Enteral diets based on conventional foods are used in domestic nutritional therapy to provide macronutrients, obtain individualised diets and to lower costs. Eggplant, carrot, chicory, lettuce, guava and tamarind were studied as sources of soluble and insoluble fibers for use in enteral diets or as oral nutritional supplements, added to a domestic enteral formulation and also prepared in aqueous solution. The following physical-chemical characteristics were determined: soluble and insoluble fibers, proximate composition, pH and water activity. Drip tests were carried out with the formulas containing the experimental foods and as an oral nutritional supplement the best proportion of food/water was shown to be 150 g/2 L, whereas when added to the formula, the best proportion was 100 g food/2 L of formula. The amounts of each food added to the enteral formula were equivalent to two daily portions (100 g) of each food per 2 L or 2000 kcal. Of the foods tested, the guava contributed the greatest amount of fiber and the eggplant the least. The values for water activity were between 0.95 and 1.00, indicating that these diets should be consumed immediately after preparation.
soluble and insoluble fibers; oral nutritional supplement; enteral nutrition; water activity; conventional foods; nutritional value
