For Real Food Blends co-founders Julie and Tony Bombacino, using a Vitamix blender for family meal preparation was not a lifestyle choice; it was a life-saving measure.
After being a somewhat typical breast-fed baby, at six months old, their son, AJ, suffered a 45-minute seizure. After a series of tests, doctors informed the Bombacinos that AJ had brain malformations of his cortical development, he may never walk or talk, and his life would certainly never be normal. The Bombacinos faced this difficult reality as AJ’s seizures continued. To make things worse, soon after this seizure, he struggled with what was thought to be severe, worsening reflux. A swallow study brought more difficult news: AJ needed a feeding tube for 100 percent of his nutrition; immediately.
For three months, the Bombacinos fed AJ traditional commercial formulas through his feeding tube, and for three months, AJ threw up five to 10 times per day, sustained regular seizures, was barely sleeping and experienced formula intolerance side effects like diarrhea, constipation, irritability and failure to thrive. The Bombacinos worked with registered dietitians and gastroenterologists to implement a variety of possible solutions, including a low-protein formula, a high-protein formula, low-fat formulas and even 24-hour feeding … but nothing seemed to work.
La familia no estaba dispuesta a rendirse, así que recurrieron a Internet para encontrar una solución por su cuenta. Con base en su investigación, los Bombacino tomaron una decisión simple pero profunda: dejar de darle las fórmulas y empezar a hacer mezclas caseras para alimentar a AJ con una amplia variedad de alimentos reales.
“Gracias a la potencia y simplicidad de nuestra licuadora Vitamix, pudimos experimentar rápidamente con diferentes mezclas de alimentos y retomar un poco el control. ”
AJ’s dietitian advised against this idea, scared that it would clog his feeding tube or that he wouldn’t get proper nutrition. The Bombacinos did more research to find a blender capable of making smooth food purees that would pass easily through their son’s feeding tube. In the end, they felt confident that a Vitamix was the only blender for the job.
"Nuestra Vitamix nos trajo un poco de calma en medio de la tormenta", comentó la madre de AJ, Julie Bombacino, cofundadora y directora general de Real Food Blends. "Gracias a la potencia y simplicidad de nuestra licuadora Vitamix, pudimos experimentar rápidamente con diferentes mezclas de alimentos y retomar un poco el control."
To start, the Bombacinos fed AJ just 10 ml of real, fresh food via his feeding tube — apples blended in a Vitamix machine — and nothing happened (in a good way). Over the next few months, the Bombacinos’ kitchen turned into a test kitchen, as they thought of what foods AJ should be eating at every stage, and how to best prepare those items. As a result of consuming real, whole foods, blended in a Vitamix blender, AJ started vomiting less, his hair growth and complexion improved, he was sleeping more, his digestion improved, he started progressing on his timeline, and he was, simply, happier.
"AJ estaba volviendo a ser un niño otra vez, y el impacto que esto tuvo en nosotros fue enorme", comentó el padre de AJ, Tony Bombacino, cofundador y presidente de Real Food Blends. “Fue una pequeña dosis de normalidad; sentimos que habíamos comenzado a dar un giro."
Animados por su logro y con la necesidad de un descanso, los Bombacino decidieron tomar unas vacaciones en familia junto con AJ y su hermana mayor, Luca. Como no querían tener que ir a comprar al supermercado, ni estar elaborando mezclas o planificando comidas durante sus vacaciones, optaron por buscar opciones de alimentos ya mezclados que no tuvieran que refrigerarse ni se echaran a perder para poder reemplazar sus mezclas hechas en la Vitamix durante una semana... pero no encontraron ninguna.
“ Our mission is to ensure that all people with a feeding tube have easy access to 100 percent real-food meals and real nutritional variety — and to hopefully make life for people with a feeding tube (and their families) just a little easier. ”
Determined to help other families like their own, the Bombacinos spent the next two-and-a-half years creating what would become Real Food Blends: their company that offers a line of pre-packaged, shelf-stable, 100 percent real food meals for people with feeding tubes. With the help of some angel investors and a good amount of their own personal savings, the Bombacinos’ dream became a reality. Real Food Blends is now nearly seven years old, has sold millions of meals nationwide to tens of thousands of customers, offers six different real food meal options, and continues to be inspired by its online community of over 100,000 individuals that learn, share and advocate for people with feeding tubes and their loved ones every day.
“Consumir comidas a base de una amplia variedad de mezclas de alimentos integrales —ya sea que se trate de una mezcla casera preparada con nuestra licuadora Vitamix o de alguna comida de Real Food Blends— no solo es una cuestión de nutrición, tiene que ver con el aspecto emocional de los alimentos, de compartir la comida en familia, y de sentirse bien con lo que se le está dando de comer a tus seres queridos. La gente suele decirnos: Me siento como un ser humano de nuevo, puedo percibir el olor de los diferentes alimentos y se parecen más a una comida", mencionó Tony.
According to Julie, there are nearly 1 million people (kids and adults) in the U.S. that rely on a feeding tube for some or all of their nutrition, and over 400 different reasons and conditions why an individual may need a feeding tube. “Our mission is to ensure that all people with a feeding tube have easy access to 100 percent real-food meals and real nutritional variety — and to hopefully make life for people with a feeding tube (and their families) just a little easier,” said Julie.
AJ, now a healthy, thriving nine-year-old, is consuming 10 - 18 ounces of blended food per meal, three times per day. He enjoys a combination of Real Food Blends meals and customized home blends made with the Bombacinos’ Vitamix blender. “He knows what the blender sounds like, and he giggles when he hears it and often scoots into the kitchen to see what’s going on,” said Julie. “We can include him in meal time again, be adventurous with his nutrition and feed him more like us — and that means a lot.”
For more information about Real Food Blends, visit www.RealFoodBlends.com, or join their community on Facebook. Share your own inspirational blending stories using #MyVitamix.