Crawling on the carpet. Playing peek-a-boo. Hiding under the covers. Help make simple moments special with EleCare®.
What is an elemental food? close A true elemental food is one in which all major energy-providing nutrients are in their simplest form, as they are found after complete digestion.
What is "elemental" about EleCare? close EleCare contains free amino acids instead of whole proteins. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are needed for your child's growth. As in other formulas, the fat and carbohydrates in EleCare are not in their most "elemental" form and must be digested before they can be absorbed.
Can EleCare be used for infants younger than 1 year of age? close Yes. EleCare Unflavored is indicated for infants younger than 1 year. EleCare Vanilla is indicated for children older than 1 year.
What is done during the production of EleCare to maintain its hypoallergenicity? close All of the equipment used to make EleCare is thoroughly cleaned before manufacture. After cleaning, samples from the equipment and product contact surfaces are tested using ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) testing methods. ELISA testing detects casein, whey, and soy protein. Only after the equipment passes this testing does production of EleCare begin. Each commercial batch is tested using both ELISA and PAGE (PolyAcrylamide Gel Electrophoresis) methods. The PAGE method is not as sensitive as ELISA, but has the advantage of detecting the presence of any protein, regardless of the source.
Can EleCare be fed to a child with lactose intolerance or galactosemia? close Yes, EleCare is lactose- and galactose-free. It is also fructose-free.
What is the importance of being "gluten-free"? close EleCare does not contain the protein gluten, so it can be used by children with celiac disease. People with celiac disease are sensitive to gluten, which is a protein found in wheat and other grains.
Can EleCare be frozen after mixing? close It is not recommended to freeze EleCare.
Can EleCare be used in cooking or baking? close No. EleCare should not be heated.
How long can EleCare be stored? close EleCare can be stored on the shelf, unopened, for 30 months. Be sure to check the expiration date on the can.
How long will an open can of EleCare be safe to use? close Once opened, the contents of a can of EleCare should be used within one month.
Can EleCare be tube-fed? close EleCare may be fed orally or by tube directly into the digestive system. It should not be fed intravenously (through a vein).
How long can EleCare hang for a tube feeding after being mixed? close EleCare can be fed safely for four hours under standard tube-feeding conditions.
Is EleCare kosher? close Abbott Nutrition attempts to use PAREVE ingredients in EleCare and uses appropriate methods of CIP (clean-in-place) to sanitize and kosherize (for Dairy designation) equipment prior to manufacturing EleCare. Abbott Nutrition's manufacturing plants are kosher for Dairy. Abbott Nutrition conducts extensive testing to make sure the manufacturing equipment is milk-protein free prior to production and also tests the product using sensitive techniques for the presence of milk protein. Due to OU labeling requirements regarding use of equipment that manufactures both pareve and dairy products, to put an OU designation on the label, the label would need to indicate "OU Dairy" or "Pareve OU, Contains only Pareve ingredients. Manufactured on dairy equipment." Abbott Nutrition has concluded that to have the word "Dairy" on the label would lead to confusion by parents of children who are allergic to milk proteins. Thus, Abbott Nutrition has decided not to put these designations on the label of EleCare. Abbott Nutrition suggests that consumers for whom this is an issue contact their rabbi for approval to consume this product.
What are DHA and ARA? close Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) are two fatty acids that are important for mental and visual development in infants. They can be obtained directly from the diet or made naturally by the baby from two precursor essential fatty acids — alpha linolenic acid (precursor of DHA) and linoleic acid (precursor of ARA). DHA and ARA function as nutritional building blocks in brain and eye development, which occurs most rapidly during the first two years of life.
How much DHA and ARA does EleCare Unflavored contain? close The levels of DHA and ARA in all Similac® infant formulas and EleCare Unflavored are ~0.15% of total fatty acids as DHA and ~0.4% of total fatty acids as ARA.
Can babies be allergic to DHA and ARA? close It would be highly unlikely for a baby to have an allergic reaction to DHA and ARA. Allergies occur in response to proteins. DHA and ARA are fatty acids and the sources of these are free of protein contamination.
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