Blended diet for enteral nutrition: an evolutionary concept analysis

Many terms are used to describe blended diet for enteral nutrition and there is no universal agreement on what constitutes one. This work aims to define the concepts of blended diet and provide the reader with two clear definitions for homemade blended diet and commercial blended diet.

Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis was selected as the framework to explore what is common to blended diet. The article draws on key elements of a blended diet that are commonly reported in literature including identification of surrogate terms, attributes, antecedents and consequences.

Seven online databases were searched - PubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, SCOPUS, AMED, EMBASE and Medline - for articles pertaining to blended diet use in adults and children. The inclusion criteria were kept broad to allow for a holistic view of the concept of blended diet to be established. No restriction on publication date was applied to observe for the direction and growth of research over time. All searches were completed between February and March 2025.

This concept analysis examined the published data on blended diet, which the authors have concluded as having two main definitions concerning different elements that often lack a clear differentiation within the literature. Homemade blended diet refers to everyday home foods blended for personal use to allow the consistency to be safely administered as enteral nutrition. Commercial blended diet is defined as food being produced outside of the home at commercial scale that is ready to use or requires minimal manipulation.

The two types of blended diet have distinctively different characteristics and show a clear need to distinguish between them. The main reason for its use is multifunctional. Higher rates of success with blended diet were seen when supported by health professionals' input. Concerns appeared to be lower than anticipated and improvements in negative gastrointestinal symptoms are widely reported.