Written by Chad Birt on Fri Mar 08 2024.
Caring for a loved one with nutritional challenges, like swallowing difficulties, poor chewing ability, or low-calorie intake can make your job even harder. You know that healthy food and beverage options are crucial, but finding products with the right consistency and proper nutrition can be a tall order.
We understand. Which is why we stock a variety of specialty nutrition products and beverages. Here, we provide a shoppable list of our favorite items, including customer reviews and key benefits and features.
Specialty nutrition products and beverages are formulated for those with nutritional challenges, including:
Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
Chewing difficulties caused by missing teeth, dental pain, or dental devices
Low-calorie intake
Low protein intake
Infants
Teething toddlers
Gastrointestinal issues
Feeding tubes
These products contain additives, like food thickeners, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes, to support nutrition and make mealtimes easier.
The specialty nutrition products and beverages featured below are a mix of our best-selling and top-rated items. Whenever possible, we’ve included real customer feedback under the heading “Hear It From a User/Caregiver.”
The list below contains three sections: thickened foods, tube feeding friendly, and electrolytes & hydration. Let’s take a closer look:
Thick-It is a cornstarch-based food and drink thickener for folks with swallowing difficulties. It’s gluten-free, dissolves instantly, and can be mixed into foods and beverages of any temperature –– hot or cold. It reduces the risk of choking and aspiration, making meal and snack times easier and stress-free.
Key Benefits & Features
Doesn’t change the appearance or flavor of the foods and drinks it’s mixed with
Kosher Parve
Can be used to create a honey-thick, nectar-thick, or pudding-thick consistency
Hear it from a caregiver
“This is a wonderful product. [I add] it to my mother’s drinks throughout the day to keep her hydrated. Without it, she struggles with choking on liquids.”
- Gloria G.
These Thick-It pureed meals are some of our best-selling specialty nutrition products. E=The soft consistency is ideal for individuals with swallowing and swallowing difficulties, reducing the risk of pain, aspiration, and choking.
Key Benefits & Features
Shelf-stable for up to 24 months
Blended to be smooth and easy to eat
Hear it from a caregiver
“Again all I can say is thank you Thick It!.”
- David S.
Real Food Blends purees might come in handy if your loved one has a feeding tube. Each blend contains five whole foods or less and several grams of fiber. There are no synthetic ingredients or added sugar and salt. Even better? They can be used with bolus, gravity, and pump feeding.
Key Benefits & Features
100% real food for kids and adults with feeding tubes
No refrigeration is needed! Shelf stable for up to three years
Formulated with ingredients that support overall health
Hear it from a caregiver
“Excellent choice and [a] variety of foods! I still have to dilute the food to be able to feed via gravity or the syringe tip will clog, but my husband is happy to know it’s real food instead of a lab-created mix. 5 stars.”
- David M.
Price: $13.34 - $100.20
Many people who use feeding tubes have elevated calorie and/or protein requirements. Fibersource’s complete nutrition formula addresses both of these issues with a high-quality casein and soybean blend. It provides 1.2 calories per milliliter, 54 grams of protein, and 15.2 grams of fiber per liter.
Key Benefits & Features
Formulated to support lean body mass
Contains 50% soluble and 50% insoluble fiber to support digestive health
Contains ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid (“healthy fat”)
Price: $11.23 - $91.30
This Mead Johnson medical food formula is for children with maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) –– a rare, but potentially serious inherited metabolic disorder. Children with MSUD can’t break down certain amino acids which are essential for making protein. The formula prevents amino acids from building up in the body, reducing the risk of severe, MSUD-related health problems.
Key Benefits & Features
Provides essential and nonessential amino acids
Contains choline, an essential nutrient for brain development and healthy cells
Increase levels of B vitamins compared to other infant formulas
Hear it from a caregiver
“I order BCAD for my friend's kids [and] they really like it.”
- Anh T.
If your loved one suffers from gastrointestinal problems, like diarrhea or constipation, you might struggle to find meals that are nourishing and free of side effects. This coconut-derived nutrition beverage aims to address GI symptoms by providing proper nutrition without any digestion-related risks.
Key Benefits & Features
No artificial sweeteners, brown rice syrup, or high fructose corn syrup.
Easily digestible drink with less than 2 grams of lactose per serving.
Suitable for tube feeding.
Shop our entire lineup of specialty nutrition products and beverages.
Cure Hydrating Electrolyte Mix Pouches are backed by science and powered by nature. Hydration is the foundation of health. But science shows that staying hydrated often requires more than water alone. Without essential electrolytes like sodium and potassium, we can’t replenish ourselves adequately from everyday life: exercise, travel, late nights, or illness. Plus, Cure’s plant-based formula has no added sugars, just natural fruit flavors you’ll love to drink. Science has never tasted this good.
Key Benefits & Features
Made with plant-based, non-GMO ingredients.
No added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or sugar alcohols.
Made for everyone! Adults and children 1 or older.
Get superior hydration than water alone with Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Sugar-Free! Powered by our proprietary Amino Acid Allulose Blend, this innovative formula contains 3x the electrolytes of the leading sports drink, plus 8 essential vitamins and nutrients in every stick. It's the sugar-free way to hydrate faster and feel your best.
Key Benefits & Features
3x the electrolytes of the leading sports drink
Scientifically formulated
5 essential vitamins in every stick
Planning snacks and meals can be time-consuming and stressful. Especially if your loved one has unique nutritional needs. But if your pantry is stocked with specialty nutrition products and beverages, there’s one less thing to worry about.
We offer fast, free shipping on orders $49+, and signing up for Autoship is an easy way to keep everything you need available. Enjoy a discount on your first Autoship order, and an additional 5% off each order of qualifying products.
Caring for a loved one with special nutritional needs isn’t easy, so you probably have questions. Our friendly Care Team is familiar with all of the products we carry and can help point you in the right direction. Contact them by calling (800) 696-CARE or sending an email to support@carewell.com.
As you age, the 50 pairs of muscles and nerves responsible for helping you swallow experience wear-and-tear. Over time, these changes can cause the muscles to atrophy, making it difficult to keep food or liquids down. Thickening agents help make consumption easy and hassle-free.
In this blog, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of thick water, including what it is, who can benefit, and where to buy it.
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias affect memory and cognition, but they also impact your loved one’s ability to eat and drink. For some people, these conditions trigger overeating; But for others, they reduce appetite.
Read More >Chad Birt is a freelance medical writer who resides in Astoria, Oregon. When he isn't behind a keyboard, you can find him hiking, camping, or birdwatching with his wife Ella and their two dogs, Diane and Thoreau.
