In this post I share my top 5 blenders for creating blended meals for tube feeding. Whether you are looking for the most affordable option or are ready for a big time splurge, I've got you covered!
If you or your loved one is tube fed and want to use homemade blended food for all or part of their tube fed diet, you’re going to need a good blender. It’s the most critical piece of equipment and can potentially save you a lot of time and energy in the kitchen. There's a huge range of blenders that can be used for blending food for tube feeding. I’ve put together a list of 5 different blenders that know to be very effective. They cover a wide range of price points so I hope that one of these options will fit your needs. In no particular order:
Claire's rating: 4/5
Price point: $$
The Ninja blender is a fantastic all round blender. It's very powerful (anything with over 1000 watts of power is getting up there) and has a large cup size which will allow you to make large batches of blended food for tube feeding. The strength of this blender means that you can trust your ingredients will be fully broken down to small enough particle sizes for tube feeding. Basically, we're looking to liquify food and make it as smooth as possible to slide down the feeding tube without any issues. The Ninja has a unique design where there are 3 levels of blades rather than just having blades at the bottom of the cup. This seems to help speed up the process of blending and make it relatively equivalent in its performance to much more expensive options. Always keep in mind that the longer you run your blender, the smoother you blend will be. Even the best blenders need time to get the blend properly liquified, so don't rush the blending process. The Ninja is dishwasher safe.
Claire's rating: 5/5
Price point: $$$
The Vitamix is a fantastic product that has bigtime power and will be able to handle whipping up blended meals multiple times a day for years. It's got a 64 ounce blender cup so you can make large batches of blends and it's powerful enough to be used to warm up blends, or even to cook ingredients. It can "self clean" by running it for 30-60 seconds with some water and a drop of dish soap. You only need to rinse it out afterwards. This is a great way to save time and keep your blender ready to go, rather than tied up in the dishwasher. The real difference between the Vitamix and less powerful blenders is that you can blend up harder ingredients such as tougher meat or nuts and seeds, and trust that it's going to do the job. With less powerful blenders, you have to be more cautious or run the blender for a very long time.
Claire's rating: 3.5/5
Price point: $
This is an amazing blender for a very reasonable price. At well under 100 dollars, this blender can do the work for a much pricier product. It is powerful, yet it's a very compact design so it doesn't take up much space on your kitchen counter and can easily be tucked away into a drawer or cabinet. The relatively small cup size may be a drawback for some people as you won't be able to make huge batches. It's great to people who plan to blend their meals fresh and consume them right away. The good news is that if you let the Nutribullet run for a minute or two, you're going to get a nice smooth blend. It can handle nuts and raw veggies without any struggle as long as you have enough liquid in the blend and you give it enough time to work. The cups and blades are dishwasher safe.
Claire's rating: 5/5
Price point: $$$$
This blender is similar to the Vitamix in its power and abilities, but there's one big difference- it's way quieter. The "Pro" Blendtec Blenders have a cover that you close around the cup before blending and it significantly dampens the noise. This is a big design advantage if loud and frequent blending sounds could be a problem for you or your family. I once had a client tell me that their neighbours were able to hear their blender and had complained! So, it's good to think about potential noise and if you think it's important to be able to prepare meals for tube feeding in relative silence, this blender may be perfect for you, and worth the hefty price.
Claire's rating: 5/5
Price Point: $$$$
Most readers will have never heard of th Thermomix. In fact, I wasn't at all familiar with it either until I heard from a tube fed chef who told me that it is by far the best blender you could ever ask for. Apparently Thermomix machines are used in high-end restaurants to produce silky smooth sauces. In addition to being extremely effective for blending, the thermomix weighs ingredients, cooks then, purees them to perfection. Additionally, the machine can warm up the blend to a perfect temperature for comfortable tube feeding (37 degrees Celsius, I suggest) and once you're done it cleans itself! It's an amazing machine and can be used for all kinds of cooking, not just making liquid meals for tube feeding. Bonus, you can control the Thermomix with an app. If you're comfortable with high tech applicances, this blender might be worth the splurge!
Keep in mind that just about any blender can be used to make blenderized tube feeding recipes. I've worked with someone who used their 15 year old basic oster blender for their blended diet and they never had a problem. The trick is to run a weaker blender for way longer than you'd think is necessary. Up to 5 minutes to be sure everything is blended up properly. If you're new to tube feeding, you might want to test out your current blender before you buy something new. What you already have might work. Of course, I do recommend a really good blender, like one from the list above, to make your life a little (or a lot!) easier. If you're looking for help with blending food for tube feeding, please look into enrolling in The Blended Diet Online Course. In a series of video lessions, I cover all the information you're going to need to be sucessful with having a blended diet for tube feeding. I'd love to have you join me.
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