The BD Experience Survey Is Now Closed

Thank you everyone; those who completed the survey, those who have helped spread the word, and all those who helped me get it all up and running.  I am a little humbled by the responses, which has been an unexpected joy for me in doing this.  So....yes, thank you all.

I shall now bunker down a little and go all nerdy for a spell, chase the data around for interesting correlations and  prepare a document for release.  There will be charts, and graphs, and cool things like that. At that time I will also publish the entire data (minus identifying information) so anyone can follow up and draw their own conclusions.  Those of you who included their email addresses will get the release emailed directly to you, and all will be posted on this site also.

Watch this space, as they say!

The BD Experience Survey Is Now Closed

What I blended just then

It's been a while since I posted a blend, so here was today's.  There will be another to do shortly as I want to stock up a bit, but here's what happened in round one:

Quinoa, large handful, raw
Chia seed, half handful, raw.
Biodynamic almonds, raw, handful
Goji berries (dried) maybe 40 or 50
Cannelini beans, 1 tin (organic, drained)
Coconut milk (small tin)
Handful basil leaves (from garden)
2 smallish cucumbers from garden
Sweet potato, a mediumish one
2 strawberries (that's all I could find growing today - I blame the oral eater of the family for that one :-)
Dill tops (dried), turmeric, ginger (dried) all about 1/2 tsp each
Local organic EVOO, a large slurp
Flaxseed oil, small slurp
Agave syrup, dark, decent squirt
Oat milk around 750 ml
Beetroot and apple juice (75% beetroot) 750 ml.

Made just under 3 litres, and I'm guessing is around 30 cal/oz.

Lovely colour too.

What I blended just then

Nancy's blend for Leigh. Wow!

This is what I give Leigh everything but the prune juice is organic,

 1-cup quinoa rice or bulgur wheat

1-teaspoon cinnamon, cumin, cardamom

1-tablespoon yeast

3 gg bran wafers

8 cups of vegetables, what is in season. Kale, spinach, celery, carrots, parsley, Swiss chard, peas, edame, bok choy, beets, beet tops, carrot tops, zucchini, string beans, broccoli, collard greens

1 cup of prune juice

1-tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1-inch fresh ginger

3 garlic gloves

2"by 2'" of tofu silken

2-tablespoon magosteen juice

1-tablespoon olive oil, flaxseed oil, molasses black strap

2 canned organic tomatoes

1 piece of farm raised salmon, 2 inches by 2 inches

A handful of walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds

3 Brazil nuts

2 eggs hardboiled

2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

1 cup beans   black, or lentils or garbanzo beans

3 servings of fruit   1 cup. Purple grapes, apple pear strawberries blueberries mango papaya

A bunch of homegrown what grass

1 tablespoon flax seen freshly ground

2 scoops of beneprotein

1 yukon gold potato 

1 yam or sweet potato

Nancy's blend for Leigh. Wow!

Great new how-to pics for feeding teh kiddos!

I've just discovered a new friend's blog site, and especially wanted to share with y'all her pictures of how she and her daughter do their feeding times.  Very useful and lots of cuteness too.  I've not read all the blog, but what I've seen makes me think you'll want to spend some time there.  Thanks Heidi!

Here it is:  http://heidi-french.blogspot.com/2011/02/blenderized-diet-how-naomi-gets.html

Enjoy!

Great new how-to pics for feeding teh kiddos!

Survey Results - early tease

Well I have tried to resist peeking too much at the survey data as it comes in, but today I had a browse through for the second time.  And there was quite a bit to browse.

So far, there is much that is unsurprising to me, and seems to confirm much of what the common talk has been saying since I've been involved online the last year and a half.  A few things are popping up though, like exactly how many people use a very high percentage of unprocessed or whole foods in their blends, and the fact that across the board doing BD seems to be more expensive than using the subject's previous forms of nutrition.  Hmm.

What was unexpected for me was how emotional - teary is the right word actually - I became reading through  scores and scores of comments about what incredible things people have experienced on their journeys.  How a return to simple food has in so many cases proved to be such a major turning point in health and happiness.  Something about a long, long list of such moments really can make your heart glad.  I am a very lucky guy to have accidentally got a list of such good news stories.

And of course, redacted for any identifying info (not much there anyway) I'll share it all with you when we're done.

Anyway, data-wise the *really* interesting stuff will come when I can close off the survey (I'll leave it a week or so yet,there are clearly a few who did not manage to quite complete it so far at least) and cross-reference stuff.  You know, of people who reported significant reflux prior to incorporating BD, looking at how that matches with what nutrition source they were using.  Correlating improvements in gastroparesis since BD between those with a high wholefood content versus a lower wholefood content, and those who do or don't receive free water....tasty stuff for nerds, yes?

The data set is approaching a size where such results can be statistically meaningful.  But, and you saw this coming, we really want more.

I think if everyone makes the effort to reach out to those few people you think mightn't have done the survey yet and jolly them along a little, we can get another 50 or so this week coming.  This can be done.  Just this last 48 hours I have seen an awesome display of people power and passion in a very related way.  Let's harness some of that to help this great tool for the future of every person with a tube that much better!

  Here it is for those who need it:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bdexperience

Cheers, all, yay team!

Survey Results - early tease

Great new resource!

This site right here was started in large part because there just wasn't a good place to get all of that start-up and how-to information in one place, especially valuable for those just starting out on a tubefeeding or BD journey.  The main online resource I found when I got my tube was the Yahoo! groups 'Blenderized Diet' list, which is really busy and chock full of great supportive, experienced and knowledgeable members.  But the nature of such a list means there's no easy way to just have a read for example about different ways to approach your first blend.  Or what the deal is with bolus feeding.  That sort of thing.

This site can do some of that, but of course has its limitations too.  What if there were a more thread-based forum where you could easily browse headings for subject matter, like "Why do a blenderized diet?"  or focus down on a single area like "Adults with g-tubes" and read what others have to say....follow the conversations, and join in?

Well now there is, it's blenderizeddiet.net.

I can't claim any credit at all for its inception, but I do know the person behind it to be a motivated, conscientious and committed person who'll make an excellent job of it.  It's only brand new and like all new things will go through a few settling-in changes and such, but I'd encourage everyone to hop on board, hit "Forums" and jump right in.  You can start new topics, reply to others, and soon there'll be a recipe-sharing and photo-sharing facility too, so I'm told.

Can never have too many options for information and support, I reckon.

Great new resource!

Survey is LIVE. Your time starts......now.

After many weeks and months of brain-bending and invaluable help from the support team (thanks Anna, Julie, Olga and others) the Blenderized Diet Experience Survey is live and waiting for your valuable input.

Go here to do yours:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bdexperience

It will only take 15, maybe 20 minutes at most (depending on your answers), is completely confidential, and totally easy to use.  The design is even Section 508 compliant (the US standard for disability accessibility) so those with visual and other physical impairments will find it manageable too.

Who can do the survey?

Anyone who's ever used BD as a part of their diet or the diet of a caree.

Why are we doing this?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are many barriers to tube-fed adults and the parents or carers of tube-fed people (children and adults alike) regards the possibilities of a natural diet, and that broadly speaking this is a seemingly global phenomenon. These barriers include but are not limited to:

• Lack of knowledge that natural food is an option for tubefeeding.
• Multiple forms of resistance from many in the medical community, including the apparent perpetuation of what many people successfully using a blenderized diet consider mere myths.
• Lack of knowledge in how to go about creating a natural diet suitable for tubefeeding.
• Cost, time, and other lifestyle-related factors.
• Widespread (though not uniform) lack of support from medical professionals, medical insurance providers and other traditional social support structures (eg family, community), possibly again through lack of awareness.
• Lack of support for tubefeeding in general.
• Lack of any quantitative study of the experiences of people using a blenderized diet as a basis for making informed decisions.

This study sets out to address many of these issues, and may also find further evidence to support or refute commonly-held beliefs about many positive or negative attributes of a blenderized diet versus commercial enteral formulae.  

The survey aims to get some quantitative rigour around many of these questions and issues.  Once completed, the results will be compiled, studied, notated and released for use by everyone who may benefit from them.  There are several medical students and professionals who ave expressed an interest in turning the data into a formal case study for publication - or perhaps I'll do exactly that myself.  Despite the cost of licensing the survey tool being covered by a sponsor, there is no commercial interest in any way in this survey, and the data will be made FREELY available (minus any identifying material or comments).  There is the option for you to submit your email address with your survey and have the results emailed directly to you upon completion of the project.  Details will be released here also.

Thank you so much

Maybe, just maybe, this will turn out to be a big step forward in establishing the common facts of using BD in tubefeeding, and help countless people in their dealings with medical professionals who (probably rightly) insist on a bit of scientific rigour.

Certainly, this will help us all in our understanding, knowledge, and empowerment.  Now please, go do the survey, and spread the word any way you can.

Eric.

PS. Here's a picture of a flower.  For no reason at all. :-)

Survey is LIVE. Your time starts......now.