Eat 6 to 8 small meals or snacks daily, or every 2 to 3 hours. Include salty foods and snacks such as pretzels, saltine crackers, or potato chips to absorb water. of foods to limit). Avoid sugary beverages such as juice, lemonade, iced tea, or pop.
Stay away from these foods when you've recently had colostomy surgery: Dairy products, with the exception of small amount of yogurt. Fried food or any fatty meats, including potato chips. Foods that are very high in fiber such as wheat bran cereals and whole grain bread.
You can eat pizza with a stoma by testing a slice instead of a box of pizza, making sure to take small sips of water while eating, chewing thoroughly, avoiding artificial preservatives or extra spicy toppings, and limiting the amount of pizza that you consume at one time.
It's best to eat mostly bland, low-fiber foods for the first few weeks after your surgery. Bland foods are cooked, easy-to-digest foods that aren't spicy, heavy, or fried. Eating bland foods will help you avoid uncomfortable symptoms, such as: Diarrhea (loose or watery bowel movements)
One major issue to watch out for with a stoma is the laxative effect of some chocolates. The caffeine and fibre within the chocolate can increase the rate of motility (which is the contraction of the muscles in the digestive tract that encourage bowel movements).
Foods to include in your diet
Low-fiber foods, such as: White bread, pasta, and rice. Bagels, rolls, and crackers made from white or refined flour.
Applesauce, Bananas, Boiled white rice, Creamy nut butter (such as peanut butter), Oatmeal/porridge, Gelatin containing foods (jelly babies, marshmallows).
Eat 6 to 8 small meals or snacks daily, or every 2 to 3 hours. Include salty foods and snacks such as pretzels, saltine crackers, or potato chips to absorb water. of foods to limit). Avoid sugary beverages such as juice, lemonade, iced tea, or pop.
After the first few days after surgery, you can take liquids such as clear soup or juice, followed by easily digestible foods like oatmeal. Gradually thereafter, other foods that will likely be suitable are well-cooked rice, pureed fresh fruit, as well as cooked and pureed vegetables.
Eat starch carbohydrates such as white bread, low fibre cereals like rice crispies or cornflakes, potatoes (no skins) and white rice/pasta for energy and to help thicken your colostomy output.
You can eat whatever you want if you have an ostomy
If you have a colostomy or ileostomy, you'll find that various foods affect your digestive tract differently. Just as some foods gave you gas before your surgery, you'll likely experience gas with certain foods now that you have an ostomy.
Choose fresh fruit juices in addition to water and hot tea. Sometimes carbonated drinks may help. Gently massage around your stoma to try to encourage the blockage to work its way out.
Foods that are reported to help thicken the stoma output include apple sauce, bananas, buttermilk, cheese, marshmallows, jelly babies, (boiled) milk, noodles, smooth creamy peanut butter, rice, tapioca pudding, toast, potatoes and yoghurt.
Eat three small meals a day, with snacks in between about 4-6 times per day. Start by eating a light, bland and easily digestible diet. Avoid fatty, spicey or high fibre foods. Drink plenty of fluids at least 6 cups per day (8 cups per day for those with ileostomies)
Foods that may cause a blockage (high fiber foods) are: celery, coconut, corn and popcorn, chinese vegetables, dried fruits, foods with skins / peels, nuts, mushrooms, raw fruits, raw vegetables, seeds or kernels, meats with casings (skins), coleslaw, shrimp, lobster, oysters, clams, mussels, or other shellfish.
Peeled and well-cooked vegetables without seeds e.g. onions, carrots, swede, butternut squash, avocados, broccoli or cauliflower florets (without the stalk), beetroot, parsnip, courgette, aubergine, bell peppers and cucumber. Cooked, de-skinned and non-seeded tomatoes e.g. sieved tinned tomatoes or passata.
Foods to avoid
For the first 3 to 4 weeks after your surgery, don't eat raw fruits with the skin. Examples are: Apples Strawberries Blueberries Grapes These fruits may cause an ileostomy blockage.
Skin irritation around your stoma is usually caused by leakage from your ostomy pouch and the output from your stoma getting underneath the adhesive and onto your skin. It is uncomfortable and can stop your pouch from working well. The skin around your stoma should look similar to the skin on the rest of your body.
As an ostomate you may wonder if you can still have your morning coffee, enjoy a glass of wine or drink carbonated drinks. Here are a few guidelines: Coffee and tea are fine, but just like other foods, be aware of any reactions in your digestive system. Carbonated drinks may cause gas.
Sit-ups and crunches can be uncomfortable with an ostomy bag, also called a stoma bag. They also put strain on your belly area that could raise your risk for a hernia. Try gentle alternative ab exercises like pelvic tilts or knee rolls instead.
After having an ileostomy, you should avoid foods rich in insoluble fiber (bran-enriched breads and cereals, certain fruits and vegetables, legumes, and dried beans) and eat more foods rich in soluble fiber (oats, rye, barley, apples, bananas).
The low fibre versions are better tolerated so try white bread, breakfast cereals like rice krispies or cornflakes, white rice/pasta, and avoid skins on potatoes. These provide protein, vitamins and minerals which is essential for health and repair of body tissues.