What You Eat is More Important Than How You Eat

What You Eat is More Important Than How You Eat

Picture a long table filled with people sharing a meal. One person twirls pasta on a fork. A toddler does their enthusiastic best to feed themselves with their hands. Someone sips a smoothie made with their favorite blend of fruits and veggies. And someone else – maybe you, maybe someone you love – shares in the moment with the help of a feeding tube.

Same table. Same purpose. Different feeding methods.

That's the vision behind Compleat®'s mission: to help make tube feeding more visible, better understood and ultimately a more familiar part of everyday life. The more we can help people understand tube feeding, the more connected we can all be. Because we know that the way we nourish our bodies can look different for different people, but every way deserves to be seen and welcomed to the table.

Whether you’re a tubie, caregiver, teacher, neighbor or friend, we’re all part of the same village.

The Power of Nutrition
Just like gasoline or electricity powers a car, nutrients power the body. They provide energy so that our hearts can beat, our muscles can move and our brains can send and receive signals. A balanced diet rich in real foods like fruits, vegetables, protein, healthy fats and whole grains provides the variety of nutrients that keep us functioning, growing and thriving. Whether nutrition is received by mouth or through a feeding tube, the body is able to use those nutrients. That’s why what you eat is more important than how you eat.

It's Not Nutrition Until It's Consumed OR Different Paths to Receive Nutrition
Our bodies can only benefit from nutrition once they receive it. We often think of eating as taking a bite of food with a fork or spoon, or sipping a favorite drink through the mouth. For many people, that’s exactly how they receive the nutrition they need.

For people who cannot get enough nutrition by mouth because of a medical condition, illness or injury, enteral nutrition is the delivery system upon which they rely. It's another way the body receives what it needs – and that’s something every bit as meaningful. Because what matters most isn’t how food enters the body, it’s that our bodies receive what they need to help us grow, play, think and do all the things we love.

You Are Not Alone
If you or someone you love relies on a feeding tube, you're part of a much larger community than most people realize. There are hundreds of thousands of people in the United States on home enteral nutrition, not to mention their village of people caring for them and supporting them, yet tube feeding remains largely invisible in everyday life.

That invisibility can come at a cost. For the tubie and their caregiver it can mean wondering if people will ask questions, hesitating before attending a birthday party or avoiding meal-focused get togethers, as a few examples.

Those experiences are real, but they’re not something anyone should have to face alone.

Visibility Can Change Things
Every time tube feeding is seen, it becomes a little more familiar to those around you. Each moment of visibility helps people better understand that nutrition can look different from person to person. When we normalize tube feeding, not only do those living with a feeding tube feel less alone, but the supporting caregivers do too. Before too long, the people around us will recognize that what matters isn’t whether someone eats with a fork, spoon or feeding tube, it’s that they’re receiving the nutrition their body needs.

Join the Movement
At Compleat®, our job is to make nutritionally complete enteral feeding formulas but our mission goes beyond that. We believe tubies, and the caregivers who support them, deserve to feel seen, understood and supported so everyone feels comfortable bringing their whole selves to the table. Together, we can help create a world where feeding tubes are simply another way people receive the nutrition their bodies need, not something that sets them apart.

Join our community where everyone feels welcome at the table. Visit www.compleat.com/WhatIsBetterThanHow to learn more and join the conversation.