Reverse Engineered EEN Smoothie

To approximate food like Modulen or Kate Farms medical meal replacement shakes, I made this smoothie. I drink two of these a day currently, in addition to 3-4 Kate farms shakes. The Kate farms micronutrient profile hits all essential vitamins and minerals at 3-4 shakes a day. My last meal of the day is yogurt and granola, soup and bread or chicken, or something like that. Blended blended blended. I occasionally eat some crackers because I want to CHEW. I have stopped drinking coffee, rip.

There has been one study out of Seattle children’s hospital that did a proof of concept with using smoothies to induce remission in Crohn’s. They did a smoothie protocol for 4-6 weeks and 80% of trial participants ended up in remission. This won’t work for everyone, but smoothies and blended food might make EEN more realistic for adults, as it provides more variety than chugging Ensure every meal. Also this is more cost effective. My weekly grocery bill was about equal to what it normally is buying the smoothie ingredients.

Reverse Engineered EEN Smoothie

• 1/3 nuts (almonds)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 pitted dates
• 2T hemp seed
• 2T chia seed
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup frozen spinach, another leafy green, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry – your choice, but these are all nutrients dense foods that you can play with for flavor
• 1 scoop whey protein powder (I add this after everything else is blended because it can whip too much air into the final product)
• 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt (optional)
• 2-4 cups water, depending on how thick or thin you want it to be. add more water if you want to travel with it and drink later

I recommend using a high power blender like Vitamix.

Macro profile (without yogurt)

• 40% carb (97g)
• 22% protein (54g)
• 38% fat (40.5g)
• 970 calories total

With the yogurt, the macro profile closely approximates Kate Farms meal replacement shakes.

Tbh these smoothies make meal prep way easier for me, which is great when I’m in a flare and still going to work. I’m also able to eat SO MUCH PROTEIN, which in flare times will help with healing, and in non flare times will help with maintaining and building muscle for the athletes among us.

Finally, full disclosure: I use dietary methods to treat Crohn’s because I had anaphylaxis reactions to Remicade, really dislike steroid side effects, and EEN is the first line method for inducing remission in pediatric Crohn’s patients worldwide. It is scientifically backed, but adults often don’t stick to the diet.