes, & Spinach, combined with a package of Quioa, Kale, & Hemp, which I diluted the thickness of with an 8 ounce carton of lowfat milk.   I mixed the 3 items in a shaker container, and thoroughly enjoyed the flavors as I drank my meal sitting at the picnic table with my hiking friends reviewing the events of the delightful day.  The Realfood was a more than welcome palate pleasing change from the cartons of FiberSource that I usually have for dinner when car camping in primitive campgrounds, or at rest stops when traveling.  I do continue to depend on FiberSource for my lunches on hikes, as a couple of cartons provides a full satisfying meal without adding burdensome poundage in my daypack.  

 

For breakfast on these camp outs I have relied on Boost Very High Calorie, which packs 500 calories in an 8 ounce carton; not too shabby.  However, drum roll please........Realfood has just come out with a breakfast blend of Eggs, Apples, & Oats, which sounds tasty. I will be field testing this new menu item next week in the Kissimmee Island Cattle Company (KICCO) Wildlife Management Area primitive car camping campground; again with the Happy Hoofers crew.  I'm looking forward to breakfasts of Realfood real food, it will be a nice change of pace, and then it's grab your gear, and hit the wilderness trail for a day of wonderness.        

 

In summary, in my opinion, Realfood is the real food deal for tube feeders and blended foodies. The food is convenient, flavorful, and nutritious, so if you are dining out, and don't want to bring your Nutribullet Rx, it's very handy.  Of course, at home I always Vitamix blend my meals, but Realfood Blends provides a nice alternative for those times when I'm away from home, in situations where I am unable to blend.  Realfood is also a reasonable meal source for tubers at home who don't blend, and are pouring down cartons of liquid meals.  Yes, I would recommend Realfood to a friend; well heck, I just did......Bon App'etit.  

 

Patrick

caregiver wife

Patrick,  Thanks VERY MUCH for this post!  Husband on feeding tube 6+ years and has been refusing feedings.  He has smooth treats once in a while, but we have failed with blending.  He doesn't like it, it's not the right consistancy, etc, etc.  He can swallow a few bites one day, not the next.  He REALLY would like to just taste real food.  I am going to give this a try!!  Their site says many insurance companies covering.  If this works, I will have to check that out, too.

Awesome!

Crystal

patricke

caregiver wife said:

Patrick,  Thanks VERY MUCH for this post!  Husband on feeding tube 6+ years and has been refusing feedings.  He has smooth treats once in a while, but we have failed with blending.  He doesn't like it, it's not the right consistancy, etc, etc.  He can swallow a few bites one day, not the next.  He REALLY would like to just taste real food.  I am going to give this a try!!  Their site says many insurance companies covering.  If this works, I will have to check that out, too.

Awesome!

Crystal

VISCOSITY

Hi Crystal, I hope that the Blendedfoods works out, but you will have to dilute it to thin it out enough t smoothly flow down the tube.  I was a PEGer for 12 years until my esophagus was rebuilt, so I am familiar with the challenges of getting blends to the right consistency to freely flow down the tube.  We found that Vitamix, after burning out the motors of sever regular blenders, is a miracle blender, but even with the Vitamix, getting the right consistency was, and still is, a part of the process.  We use milk to dilute the thickness of my meals.  You may already be doing the milk thinning, but I thought that I would share my experience.  I am, as I write, drinking my dinner of baked lemon pepper chicken thighs, veggees, baked beans, salad, and peas and carrots.  I wish you the best in your blending adventures.    

 

BJNsmith53

Peg tube

 i am new to forum and here bc my mom had rare neck cancer 12 hrs ago and the last 10 yrs cancer free but dealing with no saliva glands and flap not working that closes off lungs so mom can’t eat or drink ANYTHING  EVER they say. It’s been 2yrs since she ate or drank but keeps aspirating and getting pneumonia. Trying to find home recipes for her bc the formila jrvity isn’t cutting it she is losing pounds daily. Any advice for us or links you can share for recipes? Thank you so much  Gog bless

BJNsmith53

Patricke thank you also for

Patricke thank you also for the post about the REALfood!! As I was saying I’m new to forum so still l how to use this site. I just read the post on blended food you posted and that is amazing I can’t believe I haven’t gotten on here’s sooner. I’m sure there are going to be several things im going to find that will help her bad that excites me!!wow 12 yrs with a tube im so glad you were able to rebuild your esophagus. That’s wonderful!!! Very helpful post thank you

Linds

how to 

patricke

caregiver wife said:

Patrick,  Thanks VERY MUCH for this post!  Husband on feeding tube 6+ years and has been refusing feedings.  He has smooth treats once in a while, but we have failed with blending.  He doesn't like it, it's not the right consistancy, etc, etc.  He can swallow a few bites one day, not the next.  He REALLY would like to just taste real food.  I am going to give this a try!!  Their site says many insurance companies covering.  If this works, I will have to check that out, too.

Awesome!

Crystal

ONE MORE THING

Hi Crystal, I apologize for neglecting to also mention a couple of other blender related things.  First, that although the Vitamix is pricey, the company will give a discount, for a referbished model, to us who have the medical necessity for blending our meals.  Call the company and talk to one of the very customer friendly representatives for the details.  In addition, I also did not tell you that I use a Nutribullet Rx for blending when I go out to eat, and when I am traveling (I blend in airport terminals).  It is very efficient, almsot as good as the Vitamix, in that it will blend a meal within 3 minutes, and heat it in the process.  The Nutribullet Rx Model is very reasonably priced at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I also just heard from another Webwhisperer, that the Oster 1100 works very well.  Lastly, when I blend a meal, I put everything that would be on my plate into the pitcher, i.e., meat, veggies, bread/roll, etc, and it always, for the most part, tastes delicious. Sometimes, of course I add hot sauce, or other spices to it. So, whatever you are serving the family can go into the blender for your husband. Bon a'petite.      

patricke

BJNsmith53 said:

Peg tube

 i am new to forum and here bc my mom had rare neck cancer 12 hrs ago and the last 10 yrs cancer free but dealing with no saliva glands and flap not working that closes off lungs so mom can’t eat or drink ANYTHING  EVER they say. It’s been 2yrs since she ate or drank but keeps aspirating and getting pneumonia. Trying to find home recipes for her bc the formila jrvity isn’t cutting it she is losing pounds daily. Any advice for us or links you can share for recipes? Thank you so much  Gog bless

Hi BJ, 

Welcome to the forum.  I'm sorry to hear about all of the difficulties that your mom is going through. I can relate to aspirating and getting pneumonia, as I have gone a few very not fun inpatient rounds with it about 4 years ago, when my tracheal esophageal puncture (TEP) for my voice prosthesis, enlarged and had to be patched (yea duck tape).  In regard to recipes, I put everything that I would have on my plate to eat, at any meal,  into the pitcher, with an ample quantity of milk, my prefered liquefying fluid, spice to taste, and blend.  It remarkably, more often than not, tastes delicious.  So, you don't need any special recipes, just blend all of what your mom would have for a meal.  I just finished drinking an awesome brunch of a multi vegetable, Gouda cheese, and bacon omelette, with grits, and biscuit.  You can look for calorie dense neutral flavored foods to add calories to the meals, for example, my wife, Diane, adds Qi'a Superfood to many of my breakfasts; it packs 130 calories per 2 tablespoon serving.  We used to get it at our Publix supermarket, but because they stopped stocking it, we now order it online from the company, Nature's Path Foods.   I wish you the best in blending for your mom, and hope that she is able to find a solution to her aspiration and pneumonia cycle; and begins to start gaining weight. 

Patrick