Foods to include in your diet Well-cooked vegetables without skins or seeds (such as peeled potatoes, peeled zucchini with the seeds removed, and peeled tomatoes with the seeds removed)
Raw vegetables, including salad e.g. lettuce, celery, raw bell-peppers and spring onions. Hard to digest vegetables, including beans like butter beans or green/runner beans, sweetcorn, peas, mushrooms, cabbage, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale and spring greens.
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.
Roast potatoes – enjoy as is. Yorkshire Pudding – enjoy as is. Roasted root vegetables e.g., parsnips and carrots, neeps and tatties: peel them, cook them until soft and enjoy with your favourite flavourings such as honey and spices.
So watch out for how many mince pies or how much Christmas cake and Christmas pudding you are eating. Most people with a stoma can eat all these foods in moderation and as long as the food is chewed particularly well to aid the digestion process you should be fine.
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 must still include fibre in your diet. Choose some foods from the following list daily: Wholemeal bread. High fibre cereal e.g. Weetabix, porridge.
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).
Drink sports drinks (such as Gatorade or Powerade) and oral rehydration solutions (such as Pedialyte). These drinks will help replace your fluid loss quickly, especially if your ostomy output is high. A high output is more than 1000 milliliters (about 34 ounces) per day.
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.
Dietary tips when you have stoma:
Protein rich foods such as meat, fish, beans, lentils, eggs, cheese, milk, or yogurt. Carbohydrates (starchy foods) such as bread, potato, pasta, rice, and breakfast cereals.
Aim for a little and often approach to eating (three small meals with snacks in between) Snack suggestions: biscuits, yogurts, cheese and crackers. Try nutritious drinks such as milk or supplements recommended by your dietitian. Relax and minimise distractions at mealtimes.
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.
Once your appetite has returned and your stoma output starts normalising, you can gradually reintroduce more foods. Try to include a range of foods from each of the following food groups to make sure you have a balanced diet: Protein rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, lentils and beans.
Coffee and tea are fine, but as with anything else be aware of any reactions in your digestive system. Carbonated drinks in general can cause gas. Beer can cause the output from the ostomy to become more liquid. You can drink alcohol.
Diet after Ostomy
Avoid spicy, fried, or sugary foods. If you experience loose or runny stools, try eating the following foods that may thicken stools: banana, applesauce, pasta, potatoes, tapioca, rice, smooth peanut butter, or cheese.
Food options for people recovering from a colostomy include: non-fat or low-fat skimmed milk. lactose-free dairy products. yogurt.
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.
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.
What CAN you eat? There are lots of low-residue desserts, including angel food cake, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, pumpkin pie, lemon bars, ice cream, pudding, canned fruit, etc.
Your stoma may not react well at first to hot and spicy dishes. Ease into it with plain foods, and avoid foods that are stringy or fibrous. If you've had an ileostomy, watch out for food blockage: Swelling may occur in the bowel, which may narrow it.
Root vegetables such as carrots, swedes, squash and parsnips are usually well tolerated and are delicious roasted, mashed or made into soups. Vegetable soups which have been blended and sieved are a low fibre option for people with stomas.