If you are faced with getting a feeding tube, you may wonder – “Can you eat with a feeding tube?”
The quick, simple answer is yes. A feeding tube itself doesn’t mean that you can’t eat.
However, the reason you have your feeding tube may dictate whether you can still eat with your feeding tube or not.
Let’s discuss.
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What does npo mean?
“NPO” stands for nil per os, Latin for nothing by mouth (1).
Health professionals use this term to inform you and the team that you are not to eat anything.
You may be npo for a short time while you wait for a test or procedure.
You could also be npo if eating or swallowing is not safe for you.
If you have to be npo for longer, you may require a feeding tube for nutrition.
So, the answer to, “Can you eat with a feeding tube?”, in this case, is no.
Reasons for a feeding tube
There are many reasons why you may need to get a feeding tube (2):
- You can’t eat right now (eg. very ill in hospital on a ventilator, extensive oral surgery)
- You can’t eat enough (eg. anorexia from chemotherapy, high nutrition needs)
- You have trouble swallowing (eg. neurological condition affecting swallowing)
- You have a blockage in your throat or esophagus (eg. tumour or growth blocking your GI tract)
Getting a feeding tube can sometimes be a choice or a decision you work through with your healthcare team.
Sometimes getting a feeding tube is a necessity. It’s not a choice but something you need to survive.
Either way, it doesn’t mean that you have failed in any way.
If you would like more information about feeding tube types, and methods of feeding with a feeding tube, you might find this blog article helpful as well.
If you are not npo, you can still eat with a feeding tube. But eating may look different for you.
Talk to your team about what eating with a feeding tube looks like for you.
Eating food with a feeding tube
Like I said before, having a feeding tube itself is not a reason for not being able to eat.
So – what can you eat with a feeding tube?
What you can eat may be different depending on your ability to swallow.
If you have impaired swallowing, you may see a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) to examine your swallowing. After they examine your swallowing, they will tell you what foods are safe to swallow.
You may be told to eat a different texture of food or fluid, like minced or pureed food or thickened liquids.
Your dietitian can then work with you to make sure you are meeting your nutrition goals with eating and tube feeding.
Eating by mouth and by tube may be the status quo for you but you may also want to know how to get off your tube feeds at some point (if that is an option for you).
Can blended food help you wean from tube feeds?
Tube feeding is sometimes a way of eating you will need forever. But for some, returning to eating by mouth may be an option.
Some research shows blenderized tube feeds can help kids wean off tube feeding quicker than kids on formula (3, 4).
The theory is that because the blenderized tube feeds decrease undesired GI symptoms such as reflux, retching, and nausea, kids feel better and are more likely to eat by mouth.
This may be something to consider asking your dietitian about if you are trying to wean from tube feeds.
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