tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46063643227039126362024-02-07T14:02:52.096+08:00You start with a tube...Blenderized diet, tube feeding and related stuff. For everyone who might want to know more.Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-9810602553147682452012-07-08T12:13:00.001+08:002012-08-30T10:32:29.133+08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>To all those who travel here: Eric Aadhaar passed away, peacefully and with his beloved at his side, as the sun was rising on Sunday, July 8, 2012. His wisdom, humor, and compassion helped so many on our road to nourishing ourselves and the ones we love. His last post can be found on his personal blog, Entropy and Light: <a href="http://entropyandlight.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Last Post</a>.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>For information on tube feeding and using real food through the tube, please scroll to the menu </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>a bit lower down (on the right) for some comprehensive posts. </i></span></div>
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<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-16710514696435270242012-03-22T20:27:00.001+08:002012-03-22T20:27:34.454+08:00It's here.Finally, after all that, it's here. I hit the 'go' button on publishing just 24 hours ago and only now am I remembering to mention this fact here. Life goes on, with its other plans for us too, eh?<br />
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Anyway, for those that keep in touch by following my doings here, the book is properly real, and ready for you to read. Typos and all. I found a couple, and then though - fixing these means more days and days of not having it out there for people to use, and besides, it will never be perfect. It sure isn't perfect, but I know myself well enough to know that I could spend forever polishing this doorknob and never opening the door ...<br />
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So I commend this book to you. It is a fruit and labour of love, made possible only by the sharing, generous and supportive hordes I have encountered online and elsewhere along my own tubie journey, and that means you too. So thank you. All I hope is that it makes a positive difference to someone, somewhere.<br />
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You can visit the website, peek inside the book, and click through to the store to order your copy right here:<br />
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<a href="http://completetubefeeding.net/"><b><span style="font-size: large;">http://completetubefeeding.net/</span></b></a>
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It was Leonardo da Vinci apparently who said that "Art is never finished, it is merely abandoned" and that surely applies to works like this one too. It has to find its own way in the world now. Please enjoy; and humbly, thank you.Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-40008171482334140632012-03-14T18:26:00.000+08:002012-03-14T18:26:07.923+08:00Tubefeeding - a Brief History<br />
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<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Below is a sneak preview: an excerpt from <i>Complete Tubefeeding</i> (Everything you need to know about tubefeeding, tube nutrition and blended diets) , due to be published any day now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>1. A
brief history of tube feeding</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><span style="font-size: small;">(actually
it's a longer history than you might imagine)</span></span></div>
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“<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;">The
need to avoid prolonged starvation in patients is well recognized.”</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><span style="font-size: small;">(from the
introduction to the American Gastroenterological Association's
official recommendations on the use of enteral nutrition.)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">These
days when we get a g-tube or other sort of enteral feeding device
placed, we go to a modern shiny hospital with highly-trained staff,
expensive hi-tech equipment and machines that go 'Bing!' Most tubes
are placed in a sterile operating theatre with a surgeon and an
anesthetist, maybe some radiological equipment, and all sorts of
brilliant tools. The devices themselves are made of state-of-the-art
materials; high grade flexible silicon and specialized plastics, and
often have quite the sci-fi look about them. Then <span style="color: black;">you
will </span>be introduced to the truly amazing advances in synthetic
nutritional products – they come in a bewildering array of
different types and brands for different patient profiles and needs
and yes, they really are a product of the space age. So we tend to
think that the miracle of tube feeding is a pretty recent
development. Well, yes and no.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In
fact, it seems using tubes for feeding patients goes back at least
3500 years to ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations. Papyrus
evidence suggests that Egyptian physicians used reeds and animal
bladders to rectally feed patients things like wine, milk, whey,
broth and so on to treat a range of complaints. Rectal feeding would
remain the artificial feeding method of choice for many thousan<span style="color: black;">ds
of years because of the difficulties in accessing the upper GI tract
without also killing the patient. Some things in medicine have
hardly changed at all, as </span><span style="color: black;"><i>not killing
the patient</i></span><span style="color: black;"> remains important to
this day.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are some
reports of tube feeding in the 12<sup>th</sup> century but the
acknowledged Western pioneer was a fellow called Capivacceus who in
1598 used a hollow tube with a bladder attached to one end, filled
with some form of nutrient solution, down as far as a patient's
esophagus. The beautifully named Aquapendente used a form of
nasopharyngeal tube in 1617 – the forerunner of our NG tubes, but
only going as far as the pharynx. A guy (they're all guys I'm fairly
sure) called Von Helmont devised a flexible leather tube for feeding
into the top of the esophagus in 1646, which must have been a pretty
good improvement in patient comfort over things like hollow
whalebone. Then in about 1710 it was suggested that such tubing
might be used to reach all the way to the stomach.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For
the rest of the 18<sup>th</sup> and the 19<sup>th</sup> centuries
gastrointestinal feeding was practised here and there but I suppose
due to the discomforts and difficulties of keeping a tube down
someone's throat - or whatever other reasons - rectal feeding was a
more widespread and accepted practice. Some of the oro- and
naso-feeding contraptions were quite sophisticated, for example in
1790 a physician called Hunter was doing oro-gastric feeding using a
whale bone covered in eel skin attached to a bladder pump to feed his
nutrient solutions. He is reported as using mixtures of jellies,
beaten eggs, sugar, milk and wine. Anyone who's had a naso-gastric
(NG) tube as I have will tell you it's a pretty awful feeling thing,
even worse I would imagine back then, using the sorts of materials
available before high-tech plastics and silicone. But imagine an
oro-gastric tube! This probably explains why it seems NG tubes
increased in relative popularity for gastrointestinal feedings as
time went on. These tubes still most often only extended down as far
as the fauces (the narrow part past the back of the mouth towards the
pharynx) and in the 1870 mixtures such as thick custard and mashed
mutton were forced through these tubes, or combinations of warm milk,
beef broth, eggs, and medicines appropriate to the symptoms of the
patient. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">These
sorts of feedings weren't just for patients who couldn't eat, mind
you: according to physicians such as Coulton naso-pharyngeal feeding
was also inflicted upon 'fasting girls and spoilt children who, when
ill, refuse food'. In addition to tubes, devices that looked a bit
like a teapot with a very long spout were made to force-feed patients
in mental institutions mixtures of milk, egg, beef tea and wine
thickened with arrowroot.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When
US President James Garfield was shot in 1881 he was kept alive a
further 79 days by being rectally fed a blend of beef broth and
whisky. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">BONUS History
Trivia: Alexander Graham Bell also devised a very early sort of metal
detector to attempt to find the bullet inside the President, but it
failed to work – it was reading the bedsprings instead, and as
metal bed frames were very rare then, no-one at the time could work
out why the device malfunctioned. PLUS: One of the doctors trying
to save the President had the given name of 'Doctor”: Dr Doctor
Willard Bliss. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rectal
feeding does (thankfully) seem finally to have gone out of fashion
although I am told that some medical students these days, upon
learning of things like James Garfield's ordeals discover all over
again that colonic absorption is a very fast way to get drunk.
Apparently. Don't try it though, OK? Even if you <i>are</i> in
college.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But
gastrostomy – inserting a tube through the skin directly into the
stomach – was not seriously suggested until 1837, and as far as I
can ascertain, not attempted until 1845. Early attempts were
apparently 'associated with many complications' (we can use our
imaginations I think) so naso-gastric feeding remained the way to go
for a while yet.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now
around about 1910, two things were notably happening at roughly the
same time. A man called Einhorn was experimenting with
nasally-inserted feeding tubes going all the way into the jejunem
(what we would call now an NJ tube), that is, all the way past the
stomach and into a part of the upper intestines. Elsewhere, research
was going on with feeding dogs and trying to maintain a nitrogen
balance (essential for healthy survival) by using solutions of
hydrolysates. They did not experiment on humans as at this time
hydrolysates were thought to be at least indigestible and possibly
poisonous to humans. This research led in turn to better
understandings in using predigested proteins and the role and use of
amino acids, which would in turn help pave the way for modern
synthetic enteral formulas. In the 1930s some doctors were starting
to pioneer the use of hydrolysate-based formulas (now for humans) in
NJ feeding for those whose stomachs were compromised in one way or
another. These mixtures used things like a casein hydrolysate;
essentially skim milk treated and fortified with acid, pepsin, salt,
bicarb soda, dextrose and various vitamins. Even today this is a
recognizable outline of the ingredients on the side of some cans of
commercial formula.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the big
issues with percutaneous gastrostomies – sticking a tube through
the skin – was the problem of infection. Until the 1940s there
were no really effective antibiotics so there was a bit of a
disincentive to do a gastrostomy when an NG tube, although a slightly
horrible experience for the patient, could do the job. But with the
advent of modern antibiotics came an explosion in the sorts of
surgeries that would be attempted, and would eventually become
commonplace. At around this time too, some doctors began thinking
that those experiments with more broken-down formulas for jejunal
feeding might be applicable to gastric feeding scenarios as well …
and now we can see the modern age rushing in upon us. Interestingly,
much of the push to develop very broken-down formulas came about in
attempts to meet the needs of patients whose GI systems had nearly or
totally shut down – the idea was to feed them more than just
glucose intravenously – so the early 20<sup>th</sup> century also
saw the start of the development of central-line IV feeding (where
the patient is fed not into the GI tract but directly, intravenously
into the blood stream), called Parenteral Feeding. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fairly
quickly, these broken-down, synthesized formulas for enteral feeding
became the norm; for a short while at least. It was quite an
exciting time for the pioneers, who even went so far as to experiment
with feeding patients into the jejunem <i>during</i> surgery. In
1949 polyethylene tubing was first used, and the first enteral
feeding pump was developed. But problems of patient tolerance of
these broken-down feeds seemed to be commonly arising. In an effort
to address this, a sort of return to first principles took place:
Hospital kitchens were asked to mimic a normal diet by finely
pureeing and liquefying a blend of regular cooked foods, and
naturally enough they were generally well-tolerated. The down sides
in the hospital environments then though were cost – it was
labour-intensive to prepare such foods, and (perhaps ironically) a
hospital environment proved a difficult place to keep such foods free
of contamination, as compared to sterile synthesized formulas.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In
the 1960s, advances in the understanding of the role of amino acids
led to further studies designed to see if new formulas could be
devised to support patients without the side-effects those early
attempts produced. This was supported hugely by the space program,
with NASA getting very excited. They could see the great potential
in an astronaut 'food' that was concentrated and gave a low fecal
residue. These 'elemental diets' had many advantages for the nascent
space flight program, in that they stored and transported well, had a
very high nutrient density (so were very light), were very soluble so
reconstituted easily, maintained an adequate nitrogen balance, and
were easily tweaked and adjusted to meet an individual's specific
metabolic needs better. But this stuff tasted so bad that the
astronauts just refused to eat it. Even today, astronauts eat a
largely natural diet, to the extent of taking fresh fruit and tasty
baked brownies up with them. Tortillas make awesome edible,
low-crumbing zero-gravity frisbees also.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of
course, patients taking their nutrition via tube do not really have a
problem with how the solution tastes, and as more and more advances
were made in materials for tubes, tube placement surgery and feeding
formulas, the formulas derived from the NASA-led research became the
standard go-to for tube feeding nutrition. But there was also a sort
of medical research arms-race going on, with rapid advances in
Parenteral Nutrition. For a while TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition)
was the one attracting all the attention, but quietly research
continued in the roles of amino acids and other food constituents, in
understanding digestion, absorption and gut physiology. Advances in
the development of enteral feeding formulations, tube technology, and
the demonstrated lower incidence of complications, lower cost and
ease of access eventually moved enteral feeding to the forefront,
where it remains the first choice option today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Something
else was going on in the 60's and 70's that related to tube feeding
also – far fewer people were dying. Partly this was the result of
a slow cultural change that had been gathering pace over the century
– we seemed to become a lot less comfortable with allowing death to
happen if it was at all avoidable, regardless of circumstances, in
much of Western civilization – but a very large factor was
technological. The miracles of antibiotics, amazing new drugs,
advanced diagnostic and surgical techniques all combined to allow us
to save lives that we never before would have been able to save.
Serious accidents and injuries that once killed routinely no longer
do. Life-limiting illnesses are still on the rise but with advances
in treatment and diagnostics patients are tending to live longer.
This modern phenomenon is especially pronounced at either end of the
age spectrum, with the very young – the very prematurely born even
– and the much older citizen. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of
course, saving all these lives means many more people living with
serious impairments, a very common such impairment being the
inability to eat. Since the last few decades of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century, we've seen an explosion in the number of feeding tubes
placed right across the world, most pronounced in countries like the
USA. Actual numbers are hard to come by. According to an article
published in 2005, there were around 344,000 people using a feeding
tube at home in the USA, and the article quoted a 1995 study
suggesting that 120,000 patients in long-term care were using feeding
tubes also. One thing we do know is that tube placements have
continued to grow faster than the population, so it would be
reasonable to think there might be half a million to a million people
using feeding tubes in the USA alone right now. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To
go along with the boom in numbers of tube-fed patients, we now have
commercially available enteral formulas in hundreds of different
variations; many are very similar, just made by different
manufacturers and to different calorie densities, but there are
others designed with specific diseases and patient needs in mind.
Most recently though, there has been an increasing uptake, driven in
the main by parents and carers of tube-fed children and by adult
patients themselves, in returning to a more natural food-based diet,
often referred to as a blenderized, blended, or
pureed-for-gastrostomy diet. It's almost as if we are somehow coming
full circle.</span></span></div>Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-8253560339633344182012-02-19T12:15:00.003+08:002012-02-19T15:44:08.066+08:00Herbs and spices for digestive support<br />
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<b><i>(Below is an extract from my soon-to-be-published book on all things tubefeeding-related, since so many people are asking about herbs and spices lately)</i></b></div>
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Outside of the world of naturopaths,
herbalists and other natural health practitioners, there are a great
many everyday culinary herbs and spices that we have known for
millenia assist digestion and can help to resolve issues faced by
tubies. Such foodstuffs have been used as medicine in various
cultures since well before the dawn of written history, and we can
take much from both the traditional wisdom and what modern science
has discovered about their benefits and uses. Also, they can make a
blend smell and taste that much more pleasant.</div>
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Herbs and spices are, and are not, like
modern medicines. Most modern medicines in fact trace their
development back to plant materials, aspirin derived from the bark of
a willow tree being perhaps the most famous example. Herbs and
spices can be very complex in their actions, but may be used to
target specific complaints too, in the same way modern drugs are.
Many however are simply said to be 'supporting' digestion. Some are
said to 'regulate' digestion. These descriptors might mean a herb
has opposite effects on a different person or on the same person at
different times depending on what the body requires to move back to
its best possible state of health: for example, promoting looser or
firmer stools, depending on what is going on at the time. So
'prescribing' is not the best way to think about using herbs,
focussing instead on using a wider selection to promote overall
wellbeing and digestive health.
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Which to use, how much, how and when?
There can be no one good answer, but tips are given for each below.
Think of it this way – use the herbs and spices as you would in
cooking: go for the same pleasing taste and aroma concentrations. It
is no accident that coconut and curry spices go so well together;
each component supports the digestion of the other. The aromatic
sweetness of cardamom in a yoghurt lassi drink can eliminate the
mucus-thickening effects of the dairy. Those classic Italian herbs
like basil, oregano, and so forth are all perfect to stimulate
digestion of their typical partners in pasta, olive oil, tomatoes and
so on. The culinary traditions are our very best guide to combining
herbs and spices with foods and blends, but don't be afraid to
experiment! Keep in mind that herbs and spices are string-tasting
and strong-smelling because they contain very powerful compounds, and
you don't want to overdo it. Again, the kitchen traditions are your
guide. Start out with ordinary 'recipe' amounts, and if you're
wanting to increase the dosage for specific effect, do so slowly and
keep a weather eye on any potential adverse reaction. And give your
herbs and spices a break from time to time. As with foods, the very
same thing over and over is not ideal for us, and taking a break acts
to refresh our response to the medicinal and nutritive effects.</div>
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Do please keep in mind this is a
general guide only; I am not offering medical advice. In fact in
most countries it is not permissible by law to make any specific
health claims about herbs, spices or foods. If you can, consider
seeking out a good herbalist, naturopath or trusted professional to
help guide you along the way with more specific advice.</div>
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<b>Anise</b></div>
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Sometimes called aniseed, and not to be
confused with star anise (something different entirely), anise is
related to dill and fennel. The seeds have a sweet rich licorice
taste and aroma and help to digest rich foods, promoting good gastric
motility and lessening bloating, cramping and flatulence. It
regulates digestion, making it useful for both diarrhea and
constipation. You can blend the seeds or make a tea and use that in
blends or (cooled) on its own.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Basil</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As well as having a mild calming and
soothing effect on the mood and mind, basil is the natural
accompaniment to tomatoes; it may aid in their digestion and
absorption. Also helpful for stimulating the appetite, used for
promoting gastric motility and relieving nausea. Use the fresh or
dried leaf.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Black Pepper </b>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Yes, common black peppercorns like
you'll find in pretty much every kitchen in the developed world is a
wonderful appetite and digestive stimulant; specifically it
stimulates secretion of pancreatic enzymes. It also helps with
constipation and flatulence and can help improve circulation. You can
just toss a few peppercorns into the blender or grind them fresh from
your pepper mill.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Caraway</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Caraway seeds are excellent for easing
gas bloating and flatulence, can assist with colic symptoms and may
aid in the prevention of reflux. The fresh leaves can be used also,
directly in blends, as with the seeds. Caraway has been said to
promote milk production in nursing mothers and assist with symptoms
of bronchitis as well. It is ideal that caraway seeds be heated prior
to ingestion, so either toss them in with cooking food (the perfect
accompaniment to pumpkin) or give them a very quick dry-roast on a
pan or skillet before grinding them. Uncooked caraway seeds may
escape the blender blades and are just the perfect size to lodge
sideways in a button valve, so consider grinding your dry-roasted
seeds separately first.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Cardamom</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Cardamom is a fantastic digestive
tonic, aiding gas, bloating, and gastric motility, and can relieve
stomach cramps. It can counteract the thickening of mucus secretions
often associated with dairy products, and has been shown to have
powerful anti-ulcer properties. Use the seeds freshly ground if
possible, but powdered is fine and very easy to use too.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Cayenne pepper</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This is a powerful digestive and
circulatory stimulant, and definitely take care when using with
children or those with very sensitive systems. It is used to treat
indigestion, and unlike the advice generally given about avoiding
spicy foods it may be that a small amount of cayenne actually
improves acid reflux.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Chamomile</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Soothes digestive upsets and provides
relief from nausea; best used as a tea, you can use chamomile tea as
a thinning liquid for your blends or bolus it (cooled) on its own.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Cinnamon</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A wonderfully warming spice, cinnamon
stimulates digestion at all levels, gently encouraging bowel
movements but also acting to alleviate diarrhea. This seems to be
the spice that makes for the best-smelling vomit as well strangely
enough, with a little bit making any such unfortunate eruptions
rather less unpleasant to deal with. The bark of a tree, you can
throw the 'quills' it comes in straight in the blender or use the
ready-powdered form. Great with fruity blends especially I find.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Coriander</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The fresh leaves are a good stomach
tonic, and the ground seeds also stimulate digestion and can help
alleviate diarrhea. Coriander seeds have been shown to have some
anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects (as well as smelling and
tasting divine) so may be useful that way too. These seeds blend
just fine.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Dill</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The fresh or dried tips and also the
seeds of dill are classic pairings for egg dishes and shellfish. It
helps soothe digestive upsets, especially colicky gas and flatulence.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Fennel</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Fresh fennel leaves can act as both an
appetite stimulant but also then promote a feeling of fullness, very
helpful for those trying to lose weight or who suffer from hunger
pangs. It lessens gas, cramping and flatulence, Can assist with
nausea and also insomnia. The seeds or fresh leaves can be blended
easily or a tea made from the seeds.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Ginger</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Fresh or dried ginger is a very useful
digestive herb, helping to speed digestion along but also calming the
stomach, soothing nauseas and acting to reduce or prevent gas,
bloating, cramping and flatulence. The fresh root has more active
compounds but there is some evidence that dried powdered ginger may
be more gentle in its effects. It can be added to blends or made
into a tea. A tea with ginger, cayenne, lemon, honey and garlic is
an excellent tonic for colds and flus.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Mint</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There are hundreds of member of the
mint family, and all the culinary mints can assist with digestion,
easing gas especially that associated with consuming beans. It also
has an anti-inflammatory action. Add the fresh or dried leaves to
blends.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Parsley</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Humble parsley, the ubiquitous garnish
herb, stimulates appetite and may also help with the assimilation of
nutrients. It is very high in iron and Vit C as well. Use freely
fresh or dried in blends.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Thyme</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As well as being good for coughs, thyme
stimulates production of gastric secretions and mucus, especially
useful for irritated stomachs. It has antibacterial and antifungal
properties, yet also acts to support a healthy intestinal flora.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Turmeric</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The fresh or dried, powdered vibrant
yellow root calms the digestive system and stimulates production of
bile and digestive enzymes. It has antiseptic properties, and
reduces intestinal gas and bloating, especially that associated with
beans and legumes. Use the fresh root or powder in cooking or
straight in the blend but take care – it can stain a nice happy
yellow colour.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This really only scrapes the surface of
the herbs and spices you might find in your kitchen already. Those
who make their own curry powders will recognise that several of these
are key ingredients in many curries, and indeed most curry mixes will
assist with digestion also. Herbs and spices are best as fresh as
possible, or in the case of powdered spices, freshly ground if you
can. Buying in small quantities from a source with a high turnover
of stock is ideal if you are able.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-66180486256114875292012-01-11T12:34:00.005+08:002012-01-11T12:46:03.354+08:00Bloody Goldfish on toast for supper again.My dad was an Antarctic adventurer. Unsure quite what to do in life, not yet ready to settle into teaching after his University studies in maths and a diploma in education, and following a career so far speckled with odd and interesting jobs he answered an ad in the paper seeking people to join an Antarctic Expedition crew for a year. He did a crash course in meteorology, Antarctic survival stuff, and sailed for the icebound continent in 1956 or thereabouts as a 'weather guesser'. They were primitive times back then, he was only the second crew to man their station at Davis, so they inherited a one-room hut and took with them the makings of the rest of the station on board the ship, which they had to build as soon as they got there. Small crew, all men, with very limited contact via dodgy radio with the outside world for a year or more.<br />
<br />
And of course they had to take all their own food with them. Though there could also be trying moments when one gets (for example) stuck in a blizzard that lasts 14 days with only a week's supply of food (which is how much you take for a 2-day field trip in Antarctica, <i>just in case</i>). Certain unpalatable truths about seal meat, dog flesh, and so on are learned too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/263/cache/adult-leopard-seal_26388_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/263/cache/adult-leopard-seal_26388_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Huskies (the dogs they used to use for getting around back then) can live off a diet very high in seal meat, so long as you don't then eat the dogs, especially the dog's livers. Certain vitamins get concentrated to toxic levels. Fun But Obvious Fact - dead seal freezes, so the best way to cut it up is like a log; in rounds, with a chainsaw. Glad you know that now? :-) This is the Antarctic Leopard seal. They are notoriously unfriendly. Do not try to pat one.</span></b></div>
<br />
Luckily, my father's expedition had a Frenchman in the crew who just happened to be an excellent cook. He didn't just bake bread, he plaited loaves specially, and gave them some actual variety and joy when it was his turn to cook. But of course, nearly everything that went down with them was tinned. And you can imagine the boredom of the same tinned diet over and over and over for months and interminable months in a small building with 6 or 7 others.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to the Bloody Goldfish. That's the typically Aussie name they gave the detested Sardines in Tomato Sauce - detested not for any reason other than because there were so bloody many of the bloody little things, meaning they were a most frequent dietary item.<br />
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<br />
I've never eaten a tinned sardine in my life, and we certainly never had them in our house when I was growing up. Dad would make shuddery comic-disgust faces whenever someone said the word 'sardine' and mutter "uuurrgh Bloody Goldfish" under his breath.<br />
<br />
One erstwhile tubie momma (her boy has successfully weaned and eats like a champ now) had a standard super-food blend she'd make involving sardines, avocado and olive oil. Yes, heavy on the fats but they're all good fats and when you have a look at the breakdown of nutrients it's an amazingly full and power-packed blend. She'd add other stuff around this but this was a very regular blend backbone.<br />
<br />
Recently, in the course of research for my book and through life in general I've been prompted to think about including some more animal-sourced foods in my diet. I am typically a lacto-vegetarian blender you see, relying mainly on legumes, nuts, seeds and dairy for my proteins. Very very rarely I'd blend egg if it had been baked in something or if we had egg leftover from a meal for guests. Just easier when you have a vegetarian household - no meat-handling issues in the fridge or sink etc. Still, Meeta's fine with my consuming whatever as long as I'm 'clean' about it and eventually I decided I would. I'd start with these little oily fish that are so calorie-dense and so good for you.<br />
<br />
I've spoken of it before, the advantage I have of being my own blender, and able to communicate; I can 'listen' to my own body, and in fact removing the distractions of taste and smell and all that joyous stuff around eating has made me even more keenly aware of how food feels and how my body responds to it. And it was saying it wanted sardines. Also, maybe some emu, kangaroo, and some bone broth-type stuff, probably from a cow. Emu is my favourite meat of all; if you're a carnivore and you've never tried it, seriously do yourself a favour.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2003/chavez_images/mba_sardines_low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2003/chavez_images/mba_sardines_low.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Of course, I wouldn't buy the Bloody Goldfish. Apart from anything, it's hard enough finding good sustainably-fished sardines from local waters let alone ones with organic extras so good ol' spring water it was for my little tinned guys. I have eaten sardines before, but fresh luscious ones caught earlier that day, not the tinned ones, as I mentioned. They do go with tomato really well. And it's tomato season in my garden right now: here's what I blended:<br />
<br />
<b><i>Tins sardines in springwater x 2</i></b><br />
<b><i>Light rye sourdough bread w caraway seeds (org, baked by me that morning), large chunk.</i></b><br />
<b><i>Lettuce, various types, from the garden</i></b><br />
<b><i>Tomatoes, cherry pear variety, from the garden</i></b><br />
<b><i>Capsicum (bell pepper) from the garden</i></b><br />
<b><i>Basil and marjoram, from the garden</i></b><br />
<b><i>Garlic cloves, locally grown</i></b><br />
<b><i>Organic tomato paste</i></b><br />
<b><i>EVOO, organic, from just down the road.</i></b><br />
<b><i>Water.</i></b><br />
<br />
I had an avocado in the fridge but it turned out to be what lots of chefs I know call a 'hand grenade' so its grey mooshiness is now happily feeding worms. I added a splash more oil because of this.<br />
<br />
As food, I imagine having roasted the little tomatoes and peppers in some oil, and mushed them into the sardines on to fresh hot toasted crusty rye sourdough, with the herbs roughly chopped through and some salad leaves. Mm.<br />
<br />
I didn't weigh or measure, and got 2 litres of pretty thick but rich and smooth not-too-fishy-smelling ochre-coloured blend that I had roughly estimate at about <b>35-40 cal/oz.</b> Not too fatty, and a good spread of nice nutrients. Very 'crunchy' in the green/locavore/organic/hippy sense too if you're not hung up on the whole animal death thing. And I have to say, a couple of hours after a feed, it feels really very good.<br />
<br />
I plan to honour the demise of a few more animals by consuming their flesh thoughtfully and respectfully in as friendly a way to them and our planet as I can in the near future. I'll keep you all appraised of any interesting developments. :-)<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.antarctica.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0015/31272/varieties/popup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://www.antarctica.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0015/31272/varieties/popup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is Davis station in the summer after my dad lived there. The Vestfold Hills area of Antarctica remains relatively ice-free, especially in summer. Nice climate too. On mid-summer days the temperature may even get up to freezing point - t-shirt weather. 40 below was more typical though.</span></b></div>
<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-33778194074118123082012-01-05T21:18:00.000+08:002012-01-06T09:08:25.799+08:00Mini (ONE) Step At A Time<span style="font-family: inherit;">UPDATE: PLEASE SEE BOTTOM OF POST FOR THE NEWS.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This might mark a little watershed moment. Although I'll admit to a slight dose of skepticism, just for now. What has happened to make this watershed? In brief, that a large corporate market player has stepped out from under the wing of pharmaceutical company protectionism and made a bold statement in support of food.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The skeptic asks me how long this might remain the case; whether some backpedalling may occur, and wonders at exactly the motivations, but no matter - for now, this is a Good Thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For those outside the little loop world of we tubies, enteral feeding devices come in two types - tubes and 'buttons'. Most people, especially for children with tubes, opt for buttons, as they don't dangle about the place. Most buttons are retained by internal water-filled balloons which make them simple to replace at home. The 'button' has now effectively lionized the market. The market is controlled by just two companies, with different varieties of their own products.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amtinnovation.com/images/MiniONE_pancake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.amtinnovation.com/images/MiniONE_pancake.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">AMT, makers of the rather popular MiniONE button amongst other enteral devices and one of the two main players has just said this <a href="http://www.amtinnovation.com/New_Enteral_Feeding.html">on their website page, under the heading section of Are You New To Enteral Feeding?</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Wherever possible, real food is still the best thing for feeding people, whether they eat the regular way or through a tube."</span></i></b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a BIG call. I have seen device manufacturers' literature saying that their devices are suitable for enteral formula and blenderized foods before, but never have I seen a corporation, one of the Big Medicine Corps, effectively say to the entire marketplace that food is better than formula if you can do it. Can they get away with it for long, do you think, before someone at Big Pharma takes countermeasures? </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.biojobblog.com/uploads/image/social-media-democracy(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://www.biojobblog.com/uploads/image/social-media-democracy(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, such countermeasures have long been in place against using food for tube feeding, ever since a reliable and sanitary product that could be shown on paper to provide a spectrum of nutrients suitable for theoretical human life that could be profitably sold was created. It's called education. Doctors and dietitians are busy, time-poor people, who often feel under-rewarded for the long and arduous hours they put in at humanity's service, and despite the canniness of many of them, they are vulnerable to slick messaging from the only people with deep enough pockets to provide most of their free, ongoing postgraduate education - the Pharma Corps. I do not mean to completely belittle the value of such education - of course they need to keep up with developments and changes in science and best practice, and for the most part it is pharmaceutical company funding that drives the research and innovation. They also put on very nice dinners (I should know, I've hosted enough of them). </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But food has no such champion. Big Food certainly throws it weight around the mass market and leans heavily on governments around the world to get their bidding done, but the tubie market is too small. But we're a VERY lucrative market for Big Pharma. Also, for AMT and their competition. Naturally, they want the goodwill of the fastest-growing market segment of the fast-growing tubie market.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, I congratulate those at AMT with the stones to make this call, even if for now it is just on one part of their website. They kindly link directly to our sister site (where many of this bog's posts are reproduced and I am a co-administrator also), <a href="http://blenderizeddiet.net./">blenderizeddiet.net.</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://cdn2.mademan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/big-stones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://cdn2.mademan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/big-stones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's to the notion that this might be a key moment in the opening up of the thinking of the medicalized world of tube feeding. That one day, we might see food on an equally-respected footing with enteral formulae as an option, as well-supported and accepted if not more so, in the medico-industrial complex.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's not too much to hope for, is it?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EDIT UPDATE: I have just been informed by AMT's marketing manager Lisa Szpak that they have amended their website, saying that <i>"the wording on the website is what you requested to best describe blenderizeddiet.net".</i> I understand that Beverly Hanset-B<span style="font-family: inherit;">urch, our co-admin there, previously provided them with some information they could use. Lisa went on to say <i>"</i></span></span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AMT does not currently have a position regarding real food versus formula. Nor are we aware of any movement by pharmaceutical companies or device manufacturers regarding real food versus formula. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We have modified our website to more accurately represent the subject matter of your website."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sadly, my fears proved founded then. They have bailed on us regards any endorsement.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-71004744782731867862011-12-21T22:19:00.000+08:002011-12-21T22:19:06.002+08:00'Crunchy' blends can go smoothly too.....For those unaware, recent times have seen the second-top definition of the word '<i><b>crunchy</b></i>' in most dictionaries as "politically and environmentally liberal" (as in "music that incorporates whalesong sounds pretty crunchy to me"). Or this, more fully from urbandictionary.com<span style="font-family: inherit;"> - "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> " Apparently the etymology of it goes back to a commonly-used phrase in certain circles in the US - shortened from "crunchy granola people".</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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Lately I've copped a bit of (mostly good-natured) flak about the crunchy nature of most of my blends. Fair call, and being Australian I am all for the sort of well-meaning stirring we often charmingly refer to as "shit-giving", since being vile to each other and heaping insult and deprecation on our close friends and loved ones proved a valid means of overcoming the torpid emotional stifling and suppression that came with the English part of our foundation. We're not quite so comfortable with declarations of love as we are with personal insult. So when you meet an Australian, and when they first call you a bad word, then you know they like you a lot and have accepted you as a friend - just so as you know, OK? You silly bastard.<br />
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So anyway, yes, my take on things nutritional is unapologetically a bit on the crunchy side. Like a hippie into top-fuel drag racing though, I also wholeheartedly approve of Nigella Lawson's ridiculously consumption-oriented antics in the kitchen in that her message at heart is about joy and love and the shortness of life. She just expresses it differently from the way I do, is all.<br />
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An oft-commented-upon phenomenon when people begin a blended Tube Food journey is the dawning of awareness of food in a whole new way - whether we are blending for ourselves or someone in our care. In fact, it especially applies to parents of small children. What happens, by simple virtue of putting stuff into a see-through container and turning it effectively into stomach contents minus the lumps and digestive juices is that we see and smell what a whole meal is really like, down at 'gut' level. Of course there's the informational approach as well to do our heads in; just in case the blender wasn't illustrative enough. We read the ingredients on a can of formula, are perhaps a little horrified as we fully understand what it is humans are being asked to subsist on, solely, for the foreseeable future. Then when we go to replace that with a 'regular' store-bought sort of pre-packaged meal (such as we'd happily eat at home), reading the ingredients and scrutinizing the caloric values and nutritional breakdowns gives us another pause for thought. So many unnatural chemicals, so much fat, sugar, salt, so highly denatured and processed...........<i>but it's still OK because <b>it isn't formula;</b> that still makes it OK as Real Food doesn't it?</i><br />
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That, friends, is for each one of us to decide.<br />
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My last post here was all about choosing better over best, and why it's a sensible approach. I stand by it, as I stand by Nigella's genuine quest to enhance our enjoyment of all things foody. But my journey, and that of many tubies and tubie carers, takes a different path; one more akin to <i>entering the food</i>, to accepting the axiom "you are what you eat" as more than just a throwaway line. This runs the risk of being seen as very crunchy indeed.<br />
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We tubies tend to be an unwell lot on average, it must be said. I mean there are <i>reasons</i> we have tubes, it's not a lifestyle choice for most of us. And when you take the connection between nourishment and wellness, then it's hard to turn away from. The burden of such knowledge, that you can almost without any doubt make a huge difference on your spectrum of ill-health to good-health just by changing your diet, is a heavy one, unless acted upon with some grace. Admitting that our average diet is frankly an unsustainable horror and abomination to the planet and our health is hard. It means changing our ways. Facing up to things. Admitting we have been conned, perhaps.<br />
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But all too easily, steps on the road to this awareness can feel just so relentlessly negative, and this demotivates many of us. Such negativity is often cited as a reason to shy away from falling in with the crunchy brethren and settling for more of the 'regular' normative diet of Homo Microwavicus. I'm referring to the set of discoveries that those seeking information about food and health make very early on - that pretty much everything that you used to think of as 'food' gives you cancer, heart disease, diabetes, makes you obese, is addictive, messes with your mood and stunts your intelligence. Etcetera. It can seem like it's an all-or-nothing venture, either you become a sandal-wearing vegan self-sufficient organic solar power producer and join the ranks of the annoyingly self righteous or you just shy back from the enormity of the whole modern diet catastrophe and settle down to a big dish of nice consoling 'low-fat' chocolate and bacon icecream. I know many people are simply put off by the mention of a whole grain, an organic vegetable, a mung bean. And anyway, isn't it all like really hard work?<br />
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This last myth is the one I want to bust today. That using good whole foods is difficult, that *cooking* in itself is hard, takes loads of time, and is expensive. Baloney.<br />
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Double baloney if you have a good blender at your disposal. Many folks new to the idea of a blenderized diet start from the premise that food will need to be treated in very certain and specific ways to be safely used in a tube. Not so; in fact, quite the contrary. I found that getting to know my Vitamix was one of the most liberating things I'd ever experienced with food. Simply put - I can blend <i>anything</i>. Paradoxically, this makes it easy to just throw in some Carnation Instant Breakfast, skim milk powder, Cheerios and perhaps a Twinkie and be done with it. Just as easy is opening a can of formula, and the formula would be arguably better for you too. But the real possibilities such a blender opens up are awesome - if you're cooking a healthy meal for the family then that can go right in the blender too. How simple is that? Any food you can think of to eat in the whole world - you can blend it.<br />
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Maybe you've done a bit of reading, and been inspired to go down the local market and buy some bulk whole grains, or legumes. Maybe you live in a food desert and have to travel to get such things, so you stock up - all good. You've discovered that frozen vegetables are not only often better quality than 'fresh' from the supermarket but way cheaper too. Perhaps you've gotten word around with friends and decided that if you all pool together you can buy half a grass-fed organic cow, have it butchered, divided between you and put up in the freezer. These things all make crunchy so much cheaper than the cheapest junk food it's beyond belief. Rice and beans or any grains, chosen well, with a little bit of some good fats, some vegetables, maybe some animal parts or secretions, that's the foundations we're talking about. And if you only look at the adventure from a tube Food perspective, then the whole area of cooking becomes suddenly ten times easier. Why? Because it just doesn't matter how it looks, what it tastes like, or whether you cooked it totally 'right'. It's pretty much impossible to fail.<br />
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Crunchy really is just as quick as the alternative, but there's a catch - crunchy usually means waiting. Rice takes a little while to cook. Soaking beans is a really good idea, so you'll find yourself spending a whole 120 seconds (that's two minutes) getting out a bowl and some water the night before. Job's already half done then, you see. Inventions like rice cookers and slow cookers make it so amazingly simple and easy to prepare too. Grains, beans, vegetables, meats, whatever - in the crock. Set. Come back 3 or 4 hours later and blend. That was 15 minutes of your life, just spread over a morning or afternoon. And the rewards? You've spent less cash (if you've shopped or grown well and wisely), gotten tastier food, better nutrition, a sense of providing and accomplishment, and taken less time than wrangling a bunch of cans/jars/plastic packets, microwaves and other gear, plus you've been quite a bit kinder to the environment. But there are TWO extra benefits that come from this, neither of which seem obvious in the face of the other.<br />
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One, every step you make towards a more naturalistic and 'whole' crunchy approach to food makes every other step that more inviting, that bit more inspiring and easier, as you discover new sensations and flavours, and gain confidence. Of course, noticing great health improvements can be pretty motivating as well. But number two, opposite to this and <i>just as important</i>, you'll probably come to care far less about the occasional 'bad' food choice episode. You'll stop feeling such guilt at consuming a processed convenience or indulgent luxury food here and there. You'll recognize you're making a certain trade-off between your momentary sense of wellbeing (it was late, convenient, and it's a tasty treat for the family etc) and your desire to feed your tube or your tubie as healthfully as possible. Why? Because you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that all that other crunchy stuff you're doing<i> is making up for such stuff</i>. You can have your Nigella Lawson moments and buy the extravagantly enriched dark chocolate nibblies without overly worrying about the transnational corporation's probable use of child labour or the empty fat-forming calories because you'll have realised by now it's impossible to 100% avoid doing all harm all the time, and because your choices are, for the most part, very responsible ones. Importantly, that does something very profound to the food we eat (and the food we tube), I believe, or at least to how we assimilate it in ourselves.<br />
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How we <i>feel</i> about our food and tube food is just as important as the food itself, in my small and humble opinion. If it's a burden, if there's a sense of stress, and it all comes down to being a chore - and if we doubt its goodness and whether it's the 'right' thing, then we are doing ourselves a great disservice. Stress and worry are the biggest and most easily remedied influences on digestive health there are, and they're incredibly infectious. A carer's stress will translate to a tubie's distress, without a word said or a mention made. Just as if we're worrying about whether the processed comfort food we're eating is making us fatter and moving us ever closer to diabetes and a coronary before the age of 50 is more sure to make it so than being less worried, because the stress itself is bad for your heart and wreaks havoc with your digestion. The worry itself creates that great, terrible feedback loop of nihilism - the one that returns you to the sofa with the soda, the chemically-enhanced 1500 cal popcorn with 1000% of your rdi of sodium, and the triple-choc fudge. <br />
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<i>Better</i> really is so much <i>better than best</i> in all this too. Making a move in the crunchy direction not only makes further moves easier, but it makes 'retrograde' decisions less stressy too. And you'll find over time you make fewer of those processed convenience-food type choices anyway, but enjoy them all the more because of it.<br />
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Nigella's hardly the role model for crunchy healthful planet-loving sustainable foodiness, but she's got one thing nailed for sure - genuine enjoyment is at least half the picture.<br />
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And since you're reading this here, chances are very high you already know the broad benefits of the Crunchy, and the major horrors of the slick, corporatized consumerist Smooth. So your choice is fairly (or perhaps unfairly) clear - embrace a bit of a crunchwards direction in your food and tube life, or be prepared for the pressure and stress of your resistance to make you feel worse and more disconnected as time goes on.<br />
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I believe in the end that natural selection-type pressures will prevail over our dietary and lifestyle mistakes anyway. We will all die too, of course; so in the light of this mortal reminder the only real question is this: <br />
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.Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-30264858635730978362011-12-14T12:56:00.002+08:002011-12-14T12:56:59.157+08:00Better Versus BestI almost called this post <i><b>Dessert or Desert? </b></i>But then I figured people might think I was going to talk about how bad spelling is on the internet lately. No, I'm not - we all know how rotten spelling and grammar are getting these days and it's hardly news. What that alternative title refers to is the trouble with actually finding real food in so many places these days.<br />
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As happens from time to time, I made some tactless comments with good intentions online, and managed to upset some people. Part of it is that I forget how incredibly lucky I am. Even though I live in small-town Western Australia, on a very low fixed disability pension, I can still manage to find (and grow) decent fresh food. It still staggers me that with all the advances in modern civilization, and the explosion of consumer choice - I mean just think of the sheer SIZE of a supermarket these days - that an enormous percentage of the Western (especially American, it has to be said) urban population lives in a virtual food desert. There is either <b><i>no</i></b> fresh or whole food available, or it is priced beyond the ordinary means of the average locals. Very often what is available is factory-farmed, genetically mis-manipulated, artificially grown, processed, and OLD beyond belief, to the point of providing very little nutritional value. But you can always find a cheap, tasty, fat-and-sugar laden frozen dessert made on a factory line somewhere from a bunch of industrial by-products from stuff that might once have qualified as food, or might not.<br />
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Really. There exist in countless cities, towns and communities whole neighbourhoods that have NO access to fresh or whole foods. And we tubies live in those places, too.<br />
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This is all a terrible shame, and an indictment on all of us; that we have allowed the very foundation of our health, wellbeing and even social fabric - <b><i>food</i></b> - to be so completely taken away from us in this way.<br />
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So while we all do what we can to fix our broken societies, we make do, and work around the problems as best we can. That's why I ended up calling this post <b><i>Better Versus Best.</i></b><br />
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It's all a matter of degrees after all, isn't it? The decisions we make about our nutrition, I mean. You all know I make a trade-off between the best possible nutrition I could have and factors lie ease, convenience and price. Along with my pretty-good blends I use canned formula quite regularly; it's especially handy for going out places. Again, I'm lucky in that I can handle it (as long as I have plentiful good food to balance it out), formula is subsidised to some degree by my government health system, and I CAN make blends of great fresh and whole foods. Still, for various mainly psychological and availability reasons, I cut corners too and use pre-prepared stuff in my blends. There is no good reason for me <i>not</i> to do this, as overall, my diet is good.<br />
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What to do with a Tube Food diet when you live in a food desert though? Do you just throw your hands in the air, throw in the towel, and figure you can't win anyway? No, of course you don't. To torture some metaphors a little further, that knowledge you have gained about Real Food means you can't just stick your head in the sand now. Or maybe there is a tiny bit of an oasis available to you, but you just can't afford the prices the locals charge for the good stuff.<br />
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Speaking of torture, some people find themselves in other invidious positions of bondage about the sorts of blends they feel they 'can' do. I lost count a long time ago of the number of stories I've heard of threats from dietitians, doctors, and so on to call in child protective services, to refuse treatment, to even remove foster children from custody, for 'transgressions' such as daring to feed your child actual food, even when you can demonstrate very clearly that it really is, in fact and actually, far better for them than what has been prescribed. I hear of dietitians who grudgingly agree to trials of blended food, insisting that parents and carers stick rigidly to recipes made for them by the dietitian, composed of highly refined or processed foods, fortified with all manner of artificial additives, presumably so they can justify themselves to their superiors should things come somehow unstuck. <i>"See, I did it by The Book - it's not my fault it didn't work."</i> This is not all that rare, sadly, right now.<br />
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What to do in the face of all this? What I forgot when I offended by commenting on someone's blend (when I erroneously thought they were also saying their child had all sorts of terrible gastrointestinal issues, probably from the food) was my relative good fortune. Turns out the child in question is actually thriving now they're off the formula, and given the situation with an obstinate RD, a foster-care situation and the subsequent financial difficulties with what is a pretty decent blend, all things considered. One could never fault the parenting of the person in question. This blend works for that child, and works for the family situation, so that's what matters.<br />
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The take-home message is that we might not be able to do <i><b>best</b></i> all or even some of the time, but that needn't stop us from doing <i><b>better.</b></i><br />
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When people start using a blender to prepare food, and start dabbling in nutrient and calorie factors, a funny thing happens: We get a totally different perspective on what is, and isn't food. The scales fall from our eyes and we read ingredient labels, and discover things like The Thousand Names Of Sugar. Then, faced with an entire society seemingly designed to ensure the oral eaters consume as much as possible of fast convenience foods high in all the wrong things but many of which are so cleverly marketed as 'healthy choices', it's no wonder that some of us fall into despair and let it demotivate us from doing the best we can given what we've got. You know, just blending up a Carnation Instant Breakfast sachet with some Corn Syrup, 2% milk and Cheerios. <br />
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You can make an argument that this blend is 'better' than a can of formula, but do you know what? I personally wouldn't say so, <i>unless</i> it's better tolerated than formula, and there's other, good food in the diet as well. Then sure, it's better. And if that's all you can do, then do it well, and feel <i>good</i> about it.<br />
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It's really easy to go too far with our urge to nourish well, especially when we're blending for the health and maybe even the very survival of a child or loved one. We can obsess to the point of paralysis, and in fact this is exactly what happens with so many people when they first come to consider a blended diet - the question of <i>"but how do I make sure it's <b>complete</b>?</i>" can seem so incredibly overwhelming, especially for the majority of us who know with certainty that our own diets are a compromise at best and a health disaster at worst. We often have a lot to learn very quickly about basic nutrition and we feel we have to<b><i> get it right; right now.</i></b> The pressure can be too much, so we fold and go back to the canned formula, or the Carnation Instant Breakfast the RD told us we could try with some applesauce if we really must insist.<br />
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When that happens we can't feel sure of what <i>best</i> is, so we never move to something <i>better.</i><br />
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And as with all things in life,<i> it's a matter of direction and degree,</i> not of absolutes. This all applies to how oral eating folks nourish themselves too, you know. As long as we're constantly looking to do better, we'll be moving always towards best. Don't be holding out for <i>best</i> just because you can only do a little bit <i>better</i>. DO that little bit better. Better is the right direction.<br />
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.Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-2348316390280633902011-11-26T20:32:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.813+08:00Perfect Salad Wrap; a Really Complete Meal.Lately, I've been paying much closer attention to two things; to my foody 'cravings' for want of a better word, and to availability and the 'chance' factor. They're both very important I feel.<br />
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I can actually count a special blessing with regards my feeding tube; freedom from the tyranny of our evolved sugar/fat/salt cravings. Part of the modern obesity epidemic can be slated to the unconscious 'survival' behaviour some of us exhibit when presented with ready availability (or even just thoughts of) hi-calorie foods. There's a part of the ancient reptile brain that instinctively still acts as if food may be about to be scarce at any moment now, so propels us to gorge and store the excess calories as fat.<br />
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This actually wouldn't be much of a problem at all, if what we were mainly presented with as 'food' these days was actually food, of course. The more I learn, experience and grow, the more I deeply understand how modern manipulation of once-natural foodstuffs is the real underpinning of so much of not just our health ills, but our societal ones as well. I'll save this conversation for another day however.<br />
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Since I cannot eat, I can listen to and hear my body's desires in a far deeper and less taste/texture/mouthfeel sort of way. It's hard to explain, and of course I remember what things taste like very well. I realise I can still (and I'll bet you can do this too) easily imagine what new combinations of flavours - things you've not tried together before - will taste like. In your head right now try papaya and strawberry, then add a dash of lime juice. See? (I had some with millet, walnuts and pepitas earlier today).<br />
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Anyway, lately, I've been wanting some cheese, which I haven't had for over two years. But not just any cheese, I wanted firm, white, crumbly brined cheese, like feta, and preferably non-cow milk cheese.<br />
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I shop for myself like this - I keep an eye out for good staples grains, seeds, legumes, nuts, oils, certain vegetables I love (always like to have sweet potato around) and snap up bargains or whatever I fancy at that moment in the market or supermarket aisle. Then I also have a random wandering eye for whatever else looks good and is a *real* food. You know, unprocessed or minimally processed, fresh, etc. So I spotted this lovely sheep's milk cheese; just a simple, Eastern European-style no-fuss, non-'gourmet' (thus inexpensive) brined white sheep cheese. <br />
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Today, I was working in the garden, which has some salad leaf type things ready to pick, and I REALLY fancied a sheep's milk cheese salad and bread for lunch. Seeing as how I blend mine, I can supercharge it. I basically picked and prepared a salad for two, but doubled-down on the dressings and upped the cheese ratio by maybe an extra third. So if you're doing this one for eating, halve the oil, vinegar, mustard and sesame seeds, and consider using a little less cheese. You'll see from the calculations, it's nutritionally fabulous.<br />
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Before we jump into the recipe, a note on salads and calories: McDonalds (the 'restaurant' chain) introduced just a couple of years back in Australia (I'm unsure about the Rest Of The World) a revamp, the McCafe concept, and so-called Healthier Choices menu, including salads. Many of their salads have higher caloric contents than their burgers, and the unrefined sugars and highly processed oils in the dressings and croutons and things actually make them a far less healthy choice in real terms than a burger. Go figure. Just remember, an undressed salad, without carb additives (like bread) is a VERY low-calorie thing. Dressings etc turn this on its head, OK? What we can take from this is that this sort of salad recipe is a completely excellent way of getting a good dose of fresh vital greens and raw veg, some sustaining carbs, good essential fats and oils which will help moderate the digestion (if chosen wisely) and amazingly even great protein. Win-win-win.<br />
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Here it is; you can use any breadlike thing you like, or if it's just for blending, prepare a whole grain of your choice. We had these pitas made from good stoneground whole wheat flour. How easy!<br />
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Wholemeal Pita breads, small, x 2: 361cal<br />
Sheep's milk cheese, drained, 200g: 535cal<br />
Salad leaves, enough for two people (I used rocket and two types of non-hearting lettuce): zero cal.<br />
Tomatoes, 125g (or anything you like): 25cal<br />
Sesame seeds 50g: 300cal<br />
Flax seed oil 30ml: 246cal<br />
Balsamic vinegar 30ml: 79cal<br />
Seeded wholegrain mustard 50g: 80cal<br />
Fresh basil, thai (sacred) basil, garlic chives, borage flowers: zero cal.<br />
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If eating, simply tear up the leaves (including the basil), crumble the cheese, cut you tomatoes nice and small or just halve cherry tomatoes then mix up your dressing using half amounts of the mustard, oil and vinegar, add in the chopped garlic chives, toss, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, which will stick to the moist cheese and the dressing and all over everything, giving a wonderful nutty little texture contrast, place the flowers on last.<br />
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Blending method: add water to approx 1 litre. Blend.<br />
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<b>Total volume 1 litre, 1626 cal = 3 x servings of approx 333ml @542 cal each</b><br />
<b>1.6 cal/ml</b><br />
<b>48 cal/oz.</b><br />
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See how supercharged it is? And it doesn't feel fatty in the least. The breakdown is:<br />
57g protein / 108g fat / 96g carbs,<br />
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BUT, if you halve those dressing items, you get <b>1.27 cal/ml (38 cal/oz)</b> and a 41p / 54f / 74c ratio, which is a very nice allround profile.<br />
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Looked nicer before blending, but still - a lovely colour, don't you think?Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-21631298803694719502011-11-24T21:29:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.809+08:00Universal Muesli Breakfast For AnytimeToday I made another simple no-cook blend, not unlike blends I've been making for some time now, but this process of measuring and calculating made me realise what I've got here - a good guideline to a nutritionally excellent, easy, totally healthful blend. So I'm going to present this one a little differently from the last half-dozen efforts here.<br />
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<b><u><i>The Way Of Seed And Nut Fruit Muesli.</i></u></b><br />
<br />
Grains, that don't need cooking, 150g.<br />
Seeds and nuts, whatever seems right together, 100g<br />
Dried or semi-dried fruits, 100-125g<br />
Fresh fruits, whatever is in season or you really feel like, 1-2 cups.<br />
Some vegetable oil(s), 60ml total.<br />
Herbs/spices as you like<br />
1 litre red or blue spectrum fruit juice OR milk sub (eg oat milk, hemp milk) or even just milk.<br />
<br />
This should get you very close to 2 litres, add water if needed.<br />
<br />
It will get you over 30 cal/oz, most likely. For less, use water instead of the juice or milky liquid. For more, add a sweetener like agave syrup, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup, honey. As natural as you can get it. Maybe 60 ml would be about right. Or add fats - coconut oils or coconut pieces would be nice. Alternatively, make it thicker. Up the weights of everything a little and use less liquid. But I like these measurements, and I'll tell you why below.<br />
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<b><i>Method:</i> Blend.</b><br />
<br />
How simple is that? The measurements make p a nice consistency to about 2 litres, or the size of a blender jug. Convenient. The ratios give a good balance of grains, proteins, complex and simpler carbohydrates and so on. You'll notice this is pretty low fat (60ml of olive oil is not a lot in 2 litres) as I want this blend to be a pretty high available-energy blend, but without giving a glycaemic spike. Too many long-chain fats would slow digestion too much. Ease to make, ease of digestion, they're the aims here. Obviously this is not meant to provide a 100% complete nutritional balance for a whole diet, but can be enjoyed any time. You'd rotate with higher-protein and higher-fat blends depending on your needs and situation. Using an animal milk would make this a much more 'complete' blend nutritionally.<br />
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The beauty part is that it's so adaptable. You can buy whatever grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits you come across that look good and are the right price. This is always the way I shop for myself - hunt out the best of what's available, and within that, ask myself what I feel like or what I mightn't have had enough of lately. So your pantry always has a decent store of different go-to ingredients, and then you can use the freshest fruit in season, or use up preserves or even canned stuff at those other times of the year.<br />
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It's getting on late spring here, so today I did:<br />
<br />
Rolled oats 100g, Amaranth grains 50g.<br />
Pepitas 50g, Walnuts 50g<br />
Dates 100g<br />
2 Mangos, and 125g of strawberries.<br />
Olive oil 60ml<br />
Fresh mint, cardamom powder,<br />
Pomegranate Juice 1 litre<br />
<br />
<b>Total volume 2 litres = 6 x servings of 333ml each @ 398 cal/serve</b><br />
<b>1.19 cal/ml</b><br />
<b>35 cal/oz.</b><br />
Approx 35g protein / 79 g fat / 286g carbs.<br />
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What's with the red/blue spectrum juice? Colour is important. Without being all horribly reductionist and scientific, eating red things and blue things is very good for us, and it seems to work well with the energies and combinations of grains, fruits, seeds and nuts. Citrus would not be good in this. You could maybe do apple or pear, but something with the red (cranberry, pomegranate, etc) blue (blueberry) or in-between prune or dark grape) would work really nicely. If you're going to use animal milk instead - and I seriously suggest you do not mix fruit juices with milk, OK? - then blend the hard stuff first with the fruit and a teeny bit of water, and only blend the milk in gently at the end. Less froth, you see. <br />
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You'll notice I used two different grains, and different seeds and nuts. You could use a mix, or single choices, it doesn't matter at all. I wouldn't use all amaranth because that would feel too dense and 'strong', I like the bulk of the oats. I wouldn't use 100g of sesame seeds for the same reason, but I'd use half them and half something else.<br />
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I'm sure you get the picture. I want to encourage you to get inside the food a little, to really feel it out, to extend your senses not just into what might taste good together, but what seems right for you or your loved one today. It's easier than you think, and with time you'll learn that you're usually spot-on, being rewarded with good digestion, health, and a heightened allround sense of nourishment and nourishing.<br />
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Food, after all, is a <i>feel</i> thing, in the end, isn't it?Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-69518201060818658842011-11-20T14:45:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.830+08:00Quickie Moroccan Couscous and VegetableFor this one, you can just use 1 1/2 to 2 cups of whatever vegetable you happen to have tat needs using or seems 'right' today, cooked just enough. I used artichokes, trimmed and steamed for about 15 minutes. While they were simmering away I made the couscous - possibly the easiest grain-type substance ever to prepare now I have discovered it. (Just equal weight of boiling water, dash of salt and oil, off the heat add the couscous, stir for 2 minutes and add in some butter or oil, done!) I zapped the pistachios for one second first, then just added it all together with the steaming water and some extra up to 2 litres. It smells and feels utterly, completely fantastic. The gentle warm spicy notes, overtones of mint and earthy pistachio make for happies. :-) I don't do wheat stuff very often, so now I can really feel what a powerful grain it is. I used almond dukkah, but any dukkah (it's a North African spice blend full of wonderful aromatic and digestive spices) would do.<br />
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For more ordinary human eating, I'd have served these artichokes quartered on a bed of couscous, but first I'd roll them while still steaming moist in a mixture of the dukkah (maybe more) , half the pistachios, the honey (I'd use less) a teeny bit of salt and most of the mint all banged up into a crumbly fineness in a mortar and pestle (or Vitamix), pressing the lovely fragrant crunchy bits in between the layered leaf edges. Or roll my cubed, steamed (or roasted even) veg in it, if not using artichoke. A mix of pumpkin and grilled peppers would be nice. Garnish with the remaining pistachios and sprig of mint. Mm. <br />
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Artichokes, medium x 4: 240 cal.<br />
Couscous 150g (dry weight): 536 cal<br />
Pistachios 100g: 564 cal.<br />
EVOO 60ml: 480 cal.<br />
Butter 30g: 223 cal.<br />
Honey 2 Tbsp: 170 cal.<br />
Almond dukkah 1 Tbsp: 112 cal.<br />
Mint, fresh handful: (probably nearly no cal).<br />
<br />
<b>Total volume 2 litres = 8 x 250ml servings @ 290 cal each</b><br />
<b> OR 6 x 333.3 ml servngs @ 387.5 cal each.</b><br />
<b>1.16 cal/ml</b><br />
<b>34.8 cal/oz.</b><br />
<br />
Also, it's a pretty friendly 67g protein / 116g fat / 193g carb ratio.<br />
<br />
Now if you're really wanting to pack in the cals, I'd use something like a litre of pomegranate juice ( the ready-to-drink natural kind) or similar hi-cal red or blue-spectrum juice instead of the water and with an <b><i>extra 640 cals</i></b> in there it would take it to:<br />
<b>1.48 cal/ml</b><br />
<b>44.5 cal/oz</b><br />
..... and be no thicker.<br />
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It's not quite thin enough to gravity bolus, but as usual, I'll dilute a bit just prior to serving. Nice greenish tinge too. Enjoy this one. <3<br />
.Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-48453067018498846912011-11-14T20:26:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.821+08:00Super Minestrone with Barley and Wild RiceThis is what, 5 recipes now? And everyone loves tomatoey minestrone, right?<br />
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Maybe it's because Italy has been in the news. Maybe it's because of what was in the kitchen and garden. I don't know. But a minestrone like this one is a really easy slow-cooker dish that you can easily tweak and adjust and use to 'use up' small amounts of veges and beans and grains. With the basic <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix_(cuisine)">mirepoix</a></i> (a fancy French word for celery, carrot and onion - we should probably use the Italian equivalent today, <i>soffritto</i>), tomato and tomato paste, beans of some kind, olive oil and oregano, you have your flavour base and you can improvise from there. This isn't a calorie-packed dish, coming in easily around 23 cal/oz before the agave syrup (which you wouldn't add if you were eating this dish) but then again, you'd probably add parmesan and bring it back up again a bit. It would be supremely easy to take this up to 30 cal/oz by upping the seed and nut quotient and adding a few extra hi-cal ingredients (maybe an avocado), similarly, the weight watchers will want to know that this is a very thick minestrone and would be just as flavourful with more stock in a thinner incarnation, and you can delete the nuts and seeds which would be garnish anyway, and halve the oil, which would take it down a long long way. Here's what's in it:<br />
<br />
Fennel bulb, large: 51cal.<br />
Carrot 150g: 48 cal.<br />
Sweet Potato 350g: 228 cal.<br />
Celery 200g: 30 cal.<br />
Onion, 1 medium: 30 cal.<br />
Garlic, 3 cloves: 11 cal. (yes even garlic has calories)<br />
Pearl Barley 150g: 260 cal.<br />
Wild Cambrian Rice 100g: 365 cal.<br />
Tomato paste 125g: 93 cal<br />
Red kidney beans tinned 240g net: 240 cal.<br />
Tinned tomatoes 400g net: 92 cal (can't wait til the first garden-grown ones are ready)<br />
Green beans 125g: 36 cal.<br />
Stock cubes, vegetable, x2: 60 cal.<br />
EVOO 120ml: 960 cal.<br />
Oregano<br />
Celery leaf herb<br />
Bay leaves<br />
Pepper/salt<br />
Sesame seeds 50g: 283 cal.<br />
Pine nuts 40g: 270 cal.<br />
Agave syrup 120ml: 360 cal.<br />
Water.<br />
<br />
<b>Total volume 4 litres = 16 x 250ml servings @214 cal each</b><br />
<b>0.85 cal/ml</b><br />
<b>25.7 cal/oz</b><br />
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For me, I'll be adding a half-glass of kefir to it at serving time, or maybe a calorie-rich juice like beetroot and apple, so there's another 100 cal or more right there and a very comfortable volume.<br />
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I'll give instructions as if I was making it to serve you dear oral eater, for lunch. put half the oil in a pan and sautee your mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion) along with the sliced fennel until the onion is as transparent as a lawyer's smile. Then dump the lot in the slow cooker. This extracts all the lovely flavours. Dice up your sweet potato, throw that in, and add everything except the green beans, seeds, nuts and agave (you're not having that last one anyway) and add water up to about 4 litres. Have a kettle handy for later, as you'll need to add some water as the barley and rice soak it up. Now ignore it for a couple of hours, and enjoy the aromas. Glance at the clock and realise that maybe 2 and a half or more hours have gone by and notice that the water level has dropped a bit. Add in your sliced green beans and some water, back up to the four litres. Cook another 30 minutes or so, just making sure the wild rice still has a bit of toothsome spring to it but the largest piece of sweet potato you can find is nice and tender. Let it rest a while before serving. This is actually important. To serve, heat a dry frypan, then lightly toast first the pine nut then the sesame seeds until they get a nice golden brown, and sprinkle them on top of each bowl, on a float of deep-fried parsnip shavings if you want to get all restauranty-fancy. A garlic and parmesan crouton would be terrific on the side also, or a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan.<br />
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Us blenders, we don't bother with the sauteeing or toasting seeds etc. One slow-cooker, two stages, done. Blend with the nuts and seeds and agave and any other things you want to add in. <br />
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Remember, all those vegetabley things can be substituted for whatever you have that needs harvesting or using up. But the mirepoix is a must-do, OK? You could use frozen stuff. Same with the beans, and if you want to use dried beans or legumes, then just soak for an appropriate period beforehand. This dish is one of those kings-of-leftovers dishes, or as some chefs have been known to call them, bottom-of-the-fridge specials. I needed to harvest fennel, and almost used some artichokes as they needed collecting too, but decided at the last minute that I'd do them separately tomorrow with some sort of grain and.....I'll work it out tomorrow.<br />
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Ciao! Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-86171824439861138992011-11-09T20:28:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.834+08:00Sweet Potato and White Bean Mild Coconut CurryThis one was dead simple.Basically add to a pot with the oil in as you chop, in the usual order - onions, celery, sweet potato etc, get the onions nicely sweated then add everything else in and top up with water to whatever consistency you desire. I cooked it covered on a nice medium simmer for probably 20 minutes, until the sweet potato was completely tender and luscious, but the celery and fennel still had some crunch. Back when I ate, I often made my own curry pastes and still today I will often do my own combination of spices. But I found this nice jar of all-natural (no nasty additives) curry paste on special and gave it a try. A bit oily but that's OK, it smells delicious. Why curry though? Because the spices in curry all combine to aid digestion, and balance out the creamy coconut fats. <br />
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Originally I planned for this to have chickpeas instead of the cannelini beans, but when I got to the cupboard I discovered there were none, just the cannelinis. Never mind. Also, I chose the fennel because it needed harvesting from the garden so I can reclaim the space to plant out some aubergines (eggplant). If I'd had some nice leafy greens I'd have used them instead. I'd also have used fresh coriander over dried if I had some. <b><i>This dish would be delicious </i></b>served with wilted bitter-ish greens like spinach topped with wedges of preserved lemon coated in almond dukkah sprinkles. Or the classic Indian spinach and paneer, which would add in dairy as well. Maybe a grain dish too, but there are plenty of carbs in this as is. Try simple rice or maybe couscous.<br />
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A note for those with high-powered blenders too (that'll be most of us) - <i>you don't have to cook this one at all anyway.</i> If you're fine with raw food (and raw sweet potato, along with fennel is remarkably digestable when Vitamized), then just tip everything straight in the blender, but perhaps delete the onion.<br />
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Onion, 1 x med: 30 cal<br />
Sweet potato (raw weight) 450g: 300 cal<br />
Celery 200g (about 4 stalks): 30 cal<br />
Fennel bulb, 1 x med: 30 cal<br />
Cannelini beans, canned, drained, 240g net: 228 cal<br />
Coconut cream, canned, 270ml: 786 cal<br />
Curry paste, mild yellow 60ml: 184 cal<br />
Rice bran oil, 60ml: 520 cal<br />
Coriander, dried, 1tsp: 0 cal<br />
Water up to 2 litres total volume.<br />
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<b>Total volume 2 litres = 8 x 250ml servings @263.5 cal each</b><br />
<b>1.05 cal/ml</b><br />
<b>31.6 cal/oz</b><br />
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Smells fantastic (the curry ones usually do) and will be super-easy on my digestive system. Sure, this recipe is pretty high in fats, but remember that most of it is from the coconut cream, and 66% of that is MCT oil which does not require digestion. If you wanted to boost the calories in this, a very easy way would be to add in say 50g of seeds, 50g of nuts, and perhaps some blackstrap molasses, or honey, or maple, or agave syrup. None of these would thicken the blend too much but add lots of cals. This blend pours nicely, but will need thinning by (I estimate) 15 to 20% for serving easily with a gravity bolus. Having no grains in, and being cooked, I don't expect it will thicken much if at all when cooled.<br />
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Hope you try this one yourself. :-)<br />
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<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-6787515895017888402011-11-08T15:29:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.827+08:00Millet Seed and Fruit Breakfasty thing.I can imagine this working really nicely as a warm toasty fresh porridge, maybe with stewed apple or fresh banana instead of the mango if you're having it hot. You'd of course only cook the millet and throw in the dried cranberries half-way to rehydrate a bit and get squishy, then just toss all the rest of the ingredients through. I used mango today because I had two lying around. You could also swap in any old grain. If you used raw oats then you could do the whole thing raw as a cold muesli with cold oat milk. Yum!<br />
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Anyway, it's a high-cal, fairly low-GI and very easy-to-make blend, at 41 cal/oz.<br />
<br />
Millet, 1/4cup/100g uncooked weight: 356 cal<br />
Mangos, 2 x med: 225 cal<br />
Pepitas, 50g: 282 cal<br />
Pistachios 50g: 282 cal<br />
Cranberries, dried, 50g: 161 cal<br />
Dates, fresh, 125g: 320 cal<br />
Tahini, 20ml: 130 cal<br />
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 60ml: 480 cal<br />
Agave nectar, 60ml: 180 cal<br />
Oat milk 1 litre: 578 cal<br />
Cardamom 1tsp: 0 cal.<br />
<br />
Total amounts: Protein 73g / Fat 107g / Carb 289g<br />
<br />
<b>Total volume 2 litres = 8 x 250ml servings @374 cal each</b><br />
<b>1.49 cal/ml</b><br />
<b>44.89 cal/oz</b><br />
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You could use this as a template very easily. Just rotate around the different categories: use different nuts, seeds, dried fruit, fresh fruit, oils, and even the grain and milk substitute. Imagine what might have a good taste/texture combo if you're going to eat some yourself. Importantly, to lower the caloric density, you could very easily triple the amount of millet and delete the agave nectar, adding water to make 3 litres and giving then 35 cal/oz. This would bring the carb ratio down a bit also, but note that all these ingredients bar the mango are very low-GI so this blend shouldn't cause a 'sugar spike'.<br />
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As it turned out, the only things not organic in this blend were the cranberries and cardamom, which was nice but of course not necessary. I'd never used millet before, and the internet told me that it's best to toast it lightly in the saucepan until it starts to smell all delicious; this brings out the deeper nuttier flavour. Then add in 3 times the volume of water as millet, boil, simmer covered for maybe 10 or 15 mins. This gives you nicely fluffy al dente millet but if you were making a porridge to eat you'd add water in as it cooked and stir it on the way a bit. I blended the hard stuff for a second or two (literally) first then just plopped everything in and blended for a minute. Done.<br />
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It's cooling right now so I've not had any yet. Smells pretty nice, with the tahini probably the dominant note. Looking at it just now, I have to say it's surprisingly thin and I'm not expecting it will thicken too much more in the fridge. As thin as a nice crepe batter perhaps. That's the thing about using a few hi-cal ingredients of course. That 100g of nuts and seeds, which is easily less than half a cup, that splash of agave and olive oil and the dates, really give it bang for your buck. Easily digestible too I should think judging by experience. I have eaten millet previously, just never cooked with it.<br />
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Enjoy! I shall go and have some now.......<br />
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<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-6489964183823420412011-11-04T15:38:00.003+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.824+08:00Artichoke and Red Kidney Beans with Fennel and TomatoAlrighty, as promised, another recipe calculation. I'll admit that this time because I was already thinking about writing this that I had a little more focus on 'guessing out' the calories to get close to my general goal of 30cal/oz. 25% either way would be fine for me really. Most meals I add kefir or in summer sometimes juice to dilute just before serving so there's usually extra, which in my case is no bad thing.<br />
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But I also tried to think of it as food. The Hare Krisna religion has food very much in a place at the centre, treating it as a spiritual sacrament as well as bodily nourishment. As an interesting aside, as well as being lacto-vegetarian, their diet does not contain onion, garlic, or any related plants. They are viewed as medicine and not food. What impressed me the most about their food practice is that they cook with a sense of joy and thankfulness, and always prayerfully offer the first bite to Godhead. They make food that they'd be pleased to plate up for God in other words, and I think that's a great way to approach our nutrition.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Artichokes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Artichokes.jpg" /></a></div>
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So naturally, I am often drawn towards making something that would taste good too. Or maybe it's just overcompensation because I can't even taste, let alone eat. Anyway, before the last-minute addition of the agave syrup and walnuts (I'd leave the pine nuts in. Hmm, maybe the walnuts too, but then you'd probably go with grilled goat's cheese on top as well......) this would have been a nice dish.<br />
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Artichokes, trimmed, x 4: 240 cal<br />
Fennel bulbs, medium x 2: 78 cal<br />
Red Kidney Beans (tinned organic, net weight) 240g: 240 cal<br />
Tomatos, (tinned organic) 400g: 76 cal<br />
Pine Nuts 40g: 270 cal<br />
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4T: 181 cal<br />
Balsamic Vinegar 1T: 36 cal<br />
Walnuts 50g: 348 cal<br />
Agave syrup 100ml: 300 cal<br />
Oat milk, organic, 1L: 580 cal<br />
Cous cous cooked (dry weight) 100g: 341 cal<br />
braising water added to thin for blending also<br />
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Total volume2.25 litres = 9 x 250 ml servings @298 cals each<br />
1.19 cal/ml<br />
35 cal/fl oz.<br />
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I cooked it as if for plating up, as it seemed right to do that. I simply braised the trimmed artichoke quarters and sliced fennel in a little water for maybe 5 or 10 minutes (they were both fresh from the garden 5 minutes before), drained the water, keeping it for blending later, then added in the tomatoes, kidney beans, balsamic, some olive oil and just simmered it all for a few minutes. If I were then to cook for eating people I'd reduce it a bit more and add in some tomato paste too I think. I'd serve with nicely fluffed couscous (I'd have cooked a lot more though obviously) and the pine nuts scattered on top after being lightly toasted. Crumble feta over as well, or arrange in a shallow casserole dish with strips of goat's cheese kervella on top and grill until the cheese browns slightly. But since I was blending I just put the whole lot in the blender with the cooked couscous and wound it up to speed. it's a pretty faded dusty pinkish red colour, and smells lovely.<br />
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<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-41784379197897306772011-11-01T20:13:00.001+08:002011-12-06T14:34:56.817+08:00Rice 'n' Mango blend.UPDATE: Edit at the bottom with nutritional calculations also.<br />
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I'm going to try and start measuring and calculating some blends for a while. I'll share the results here, for your interest. Don't forget you can submit recipes of your own, either as a comment, or email me and then I'll pop them up in the recipes section for all to see. <br />
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<a href="http://www.kidcyber.com.au/IMAGES/rice_plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.kidcyber.com.au/IMAGES/rice_plant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So here's today's blend; it's a super-simple one, some of my blends can have easily triple the ingredients in them. Simple to make too. Cook the rice, while that's happening or resting zip the pepitas a couple of pulses on high (like, 2 half-second blitzes) and throw in the rest. Assemble. Blend!<br />
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Medium-grain cooked white rice 250g (uncooked weight): 875 Cal<br />
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds kernels) 50g: 282 cal<br />
Kiwi fruit x 5: 250 cal<br />
Large mango x 2: 270 cal<br />
Coconut cream 270ml: 786 cal<br />
Cranberry juice 750ml: 593 cal<br />
Pepper, cardamom, water. Ingredients organic except for kiwi, mango, cardamom.<br />
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Total volume 2.5 litres, = 10x250ml servings @302 cals each. <br />
1.21 cal/ml<br />
36 cal/fl oz<br />
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Right now I've just done a basic calorie count. I aim to next use one of the online tools available to see how it comes out, and give an indication of the carb/protein/fat ratio etc.<br />
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This blend is going to be very low protein, you can tell at a glance, and a little bit high in fat with that coconut cream. But for me the coconut oil is not a real issue even though I have to be very careful with fats (I have almost no gallbladder). I suspect that's because it's a MCT oil so is absorbed by the small intestine rather than digested by bile action in the stomach. But it's a blend I'll alternate with a much higher-protein blend, so over time it evens out. Personally I like the ideas from many old, healthy cultures, that protein is something you need to rest from in your diet, so I'm happy to have meals minus a major protein source. That said, there will be some in the pepitas and rice. The idea of this blend is as a light sort of breakfast or mid-afternoon blend, like one might eat a grain and fruit for breakfast for example. It's a nice thing to pair rice which can be a little 'cloggy' in a digestive sense with a digestive promoters mango, cardamom and pepper, and oil to keep things slippery as well. My last rice bland also had mango and kiwi, but I used dates, almonds, rice bran oil and agave syrup. Mangos are just coming into full season now, so that was the inspiration. Often I will just pick intuitively a fresh ingredient that is ready in the garden or is ripe in the shop as a basis to build a blend on.<br />
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<a href="http://destinationjamaica.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mangos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://destinationjamaica.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mangos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Consistency-wise, it will not quite gravity bolus, but adding 25-50ml of water just prior to feeding would make it run fine, nice and slowly. Instead of that, I'll mainly dilute with kefir, which is not quite as thin as water, being made from milk anyway, and I'd use around 100 mls of that or more, depending on how hungry I feel.<br />
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Seeing as how I've just been guessing my blends the last couple of years, this will be an interesting exercise!<br />
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EDIT: I've run the recipe through the <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp">sparkpeople calculator.</a> It was tricky as I had to go on trust with thing like brand of cranberry juice and they only had coconut milk, not cream (but I compared the tins of each in my pantry and got a good ratio, the only difference between the two is water added). Here it is, a little different from my calcs but close enough for jazz, as they say. I'm going to try the nutritiondata site next, and see if I can make it more user-friendly.<br />
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These figures are per 250ml serving (kefir not included); vitamin and mineral figures are shown as percentage of RDI.<br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; width: 255px;"><tbody>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Calories</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">328.8</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Total Fat</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">15.9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Saturated Fat</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">13.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Polyunsaturated Fat</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Monounsaturated Fat</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Cholesterol</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Sodium</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">42.3</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Potassium</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">441.4</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Total Carbohydrate</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">45.9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Dietary Fiber</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Sugars</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">17.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Protein</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.3</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; width: 273px;"><tbody>
<tr height="3"><td bgcolor="black" colspan="2" height="3" nowrap="nowrap"></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin A</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="33" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin B-12</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin B-6</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin C</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">141.9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin D</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin E</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Calcium</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Copper</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">16.9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Folate</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">16.3</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Iron</span></td><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Magnesium</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">17.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Manganese</span></td><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">46.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Niacin</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Pantothenic Acid </span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Phosphorus </span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Riboflavin</span></td><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Selenium</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Thiamin</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">10.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Zinc</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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.Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-25607743342458026162011-08-28T17:03:00.002+08:002011-08-28T17:04:33.127+08:005 Reasons people get so worked up about BD.On our Facebook page recently, a member posted something about being concerned with the language used around BD sometimes, about the fervency with which some people talk about it as "the best", and in a corollary fashion how formula (the canned varieties) gets demonized as somehow almost - if not downright - evil.<br />
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She's right, some of the language in the BD community can be a tad extreme, and I have often felt uneasy reading the odd comment or post too. It's worth looking into a little more deeply though, to explore where this sort of stridency might come from.<br />
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Back in the early days of my personal tube feeding journey, there really were not many resources online directly related to feeding tubes, less so to using actual food, or a 'blenderized diet' as we often say. I recall hesitating slightly to join a particular group of people, because some of the comments and language going on did indeed have just the faintest flavour of a cult thing going on. Worship of a deity-like machine called a Vitamix, and fervent praise of the benefits of things like flaxseed oil, for example. Also the occasional almost hate-post regards the evils of canned formula and the supposed 'complete nutrition' provided by high fructose corn syrup, isolated whey protein, synthetic fat and a smattering of synthetic vitamins and minerals in a can. But it was only a tiny background flavour, so I jumped in. Things have certainly grown and changed a lot since then, but the evangelical streak in some people remains. There's a lot to like about that, but that territory comes with a need for caution too, as we'll discuss.<br />
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Here are some of the main reasons people get so worked up about BD:<br />
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<a href="http://www.wbc-inco.net/uimg/page05_EUREKA_full_fadedExclamation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.wbc-inco.net/uimg/page05_EUREKA_full_fadedExclamation.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
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<b>1) Because it's a 'eureka!' moment.</b><br />
So many people come to BD after a long journey of frustration and struggle with tube feeding. First there's whatever necessitated getting a feeding tube in the first place, the trauma of placement, the loss of mealtimes or more 'normal' feeding as part of the daily routine and then in so many cases the inadequacy or intolerance of commercial enteral formulas. When someone makes the BD discovery and takes their first steps, and improvement at all is like a miraculous godsend - finally something is giving hope! And of course, it all makes perfect common sense to you once you see for yourself the positive changes and read the stories of others, and get across some basic truths that most doctors and dietitians still won't acknowledge about fundamental health and nutrition - that we were designed for food, and using an alternative esophagus does not have to stand in the way of that.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Because it's such a relief.</b><br />
When BD works, and improvements are seen, it's like a light switching on in the tunnel. Plus, so many people take their first steps in a supportive environment now, via online forums, Facebook groups, sites like this, and rarely but ever-increasingly with the help of a nutritionist or dietitian. People no longer feel so alone and medicalized about the whole process of feeding themselves or their loved one. The BD club is inclusive, for the most part.<br />
<br />
<b>3) Because people want to share good things, and 'give back'.</b><br />
When something great changes in your life and it comes with the help of a supportive community - a new group of friends - then the urge to help others out, to give back, comes very strongly to some. It can be a way of further bonding with what for many is a whole new way of being, a door that opened on to an entirely new relationship with the very stuff of life, food, and the gratitude some people feel is truly deep and lovely. No wonder they gush a bit.<br />
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<b>4) Because there really is an opposition out there.</b><br />
When you've come to BD via a route other than a suggestion from the doctor or dietitian, when you were not made aware at first point-of-call that food was still an option, you realize pretty quickly why that is. Because there really is a lot of ignorance and flat-out opposition out there. There is resistance not just from overly-cautious medical thinking (eg "formula is 'complete' and sterile and food can get nasty and contaminated and we can't control what you're getting"), not just from natural conservatism (eg "we've been prescribing formula for years now and we know it's safe and believe it's well-tolerated"), but from subtle commercial pressures also. Remember you can sell formula, and in that sense it's just like any pharmaceutical product. It's promoted to the medicos, and incentives are given to recommend X or Y formula. And some people really rail against systematised rigidity of thinking and inflexibility of practice. Feel angry about the medical profession's tendency to operate as a controlling authority in people's lives rather than an agency of empowering patients and carers in ways that create a focus on health and wellbeing of the whole person. And thus, get a bit feisty.<br />
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<b>5) There's no more ardent an evangelist than a recent convert.</b><br />
For some people, the whole BD journey and life-change takes on an almost spiritual significance in their lives. It is true and fair to say that it has improved the lives of countless people beyond measure. The actual evidence is overwhelming, both anecdotal and now more and more surveys, studies and scientific papers are showing all manner of benefits of a blended diet made of real food for tube-fed children and adults alike, yet our community feels still like it's a fringe on the edge of the tubefeeding world. Like there's a whole oppressive weight of ignorance and needless formula dependency and consequent possible ill-health outcomes out there, and this always makes for a feeling of closeness and heightens the emotional strength of those involved in a 'cause'. So people evangelise, proselytize - spread the word.<br />
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Newbies to the BD concept are often understandably cautious, usually traumatized, vulnerable and in great need of help, support and something that makes a positive difference in their lives. All of us advocating for BD really need to show care in how those seeking such help are made to feel when they see over-the-top expostulations about the evils of formula. We know that formula has been the root of so many problems for so many tubies; we know that it has actually damaged the health of unknown numbers of kids and adults, but equally we know that this is not always the case and that for many people, formula is just fine, tolerated well, and can be in some cases the ONLY thing tolerated.<br />
<br />
The last thing you want to do is badly judge someone who finds that commercial formula is a good fit for them, and does not seem to be any problem whatsoever. That is not helpful at all. Remember always that your experience will never match anyone else's about anything, ever.<br />
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I believe that canned formula will never make for a complete and proper diet - but I still use it myself, because I also have a great percentage of my intake as BD, and this works well for me. I have no problem extolling the virtues of blended food as great nutrition for tubies, and have only praise and respect to offer those who feel the same, but it's wise to keep in mind that even though the medical establishment (generalizing outrageously here, but it's pretty close to the truth) is set up against BD, they are not our enemy - nor is canned formula, and those who use it are not just the 'unsaved' yet to be dragged kicking and screaming into your version of common sense and right-thinking.<br />
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Let's be loving in the way we do it. I know most of us are, most of the time, but it does our cause no end of harm, and hurts others who are in vulnerable places, when we go too far. As in all things, gently is usually best.<br />
<br />
In my opinion.<br />
<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-4477828242060540402011-07-17T17:51:00.001+08:002011-07-17T17:51:20.253+08:00Medicine by MechanicsHere's a little abstract from what really should be a bit of an earthmoving study for tuber folk, especially when we're talking paediatrics. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jpedsurg.org/article/S0022-3468(06)00320-4/abstract">http://www.jpedsurg.org/article/S0022-3468(06)00320-4/abstract</a><br />
<br />
In essential form, what it points to is this: that the routine practice of doing "antireflux surgery" along with gastrostomy placement seems like a really bad idea now that some evidence is in. We can safely assume that the "antireflux surgery" spoken of is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissen_fundoplication">Nissen Fundoplication</a> and its variations as this is the main surgical procedure currently indicated in modern medical practice for GER (Gastro Esophageal Reflux). It's where a section of the stomach is grabbed and wrapped tightly around the bottom of the esophagus, like this:<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Nissen_fundoplication.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Nissen_fundoplication.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
But let's dig just a little deeper in, because this is interesting, and affects so many people.<br />
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This study is published in the Journal Of Pediatric Surgery, and the very first line of the abstract reads :<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Previously, we performed concomitant antireflux surgery in patients with abnormal pH study undergoing gastrostomy. This increased complications without always alleviating the troublesome symptom of vomiting.</span><br />
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For me, this is a bit of a facepalm moment in itself. Where, oh where, has the Hippocratic oath gone; you know, the one that roughly translates as "first, do no harm"? I have this little problem with the trigger-happy attitude seen so widely - not everywhere mind you, but VERY VERY commonly encountered - in paediatric surgeons when it comes to dealing with reflux problems. <br />
<br />
When you have a look at the participants in this study, the vast majority of them (93%) were having a tube placed due to 'oral insufficiency' - for one reason or another they could not take enough nutrition by mouth. And only 10% of the patients did NOT have GER symptoms. That is, they usually would have been getting a Fundoplication routinely along with their tube placement. The study does not make clear exactly for whom the authors are speaking, but this is a peer-reviewed publication, and it would not be unwise to assume it speaks to the average American practice. For this study though they just put the tube in and where reflux still occurred (and there is no data pulled to show whether the tube placement alone helped with the reflux, which I'd find rather useful to see) they managed it with meds. Ultimately 7% of the patients were deemed to need surgical intervention. As opposed to the 90% that would have got it previously just as a matter of course. The Nissen Fundoplication has been with us since 1955 and only now does a study actually look into the outcomes in a quantifiable and responsible way. I know I shouldn't be amazed, but such is the price of my eternal optimistic faith in humanity and rationality.<br />
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But did anyone notice how else we can read those figures? Namely that there is an extremely high correlation between oral insufficiency and a pH test indicating GER. Are we to be surprised that a person (child or adult) who is hungry, who does not have enough food in their stomach, has a high acid level? All that stomach acid with not enough to do?<br />
<br />
Seems to me some very simple things get overlooked when we let those who would see our bodies as mechanisms with parts first and as a whole organism second run away with their thinking. We know from thee study done on this very site that changing diet from formula to a food-based mixture correlates extremely highly with improving or resolving reflux. I know, I know, and I know how seldom this would ever be wondered about by doctors and dietitians when a tube-fed person is being spoken of. In this day and age it's common for doctors not to even address diet with their oral-eating GER patients - "mostly it'd be just a waste of time" one doctor told me as "most people won't change their habits longterm anyway and they'll end up on meds sooner or later." <br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
Anyway, pass this along. Now we have some actual decent science showing clearly what so many of us have been saying for years. That the vast majority of surgical interventions for reflux are just plain harmful.<br />
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<br />Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-22420407193245689222011-06-23T12:16:00.000+08:002011-06-23T12:16:54.361+08:00Today I am grateful.<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">NOTE: This post was originally posted on my personal blog, entropyandlight, and is reproduced here. For those of you that only really read this blog and want to know my situation this last week or so, please consider reading <a href="http://entropyandlight.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-beginning.html">HERE</a> first. Thank you.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There is a Maori phrase which I cannot now remember but which roughly translates as</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><b> "the most important thing is the people, the people, the people". </b></i></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Today I feel the strength of that in a truly profound way.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Yesterday I decided finally to act on the suggestion of a friend (thank you) and ask for help with my final act - the rituals of my death. Since sharing my story with those I have come to know online - so many through my involvement and advocacy in real food for us tubefed folk - my world has expanded exponentially.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I have been a very social person in life: And also not. Moves around the country and long hours of work plus certain needs to leave certain past previous truths behind meant my world, my world of people, shrank and dwindled. But of course, in the skein of life that lives outside of time the real friends and connections remained. I never really felt alone, but at times, not ...........sufficiently connected. </div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://conversations.nokia.com/wp-content/uploads/environmentpainting-the-world-green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://conversations.nokia.com/wp-content/uploads/environmentpainting-the-world-green.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I sought help online with my tube diet. I found it. I admired, and still admire, all those who help and who bravely feed their young and their loved and themselves real food when they can despite such staunch opprobium from such a wide swath of medical opinion across the world. Accidentally almost, by dint of some time on my hands and my passionate nature, I became one of those who helped as well. Now I find this repaid a thousandfold with the thoughts, heart, and spirit of friends and strangers alike. I am strangely uplifted, yet humbled, simultaneously.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And the old friends reappeared. I did not so much seek them out, but over time they just......popped up, and how I cherish those reconnections. Some have grown even stronger with the passage of time, perhaps as we grew in similar directions despite not hearing from each other for so many years. None have lost the spark. New old friends have been made from once-acquaintances.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So today, as I start the joyous task of preparing for myself - well, really for you - the shapes and flavours, the heart and soul, the music, tears and laughter of my funeral, I am celebrating this: The people, the people, the people. For it is in others that we find so much of who we have become. The necessary opposite of still, personal silence.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Is it unfair to be honest here? </i> To say that one person stands out? I am torn. So I shall be honest.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There is the old Zen koan, which goes something like this: <i>"There was a monk being chased by a tiger, running and running for his life, suddenly confronted with a lack of anywhere to run - a sheer drop down a cliffside. He hurled himself off, and as he fell he managed to fling out a hand and cling on to a small craggy bush tenaciously growing on the rocky cliffside. There was a single, tiny berry growing on the bush. How sweet that berry tasted!"</i></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2010/10/13/Fruticosa/e8be7e_tn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2010/10/13/Fruticosa/e8be7e_tn.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My week has been a little like that. I was scared for a time, and I was running. I saw an end; an end that was not peaceful nor far enough away, and I was found wanting in my preparations. I flung myself over that cliff because I simply had no choice but to surrender to the fates. Meeta is the berry. How inexpressibly sweet; how boundlessly nourishing of soul to have a friend in life such as her. In that moment when the people, the people, the people, shrank from view.....as well as the Godhead void, there was her. For this too, I am grateful.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So I accepted that suggestion, and let the energy come to me in material as well as spiritual ways as well, and when this morning I logged on to find so many had given of their well-needed coin to help us pay for my ritual of passing, it reminded me that sometimes the people, the people, the people, are the berry.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Thank you all, deeply - thank you.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You can still make donations by following the link below.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.gofundme.com/My-Natural-Burial">http://www.gofundme.com/My-Natural-Burial</a></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I will finish by sharing a poem I have just discovered by a very dear old friend, Mark Reid. So cheekily titled, so.....brutally subtle.</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>The Falling God?</b></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I heard the aphorism</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>a god-shaped hole in every heart</i></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">& wondered</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">what could possibly</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">make such a hole.</div></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">.</div></div>Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-55101849838652619982011-05-18T12:04:00.001+08:002011-05-18T12:05:20.885+08:00An Elephant In The Room?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-7UsWMmC4E5KyJ1YRpW3s3Mh5dx-Cq9MWctMiLeozeOP4e6IuiOLocIGRmMOBt5ycr0nOTuiDQB0qMjdOUSZ_PDIxiIdJlWH2Sos26A7vukjD-SzC1WMl8i6leH7DDz3tAxHnycZFuQU/s400/the+elephant+in+the+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-7UsWMmC4E5KyJ1YRpW3s3Mh5dx-Cq9MWctMiLeozeOP4e6IuiOLocIGRmMOBt5ycr0nOTuiDQB0qMjdOUSZ_PDIxiIdJlWH2Sos26A7vukjD-SzC1WMl8i6leH7DDz3tAxHnycZFuQU/s320/the+elephant+in+the+room.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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We all know there's a lot of resistance in the medical world to using a blenderized food diet for tube-fed folks, but we don't often talk much about the resistances from parents and carers. Many of the same resistances are there of course, like worries about tube clogs, getting proper nutrition, extra workload, hygiene, cost and of course the simple problems of not knowing it's an option, or how to even think about starting.<br />
<br />
<i>But I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that many of the common reasons against are, for a significant number of people (especially parents) simply foils used to justify a decision that's really based on something else. Something unmentionable; like shame and embarrassment</i>.<br />
<br />
Put yourself for a moment in the shoes of a typical person from a country like the US or Australia. A <i>typical</i> person, let's be honest, eats a really bad diet. You may or may not eat badly, but I'm talking about the majority, whose eating habits and dietary health have been incontrovertibly exposed and explained in countless studies. Most people manage to be happy feeding themselves and their apparently-healthy kids a highly processed, unbalanced diet high in fats, starches, meats, sugar and salt until something goes terribly wrong because of it. Even then many do not change their ways, seemingly preferring an early death after years of dialysis rather than give up their comfort food habits. Most people are overweight, and most of the overweight are technically obese. It's simply become normal, to the point where people who have through their own acts and choices made themselves obese believe that airlines discriminate against them by not making seats big enough or charging them for two tickets. If you are not this person, then please now spend just a moment imagining being that average person feeding themselves and their family too much of a bad diet heavy on the pre-packed, take-away, meat/fat/carb triumvirate..........<br />
<br />
.......and then see yourself with a child who now needs for some reason to be tube fed. Pause for a moment. Then someone suggests you can feed your child a diet of real food (they don't have to miss out on their hamburgers!) with a high-powered blender.......now watch yourself as your brain conjures images of doing just that. You're really going to blend that KFC bucket/cheese pizza/burger and thin it with sugar-laden fizzy drinks every night? Or are you perhaps going to have to face the guilty weight of the food pyramid, vegetables other than deep-fried potatoes, and so on?<br />
<br />
You know you eat badly, even though you fool yourself into contentment through the soothing normalcy of it all (and the brain chemicals produced by high sugar and fat contents etc) but to imagine doing that to what you now see as a medically fragile child through a blender and a tube no less......wouldn't that threaten the very way you lived your own life? Perhaps you might even blame yourself a little for that child's plight. What a terrible place to find yourself.<br />
<br />
Processed food has become trusted too. It is produced (most people believe) in safe conditions and since the relevant government board certifies it safe to eat then it surely must be OK. I think this belief is transferred straight on to canned formula, but in an even more powerful way, in that it is also a medicalized product - so it must be excellent, surely!<br />
<br />
Stories are legion, and survey results show clearly that having a tube-fed person at home receiving a blenderized diet (whether it's you or someone you care for) almost always improves a family's diet by simple virtue of increased awareness of what food actually is.<br />
<br />
<b>I'm suggesting, in short, that people who eat badly and know it (that is, most people) are a little threatened by the in-your-face act of blending and tubing food</b>. So they are far more likely to stick with formula, because it's easier than admitting the ways in which you have been failing yourself and possibly your family too. Isn't it?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://babychildrenkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nutrition-pyramid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://babychildrenkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nutrition-pyramid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Harsh, sure, and this is just my opinion. But am I wrong? And if I'm right, what can we do to make this easier for people who want to do the right thing by themselves and their families, but who are stuck in the great western 'unfood' trap. Let's not be blamey, we're all susceptible to some degree to the bombardment of messages around us to consume, to treat ourselves, to enjoy, to be *normal*. Can we use BD also as a tool to improve the lives of carers and parents more directly too?<br />
<br />
I'd love to hear your thoughts.<br />
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.Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-1503725271447261402011-05-12T11:10:00.000+08:002011-05-14T04:31:01.608+08:00Roger Ebert goes BDA couple of posts back I linked to one of Roger Ebert's journal articles talking about his g-tube. I was moved to comment with a link to this site and others, and to ask why with his situation and resources (ans awareness) he was not utilising a more wholefood diet. Well, others no doubt spoke with him too.<br />
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Long story short, here is a film review (of a film you will probably benefit from seeing) where Roger speaks some more on the food issue. He also tells us he's ditching his canned formula, and heading into BD - with his doctor's blessing. Yay Roger!<br />
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<a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110511%2FREVIEWS%2F110519995">http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110511%2FREVIEWS%2F110519995</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=EB&Date=20110511&Category=REVIEWS&ArtNo=110519995&Ref=AR&Maxw=366" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=EB&Date=20110511&Category=REVIEWS&ArtNo=110519995&Ref=AR&Maxw=366" width="320" /></a></div>Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-38312469834018817752011-05-07T23:02:00.000+08:002011-05-07T23:02:07.623+08:00No irony deficiency here - plus an update.Have you noticed the ads? Of course you have. I'm still feeling a little sorry I went down that path, but needs must, and all that. PLUS, how funny is it? Google shows you ads based on your IP (your approximate physical location) and the contents of the blog sorted by keywords, phrases and recency. Food is mentioned a LOT here, isn't it? Almost every time I've been here to write or check or whatever, I'm getting ads for local restaurants or restaurant guides. Perfect irony, I'm sure you'll agree. I also see ads for Sustagen Hospital Formula so it's pretty smart for something done by what is essentially a robot.<br />
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Anyway, the update: the Facebook page passed the 300 member mark and it's been what, 3 weeks or so? The <a href="http://blenderizeddiet.net/">blenderizeddiet.net</a> forum is moving along very nicely too, but still needs some work. Turns out, it's harder to wrangle with virtually no skills and no budget and very kind but part-time help than Beverly or I probably anticipated, but still; we're getting there. So here's my plea: <i><b>can anyone help with or recommend someone lovely and cheap to help with getting the site up to the next level </b>(it's running on Joomla, supposedly the easiest and best DIY software available - Bev and I are just total noobs to it is all) <b>and show us the basics of how to shunt stuff about from there? Thanks.</b></i><br />
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I'm very keen to make the front page look good and essentially replicate the prime informational stuff here. To make it a good one-stop place to spend half an hour reading the essence of what we have all learned is most important to know when considering getting into BD. Like these pages over on the right-hand menu here are>>>>>>><br />
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Secondly, live chat. I've had lots of feedback that people are really into that for discussing things and that's a priority for us too.<br />
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I feel rather chuffed and definitely gratified that Roger Ebert replied to me recently (see previous post), and is now apparently looking more closely at BD for himself. Busy man, but nice to know he actually reads his readers' comments and responds too, isn't it?<br />
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That's all for now (I can never write much here in respite), keep your eyes peeled next week, I suspect exciting developments once I return home!Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-19424504757347338672011-05-05T13:56:00.000+08:002011-05-05T13:56:02.553+08:00Nice post from our Celebrity G-Tuber here.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/assets_c/2010/02/roger-ebert-jaw-cancer-photo-esquire-0310-lg-thumb-240x290-17913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/assets_c/2010/02/roger-ebert-jaw-cancer-photo-esquire-0310-lg-thumb-240x290-17913.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Just a quick linky one all,<br />
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Writer, influential netizen, all-round thinking man and film guru guy Roger Ebert has a g-tube, in case you weren't aware of that. I've been following his writings on the nets for a long time now. Here's a post you'll like. His readers are of course aware he can't eat or drink.....but having a tube myself I overlooked the obvious (as perhaps did he for a time) that this didn't necessarily mean the readers knew how we non-eaters actually eat. <br />
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Here's his post:<br />
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<a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/05/the_way_to_a_mans_heart_is_thr.html#comments">http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/05/the_way_to_a_mans_heart_is_thr.html#comments</a>Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-4668241491264255002011-04-20T20:28:00.000+08:002011-04-20T20:28:35.620+08:00Thoughts on BD in J-tubes.<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lately more and more people have been asking about doing BD through J-tubes. Being true to my original philosophy of this being a place where I try and collate stuff and try to sum up the thoughts flying around out there, here's what I've heard (and thought) on the subject. (Remember, nothing here - or anywhere - is gospel truth. It is opinion, and even things we call fact are opinion. Everyone once knew for sure that the earth was the centre of the universe, right?)</span></b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ivegotatheoryaboutthat.com/images/geocentric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.ivegotatheoryaboutthat.com/images/geocentric.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b>BD through a J-tube can certainly be done, but as with all things, not necessarily by everyone.</b><br />
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I can't eat orally, or indeed swallow at all, and quite a while back I was very interested in questions around whether I was missing out on some vital part of digestion by lack of saliva getting on down there. Turns out, not really. A little more recently, much has been discussed about PPIs (proton pump inhibitors - medicines like Prevacid and Nexium) and their possible effect on digestion by changing the acidity of the stomach. The jury's out on that. This was around the same time as a nutritionist enlightened me to the school of thought about not consuming water while you eat (or feed) because it dilutes the stomach secretions - acids and enzymes mostly. I got to thinking, and asking, and what I wanted to know was: <i><b>what are these secretions like saliva, stomach enzymes and acids actually doing to the food we ingest?</b></i><br />
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Turns out, they're essentially doing what my Vitamix does. Saliva is to help the food be chewed and go down the esophagus. The enzymes are like little keys that 'unlock' proteins and other components into smaller molecules, and the acids attack larger clumps of chewed-up stuff and turn it into a more liquidy substance that the intestines can deal with more easily. Now the Vitamix doesn't quite do the whole job the enzymes do, but I'd say it gets you about halfway there. A high-powered blender with blunt blades like the Blendtec or the Vitamix not only liquidizes food far better than your jaw muscles, tongue, teeth and stomach acids can, but smashes apart cell walls of both animal and vegetable tissue to release nutrients locked inside those cells. Cooking can do a similar thing, but often destroys much of the nutrients in the process. Enzymes do this work in our stomachs.<br />
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So here's my <u>hypothesis</u>: <b><i>That may blends made in a high-powered, high-speed blender are probably pre-digested enough to be fed into a J-tube, with possibly a better chance of success the higher (ie towards or in the duodenum) the J is placed.</i></b><br />
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If it were me, there would be some things I'd steer away from, mainly things that need our stomach acids to neutralise or curdle. Dairy, fish, shellfish, chocolate, tomatoes and maybe broccoli and potato too. Then again, it's entirely possible that all these would do just fine.<br />
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People are a little more nervous of J-tubes for other reasons too. They sometimes have no internal retainer (in the case of separately sited J-tubes, as opposed to GJs) so are more prone to slippage, leakage and anecdotally anyway to infection. I'm willing to bet they're a bit more uncomfortable to have than a G-tube - anyone? And their ends just dangle there inside, and so you can never be 100% sure exactly where they are. But really, I think these are not cause to be any more nervous about what food you put down there.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/bissells/j-tube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/bissells/j-tube.jpg" /></a></div><br />
There are not very many people doing J-tube feeds with BD right now. More are coming to light though, and as I discover more personal examples, I can add them in here. I really don't see any risk in trying a basic, easy-to-digest blend, preferably of vegetable substances (veges, fruits, grains) first that are known to be tolerated, and going as one would for an infant eating for the first time; add one new ingredient at a time, and go slowly. <br />
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If I had a J-tube, I'd give it a go. But that's the thing isn't it? I could also just jump in to BD with my g-tube because if anything 'went wrong', I knew I would deal with it, it was <i>my</i> body, I could <i>feel</i> things - not like a watchful, nervous parent or carer. That's harder, no doubt. Still, there are people that do it, and doctors that say there's no reason you couldn't. The human body is after all amazingly adaptable, and we were built for food.<br />
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Food for thought! It's worth remembering that medicine is a very conservative institution. The status quo is 'safe', and of course patient safety (and doctor's safety too of course) is paramount. There are no incentives to question the things they've always been trained to say no to. Some doctors say go for it, give it a try, can't hurt. Others say no, no way, never. We only discover through trying. But it's you who must decide whether to try or not.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/images/bz990513.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/images/bz990513.gif" width="265" /></a></div>Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606364322703912636.post-23558297244253102952011-04-19T10:47:00.001+08:002011-04-19T15:42:45.313+08:00*Sigh* - hopefully the last word on this.<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">This post is for public information purposes. It may be reproduced, quoted or disseminated by anyone for any purpose. Words which are not mine have been quoted with permission or are from documents clearly labelled as being for public consumption.</span></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>EDIT - UPDATE</b>: This post has been very slightly edited for better grammatical use and to make some statements of mine read more clearly. Nothing of factual substance has been altered. Importantly, I have also removed an illustrative quote from Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show) that lampooned 'birthers' - those who insist the President Barack Obama is not a natural born US citizen. The quote was for dramatic comparison, but did of course imply a judgement of mine on birthers' beliefs. They have a right to their beliefs, regardless of my judgement, and I apologise for any offense as none was intended. Ms Marino is also entitled to her beliefs. The problem here is that she insists I share them and is making legal claims that I and everyone else do so. </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OK, so I've done all I could in the cause of reason. I have communicated clearly. Offered evidence, given references, dates etc. I am reminded that there are those who so badly want to believe a given thing, that no amount of evidence or persuasion will change their minds. So here we are.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For those not yet aware of the contretemps which has erupted lately around the use of the term 'blenderized diet', in short, Lesley Diane Marino claims to have invented it, and the concept, sometime following the birth of her daughter in 2001. She had Facebook shut down a not-for-profit community assistance Facebook page called 'Blenderized Diet' by falsely claiming in a legal instrument that her intellectual property rights had been breached. I was a co-administrator of that page. Lesley has personal issues with myself and a co-administrator, and I should point out that almost all the 'factual' assertions about Beverly Hanset Burch in the text of Ms Marino's Public Release below are refuted by Beverly herself. Beverly is choosing now, as shall I be to the extent that I can, to starve this confected drama of oxygen.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Please see <a href="http://youstartwithatube.blogspot.com/2011/04/help-save-lesley-and-bd-fb-page.html">HERE</a> and also <a href="http://entropyandlight.blogspot.com/2011/04/krishna-drives-my-chariot.html">HERE</a> for the details and responses to this story, so I don't have to repeat myself.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ms Marino today emailed the below message, unedited by me:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">April 18, 2011</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">For Public Release and Information:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Blenderized Diet is a concept that began from a need. A need to feed my</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">daughter, Nina, in a healthy and nutritious manner despite her various</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">health issues. At the time my daughter was born, no alternatives existed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">for feeding tube patients besides formula. Feeding my daughter a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">formula, full of chemicals and non-foods, was unacceptable to me. I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">spoke to various doctors and nutritionists to inquire about alternatives</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">and solutions. No one was aware of any other way besides Compleat, which</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">had too many chemicals. I decided to formulate my own recipes for my</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">daughter. I desired to assist other individuals, who were experiencing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">the same challenges as myself, so on the last day of November 2005, I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">started the Blenderized Diet Yahoo Group.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Sometime in early 2006, I saw a post on the Total Peripheral Nutrition</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">list. Beverly Hanset-Burch was looking for help with Bonnie in regard to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">a feeding tube issue. I emailed Beverly personally to aid her and share</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Blenderized Diet with her. Ultimately, Beverly incorporated Blenderized</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Diet into her daughter's daily feeding. In early 2007, I invited Beverly</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">to become a co-moderator of the Blenderized Diet Yahoo Group, and she</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">accepted. In May of 2007, I commissioned a web designer to develop</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">BlenderizedDiet.com and I purchased the domain name. Blenderized Diet</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">dot com was up and running by June 2007.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">In the last two years, Beverly Hanset-Burch and I have had various</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">conversations about incorporating forums into the web site, but neither</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">of us knew how to accomplish this task. I was open to hearing more about</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">the concept of putting forums on</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.blenderizeddiet.com/" style="color: #c3390b;" target="_blank">www.BlenderizedDiet.com</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.blenderizeddiet.com/" style="color: #c3390b;" target="_blank">http://www.BlenderizedDiet.<wbr></wbr>com/</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">>, and I planned to add the forums in</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">the next 6 months. During the last two to three years, I have desired to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">assist all individuals who are on some form of feeding tubes and are</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">unable to make their own blends. I have expressed this desire to Beverly</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">on several occasions and she thought it was not possible. Despite her</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">lack of support, I have chosen to move forward with this endeavor.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">In Spring of 2010, I created the Blenderized Diet Facebook page. On Feb</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">02, 2011 Beverly created BlenderizedDiet.net with forums, and she</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">purchased Blenderized Diet dot org. I sent correspondence to Beverly</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">indicating to her that this was unacceptable. She has not taken down the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">dot net, and refuses to accept the idea that she has been unethical. In</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">April of 2011, I was made of aware that Beverly or those associated with</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Beverly Hanset-Burch formed a Facebook page titled Blenderized Diet,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">which is the exact same name as my company Facebook page. I informed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Facebook of this duplication, with supporting dates and documents.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">My wish, desire and intention is to bring health, nutrition and wellness</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">to all individuals, especially those with special needs. I will continue</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">to uphold this intention by progressing forward despite those who wish</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">to stifle this desire with unprofessional actions. Blenderized Diet is a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">concept that was created out of this desire. Additionally, educating</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">medical professionals is essential in order for all individuals to have</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">access to this information. I am in support of education and information</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">access for all individuals, but use of the term "Blenderized Diet" in</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">titles, Facebook pages, web pages, product labels and otherwise without</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">permission is in direct threat of the intentions of the Blenderized Diet</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">concept. This type of behavior interferes with the health and wellness</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">of those who need access to feeding tube alternatives. The energy it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">takes to continue this negative behavior could be used to aid and assist</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">individuals, parents and guardians who are in need. I will continue to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">devote my time and energy to helping others.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Sincerely,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;">Lesley Diane Marino</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;">Perhaps Ms Marino truly believed at the time she was seeking help with her daughter's feeding issues that prior to canned formula there was no tube feeding. However, ample demonstration of evidence to the contrary has been offered (see email to her and Facebook below for examples) and my time on what she considers 'her' Yahoo! group gave me many opportunities to participate in discussions about the wisdom of the older nurses in many hospitals who well remember pureeing foods for those with feeding tubes. I believe Ms Marino is in fact well aware that enteral feeding has been done with pureed food for a very long time - centuries in fact, and that the term 'blenderized diet' has been in common usage and published in medical literature for this purpose since at least 1952, which is before she was born. I make no public judgement on whether Ms Marino is attempting to assert that these facts are false based on her own beliefs (which would be clinically referred to as delusional behaviour I believe) or is attempting an outright lie.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;">I have a document in my possession (marked by the author as not for public reproduction) written by Ms Marino where she asserts exclusive rights to all use of the term 'blenderized diet' and gives no party permission to use it without her express consent. In another document she also claims proprietary rights over 'all associated recipes'.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;">Here is an email I sent to Facebook and Ms Marino in an attempt to solve the problem of our Facebook page having been taken down.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate;"></span></span><br />
<pre wrap=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[Please note below the original notice of suspension as required by Facebook when responding to this allegation. Below that your response to me.]
Hello all,
I have more carefully read the terms and conditions under which Ms Lesley Diane marino has made an allegation of infringement of her intellectual property rights, causing the Blenderized Diet Faceook page to be taken down. Here is a most relevant section, required to be acknowledged before appending one's electronic signature.
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; white-space: normal;">Are you the owner of such rights or a person legally authorized to act on behalf of the owner?</span>
This must have been answered 'yes', as to do otherwise woul render the complaint ineffective. Following is this:
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">By submitting this notice, you declare under penalty of perjury that all of the information contained in this notice is accurate and that the use of your intellectual property described above, in the manner you have complained of, is not authorized by the rights owner, its agent, or the law.</span></span>
This must have been agreed to, as to have done otherwise would render the complaint invalid.
Lesley Diane Marino made a complaint to you alleging that she is the owner of the intellectual property rights to the term 'blenderized diet'.
I formally contend that Ms Lesley Diane Marino has no legal or indeed any sort of rights to the term 'blenderized diet' as she has stated to me and several others was in fact the complaint she made to Facebook. She has thus made an invalid complaint. Ms Marino has demonstrably perjured herself by asserting rights to a common usage term, and Facebook is essentially complicit in the damages thus done by failing to recognize or respond adequately to my and my co-administrators statements and evidences in this. Your policy is effectively making you an accomplice to Ms Marino's unlawful and malicious actions.
I offer as evidence the following links:
<a href="http://www.google.com.au/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=+define+%27blenderized+diet%27&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=934ae9d163610708">http://www.google.com.au/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=+define+'blenderized+diet'&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=934ae9d163610708</a>
<a href="http://www.google.com.au/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=+blenderized+diet&aq=f&aqi=g5&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=934ae9d163610708">http://www.google.com.au/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=+blenderized+diet&aq=f&aqi=g5&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=934ae9d163610708</a>
<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=6lCMzYmOO6cC&dq=first+mention+of+blenderized+diet&output=html_text&source=gbs_navlinks_s">http://books.google.com/books?id=6lCMzYmOO6cC&dq=first+mention+of+blenderized+diet&output=html_text&source=gbs_navlinks_s</a>
<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ZrhswGcQY-sC&pg=PA101&dq=blenderized+diet&hl=en&ei=EHqmTdvkJ430tgPck6n6DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CF8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=blenderized%20diet&f=false">http://books.google.com/books?id=ZrhswGcQY-sC&pg=PA101&dq=blenderized+diet&hl=en&ei=EHqmTdvkJ430tgPck6n6DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CF8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=blenderized%20diet&f=false</a>
This last link shows a published instance of the term Ms Marino is claiming legal ownership of, under penalty of perjury, dating to 1952 which is I am led to believe a date prior to her birth.
A search of the US trademarks and copyrights shows no such term as 'blenderized diet' being owned by any party, so Ms Marino's claim to be the 'owner of such rights' is shown to be a legal fiction in entirety. It would be beyond the ability of any reasonable person to make a claim to ownership of such a common term as 'blenderized diet', today returning 43,000 hits on Google and extant in published literature since at least 1952 regardless of the fact that the concept itself predates written history.
I also contend that Facebook's application of Ms Marino's (patently false) claim has been unfair, prejudicial and contributory to the malicious nature of Ms Marino's actions in this matter.
As Ms Marino claims to own the intellectual property rights to the term 'blenderized diet', if Facebook is to accept this as the case (and the implication of Facebook's having taken action against one page allegedly in breach of this so far shows that they do in fact tacitly accept it) then it is the duty of Facebook to properly protect Ms Marino's interests as a user who has complained of IP infringement to remove any and all mentions or usages of the term 'blenderized diet' from Facebook. I have here further documentary evidence that Ms Marino is making this specific claim and further expressly forbidding any party to use the term 'blenderized diet' without her consent, should you require it, but I contend that her legally binding complaint with you in the first instance negates such a need.
To properly fulfill Facebook's policy of protecting individual's intellectual property rights upon receipt of a complaint such as Ms Marino's Facebook must either
a) remove any and all instances of usage of the allegedly breaching term from every page, personal profile, advertisment displayed, post, comment or anywhere else it may appear on Facebook or stand derelict of infringing Ms Marino's claimed rights themselves
OR
b) by failing to do so acknowledge that the claim has no merit, and reinstate any page taken down under the aegis of this demonstrably false, scurrilous and malicious claim clearly made whilst said party perjures herself in law.
I request Facebook immediately and properly uphold Ms Marino's rights as per her claim and your policies and accept that by so doing in the light of incontrovertible evidence that such a claim is false and uttered in perjury OR immediately reinstate the page 'Blenderized Diet' and undertake to treat with utmost caution any further such claims by Ms Marino.
I look forward to a very speedy and satisfactory resolution on behalf of myself and my fellow co-administrators as cc'd in to this email along with Ms Marino herself.
Sincerely,
Eric Aadhaar O'Gorman.
[Text of original notification from Facebook below]
Hello,
We have removed or disabled access to the following content that you have posted on Facebook because we received a notice from a third party that the content infringes or otherwise violates their rights:
[Page: Blenderized Diet]
We strongly encourage you to review the content you have posted to Facebook to make sure that you have not posted any other infringing content, as it is our policy to terminate the accounts of repeat infringers when appropriate.
If you believe that we have made a mistake in removing this content, then please visit <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=1108">http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=1108</a> for more information.
The Facebook Team
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Hi,
Thanks for your email. As you know, we received a claim of alleged rights infringement regarding the removed content. Per Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, users are prohibited from posting infringing content on the site.
If you believe that we have made a mistake in removing this content, then please contact the complaining party directly with the following information to resolve your issue:
Notice #: 255582578
Contact Information:
Name - Lesley Diane Marino
Email -<a href="mailto:NinaBean@tampabay.rr.com" style="color: #c3390b;">NinaBean@tampabay.rr.com</a>
If both parties agree to restore the reported content, please ask the complaining party to contact us via email with a copy of the agreement so that we can refer to the original issue. We will not be able to restore this content to Facebook unless we receive explicit notice of consent from the complaining party.
Thanks for contacting Facebook,
Albert
User Operations
Facebook</span></span>
</span></pre><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;">(end of email communication)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;">Now I invite you, dear reader, to draw your own conclusions. My colleagues and I have simply started a new Facebook page with a different title - Blenderized Food For Tubies, continue to run <a href="http://blenderizeddiet.net/">blenderizeddiet.net</a> and continue - along with everyone else familiar with the subject matter in the English language - to use the term 'blenderized diet'.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;">Unless and until some legal instrument is produced by Ms Marino proving that she owns and has sole claim to use of the term 'blenderized diet' we will continue to ignore her. We have done some due diligence by checking copyright and trademark databases and have found nothing registered as 'blenderized diet'. We will continue our work to freely share and facilitate the free sharing of important health information and support, unless and until some other action by Ms Marino interferes in a way that would qualify as harassment or another breach of our rights.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Please, let this be the end of a pathetic and pitiful saga. For her sake as much as ours.</span>Aadhaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487059113264287774noreply@blogger.com3