Hilarie Geurink

“I believe families shouldn’t have to choose between real food and receiving support.”

Tell us your story. What is your background?

I began my career as a pediatric dietitian in 2015, primarily working in children's hospitals in Michigan. A big focus was assisting families with tube feeding and addressing the nutritional challenges often associated with chronic medical conditions. However, high caseloads made it difficult to really get to the root cause of each child's digestive issues, and I often felt like these children were just getting by, not truly thriving.

What led you to do the work you do?

While working in a pediatric neurodevelopment clinic, I was introduced to the concept of using real food for tube feeding, a practice not widely accepted in many clinical settings. I noticed that the families who chose real food for their children were the ones I heard from the least, mainly because their children often faced fewer digestive issues needing intervention. These parents also shared with me how much they enjoyed the aspect of preparing meals for their children, a part of parenting they deeply missed.

What led you to start Blended Tube Feeding?

This experience led me to develop a passion for blenderized diets. Lacking specific training in this area, I bought a blender and started experimenting with blending food to understand the correct consistency for tube feeding. I also joined online groups to learn from others who had successfully adopted this approach. Realizing the gap in support for families interested in blenderized feeding, I started an Instagram page to share my journey and insights, aiming to build a supportive learning community.

This initiative evolved into my private practice, Blended Tube Feeding. My aim is to bridge the gap between medical professionals and families, providing support and resources that are accessible and reassuring to both. I believe families shouldn’t have to choose between real food and receiving support – with the right guidance and resources, they can confidently make the switch to real food, while ensuring their child’s nutritional needs are met, and in a way that fits into their life, not adds to it.

What do you love to do in your free time?

Food is a central part of our life, fueling my passion for blended tube feeding! My husband and I are constantly experimenting with new recipes and we love learning about nutrition and all the ways we can improve our health through food. My approach to tube feeding is simple: a feeding tube is just another means of delivering nutrition to the body, and I want to share my love of food and nutrition with the tube feeding community!

In my free time, you can find me taking a walk outside or gardening, cozied up with a book, working out at our local CrossFit gym, or hanging out with friends and family. We enjoy pairing a glass of wine with our meals and love going to restaurants, always sharing food so we can try more dishes!

Tell us about the "Blended Tube Feeding Made Easy" program.

"Blended Tube Feeding Made Simple" provides families with a straightforward, step-by-step guide to transitioning to real food for tube feeding. The program offers short form videos and downloadable handouts for each step, perfect for quick reference or sharing with other caregivers. A key feature is its extensive collection of recipes so families don't have to think about what to blend. These recipes mirror the calorie concentration of commercial formulas, so families can effortlessly meet their child's nutritional needs without feeling overwhelmed. This approach not only makes the transition seamless but also gains the support of medical professionals, as they can continue their usual calculations and monitoring.

Inside the program, families have access to both my expertise and a community of others on the same journey, so their questions get answered quickly. The goal of Blended Tube Feeding Made Simple is to lighten the load for families, empower them to have choice back, and to tackle the root cause of feeding issues with real food.

When you created the "Blended Tube Feeding Made Easy" program, what were you most excited to share with people wanting to add real food to their tube feeding routine?

I want to give families hope back for better outcomes and relief from the endless cycle of managing feeding intolerance. So many parents I've worked with are completely burnt out, feeling like they've tried every approach to manage their child's digestive issues. So often real food is not offered as a solution, but in my experience it makes a huge difference. Not just for the person fed by feeding tube, but for the family as a whole. When the tube feeding plan is well tolerated, it becomes much more manageable, no longer a routine that takes over the family's life. And nutrition is so much more than fuel for our bodies, it's a way to show love, to connect and to optimize our well being. There are different ways to do things when it comes to tube feeding, and sometimes the answers we need come from thinking outside the box and being open to new methods!

What are your top three favorite blended food recipes?

This is tough, I have so many! I love recipes that mimic family meals so everyone can share in meal time together. But also recipes that allow for flexibility, like when somebody's not feeling well. And also recipes that provide more of a functional medicine approach to health with nutrient dense foods shown to a have health benefits!