Tube feeding is not exactly what I had in mind when I decided to study nutrition, but here I am calculating tube feeding protocols for the critically ill. Don't get me wrong, I see the need for tube feeding and give much gratitude to the compassionate and dedicated dieticians who work in inpatient settings. I just recognize that this is not my passion because it seems so far removed from my philosophy of whole foods.
It's disheartening, and unfortunately not at all surprising, that hospitals--like other institutions--are feeding the crappiest food to the populations who need the most nourishing nutritional environments. The Nestle Corporation holds a monopoly on the enteral nutrition (tube feeding) formulas. These formulas contain such ingredients as corn syrup and hydrolyzed corn starch as carbohydrate sources; soy protein isolate as a protein source; and refined vegetable and seed oils for the necessary fat component. Undoubtedly these ingredients are products of our industrialized, subsidized and unsustainable food system and are most certainly coming from genetically modified plants. These are ingredients that I avoid when I am well; I can't imagine that this is the only option for calories when someone is so sick that they cannot eat.
A friend, who recently had her appendix removed, commented that hospitals are not a place for well people. She couldn't wait to get home so she could eat healthy again. Wouldn't it be nice if our hospitals were places dedicated to healing instead of the economic agenda of multinational corporations?
There are some strides being made within the local food movement as far as getting locally grown produce and organic meat into hospital cafeterias. These farm-to-hospital programs are starting to pop up across the country, with 227 hospitals signing the Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge. Eight hospitals in Seattle have signed the pledge and have already started by hosting farmers markets and including local and organic options on cafeteria menus.
I'm not sure what it would take to get local food into the tube food itself, but this shift in food economy to favor local producers who care for the land has to start somewhere. I think being able to order organic green beans from a hospital bed is a good start.
5 comments:
When learning about Tube Feeding did you come across any companies that provide a product that is vegetarian, or organic, or at least more whole-foods oriented than the one you describe in the post?
My mother will be starting tube feeding in the next few weeks and is disappointed (to say the least) that she has to give up her macrobiotic diet and likely consume corn syrup and chicken fat because the market is so limited.
thanks
I too found this to be the case when my dad suffered a very serious traumatic brain injury and had to go on a feeding tube. When looking at the ingredients I was appalled that this nutrient void sugar water was the only option and then I set out to find an alternative. None existed, so with my background as a chef that specialized in organic whole foods I began to look at food as medicine and I created one. The results were amazing, but not surprising. A short snippet of my journey can be found on the Crazy Sexy Cancer blog:
http://crazysexylife.com/2010/how-i-saved-my-dads-life/
Also I have a book on Amazon "A Turn for The Worst" that chronicles not only the lack of nutrition in the medical system in this country but is also a handbook about navigating the murky waters of western medicine. Keep doing what your doing...we need more people like in IN the system.
I just found this post after searching for natural tube feeding options. I just started tube feeding a few months ago, very reluctantly because I, too, have been very used to a local, organic, whole food diet... a far cry from the vanilla liquid in a can! I am a dietitian by education, a cloth diaper store owner, and a foodie by birth! The thought of doing canned tube food has made me sick (figuratively and physically!). Yet when I mentioned making my own tube food I was chastised by everyone on my health care team for not being compliant! I'm desperate to find any kind of alternative... I purchased a Blendtec blender this week and plan to play with recipes. Please let me know if you find anything helpful... recipes, websites, alternative healthier canned food, etc! Thanks!
My mom has been in the hospital for over 2 months, and tube feeding the whole time. I've gotten permission from the hospital staff to provide tube feeding from home that I've made from fresh organic foods. It's a lot of work, but worth it! I use a magic bullet blender, strainer and a canning funnel to make it all work. For my ingredients, I cook some type of whole grain, add some organic puree soup (the kind in aeseptic packages) or other healthy liquid, vegetables or fruit (avocado is good), a protein source like tempeh or hard-boiled egg, then I add a healthy fat like olive oil, and finish it off with a scoop of organic whole food protein powder (I get a couple of different kinds). That adds the necessary vitamins and minerals and extra protein my mom needs. It comes out looking like green sludge, but it's much better than the hospital's option. I have gotten a little opposition from the hospital staff, but I've found that "the squeaky wheel is the one that gets oiled", and I just keep talking to the staff about the importance of good nutrition. I think they let me do it because they want me just to shut up.
It's important to invest in a really good blender that can super puree food really well. You don't want to take a chance of plugging the feeding tube.
The hospital wants to know the exact nutrition content. So, I measure everything I put into the food, and look up the ingredients on www.nutritiondata.self.com . Then, I write it all down for them to give to the dietician. They are more likely to use the food I make, if I make the whole thing easier for them by doing all the work. The website makes it super easy. Good luck!
my daughter is almost five, and was poisoned by black toxic molds when she was 6 months old. she now has difficlty speaking and way to many others symptoms of stage 2/3 mycotoxin poisoning to get into, but for some known, and unknown reasons why she refuses anything i have healthy to offer, however i know she can handle juices, bc i gave her all kinds of supplements and fruits and veggies to her via bottle why she was sleeping. she never even new it. that is the only thing besides love keeping her alive as of now.
idea: organic juices through a feeding tube down her nose?!! where can i find my own set of educated nutritionist to help me? this is life and death for our five year old. we have no choice but to use organic now, bc shes allergic to everything else. thanx
Andrea <3
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