Why should holding of feedings be minimized?

• A. To reduce infection risk
• B. To optimize meeting calorie and protein needs
• C. To prevent tube clogging
• D. To prevent overnight hunger

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that interruptions in nutrition delivery make it harder to meet the patient’s prescribed energy and protein goals. When feedings are held, the total daily intake drops unless adjustments are made later, so underfeeding can occur. Meeting adequate calories and protein is critical for preserving lean body mass, supporting wound healing, and driving recovery in stressed patients. By minimizing holds, you maximize the chance of hitting those targets each day and avoiding delays in healing or deterioration. Holds are sometimes necessary for safety (e.g., GI intolerance or aspiration risk), but the goal is to keep them as brief and infrequent as possible and resume feeding promptly with appropriate adjustments to the plan.