Healthcare Professionals
Buy Now

You have questions?
We have answers.

Have questions about PediaSure® products? Here are
some answers about nutrition, ingredients, use, and more.

faq
faq
faq

PediaSure Enteral Formulas FAQs

1. Are PediaSure® enteral formulas the same as the PediaSure that can be found in the grocery store?

PediaSure® Enteral 1.0 Cal and PediaSure® oral products are NOT the same. PediaSure Enteral 1.0 Cal products (with and without Fiber) are designed for sole-source tube-feeding and feature a lower osmolality. This means they are better tolerated when fed directly into your child’s feeding site. Also, the bulk of their carbohydrate calories come from maltodextrin, which is an easier source to digest in tube-feedings than is sugar/sucrose.

Oral PediaSure products, like PediaSure® Grow & Gain and PediaSure® Grow & Gain with Fiber, are designed with kids’ taste approval as a high priority, since kids generally consume 1-2 servings daily as a supplement to their diet. Osmolality is generally less important than a sweet taste to help increase compliance. This is why more of the carbohydrate calories come from sugar in the oral products. On the other hand, since enteral formulas are generally fed by tube, it is more important that they have a pleasant aroma than an appealing taste.

There ARE similarities between PediaSure enteral formulas and oral PediaSure Grow & Gain that is also sold at retail, including:

  • Standard 1 Calorie per mL for most children with normal caloric needs
  • A balanced distribution of protein, fat, and carbohydrate
  • All the essential vitamins and minerals a child needs when consuming the amount prescribed by the healthcare professional based on a child's weight and age

2. Are there any reasons why an adult can’t use PediaSure®?

If an adult who can tolerate milk protein wants to drink PediaSure products, there should be no contraindications. If, however, the adult needs a complete liquid nutrition product to replace all foods and beverages in the daily diet, PediaSure would not be the best choice, and we would recommend Ensure® instead.

A healthcare professional would be able to recommend a product in our Specialty Nutrition line that would meet an adult’s needs.

3. Can a child with a citric acid allergy drink PediaSure® enteral formulas?

You should consult with your child's allergist for a list of product ingredients that should be avoided. Although citric acid is not listed among the ingredients in PediaSure enteral formulas, the products do contain potassium citrate, which is a mineral salt of citric acid.

4. What types of feeding tubes can PediaSure® enteral formulas be fed through?

PediaSure enteral and oral nutrition products* can be fed by mouth (bottle or cup) or by tube (including NG, OG, G-tubes, and, in most cases, ND, OD, NJ, OJ, G-J, and J-tubes†).

* Includes PediaSure Grow & Gain, PediaSure Grow & Gain with Fiber, PediaSure SideKicks, PediaSure Enteral 1.0 Cal, PediaSure Enteral 1.5 Cal, PediaSure Enteral 1.0 Cal with Fiber, PediaSure Enteral 1.5 Cal with Fiber.

† Abbreviations: G, gastric; G-J, gastrojejunal; J, jejunal; ND, nasoduodenal; NG, nasogastric; NJ, nasojejunal; OD, oroduodenal; OG, orogastric; OJ, orojejunal. These tubes start either from the nose (naso-) or mouth (oro-) and thread down into the stomach (gastric) or intestines (duodenum or jejunum). Some tubes are placed surgically, or by endoscopy, directly into the stomach (gastric, ie, G-tubes) and/or intestines (jejunum, ie, J-tubes, G-J tubes). Visit here for more resources on tube-feeding .

Additional Information:

Flushing

Flushing tubes used for infant tube-feedings are generally not flushed with water. The added fluid volume could be too much for infants, especially if they are sick. If clearing is needed, air may be pushed into the tube. In contrast, tubes for children and adults are flushed with water after the feeding is completed.

Intestinal feedings (ND, OD, NJ, OJ, G-J, and J-tubes)

Intestinal feedings are administered continuously on a pump. Intermittent feedings are generally not recommended through the pumps listed above. Concentrated feedings (for example, 24 or 27 Cal/fl oz) or hyperosmolar feedings or medications may not be tolerated (at least initially) in the intestine.

5. Do PediaSure® products contain any flax or flax-derived ingredients?

No, they do not.

6. Do PediaSure® products contain peanuts or tree nuts?

There are no peanuts or nut derivatives in PediaSure beverages. There are also no peanuts or tree nuts in the plants or on the lines where PediaSure products are manufactured.

7. Are any PediaSure® enteral formula products made with probiotics?

No, PediaSure enteral formula products do not contain probiotics. However, PediaSure® Enteral 1.0 Cal with Fiber and 1.5 Cal with Fiber do contain the prebiotic scFOS (short chain fructooligosaccharides).

PediaSure Peptide FAQs

8. Are PediaSure® Peptide products appropriate for a child who is severely allergic to milk or soy?

Milk allergy

PediaSure Peptide products would not be appropriate for a child with a severe milk allergy, given that the protein source is partially hydrolyzed whey and casein.

Soy allergy

As PediaSure Peptide products contain a small amount of soy lecithin, some children who are allergic to soy may have a reaction. It’s why PediaSure Peptide's labeling includes, "Contains soy and milk ingredients."

Severe or multiple allergies

For children with severe milk and/or soy allergies, EleCare® Jr would likely be a better choice than PediaSure Peptide formula (as recommended by the child's healthcare professional). The use of a PediaSure Peptide product (including a test dose) should occur only with a doctor's recommendation and supervision.

9. How much sugar is in PediaSure® Peptide?

PediaSure Peptide 1.0 Cal* unflavored does not contain sugar or sucrose. Flavored PediaSure Peptide 1.0 Cal* products (vanilla and strawberry) have approximately 6 grams of sugar (sucrose) per 8 fl oz.

*Previously Vital® Jr.

Note
PediaSure® Peptide 1.5 Cal products are flavored with vanilla, but do not contain sucrose. They do contain the artificial sweeteners acesulfame-K and sucralose.

10. How much lactose is in PediaSure® Peptide? The label says it’s suitable for lactose intolerance, but it also says it’s not for children with galactosemia.

The amount of lactose in PediaSure enteral products is approximately 750 mg/L. The amount of lactose in PediaSure Peptide is approximately 32 mg/L. These are relatively small amounts that should not cause a problem for children who are lactose intolerant. The amount of galactose that is present in the lactose, however, may be too high for children with galactosemia. The use of PediaSure Peptide with a child with galactosemia should be used under medical supervision.

11. Are PediaSure® Peptide products suitable for vegetarians?

PediaSure products* contain milk ingredients such as whey protein hydrolysate and hydrolyzed sodium caseinate. These proteins come from cow’s milk, which is an animal source.

* Includes PediaSure Peptide 1.0 Cal and PediaSure Peptide 1.5 Cal.

12. What types of feeding tubes can PediaSure® Peptide products be fed through?

PediaSure Peptide nutrition products* can be fed by mouth (bottle or cup) or by tube (including NG, OG, G-tubes, and, in most cases, ND, OD, NJ, OJ, G-J, and J-tubes†).

*Includes PediaSure Peptide 1.0 Cal and PediaSure Peptide 1.5 Cal.

†Abbreviations: G, gastric; G-J, gastrojejunal; J, jejunal; ND, nasoduodenal; NG, nasogastric; NJ, nasojejunal; OD, oroduodenal; OG, orogastric; OJ, orojejunal. These tubes start either from the nose (naso-) or mouth (oro-) and thread down into the stomach (gastric) or intestines (duodenum or jejunum). Some tubes are placed surgically, or by endoscopy, directly into the stomach (gastric, ie, G-tubes) and/or intestines (jejunum, ie, J-tubes, G-J tubes). Visit here for more resources on tube-feeding.

 

13. Does strawberry-flavored PediaSure® Peptide have natural strawberry components?

Yes, the flavoring in strawberry PediaSure Peptide contains some natural strawberry. For this reason, strawberry PediaSure Peptide would likely be unacceptable for a child with a strawberry allergy.