Foods to limit High-fat milk and dairy products, such as: Whole milk. Regular ice cream or sherbet.
Tips for eating with a stoma
Include fruit and vegetables daily. Include milk and dairy foods two to three times per day as they are rich in calcium – choose lower fat varieties as healthy options. If you cannot eat dairy, try dairy free alternatives such a soya/almond/coconut/oat milk which are fortified with calcium.
Avoid drinks that cause bloating
There are certain alcoholic beverages which can cause bloating and ballooning of stoma bags. These include lager, beer, prosecco and any other fizzy alcoholic drinks.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Drinks. After a colostomy surgery, the type of fluids a person drinks will also affect their colon. It is important to avoid carbonated and caffeinated beverages, which tend to cause irritation, gas, and bloating, leading to discomfort.
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.
Applesauce, Bananas, Boiled white rice, Creamy nut butter (such as peanut butter), Oatmeal/porridge, Gelatin containing foods (jelly babies, marshmallows).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Air from the stoma causes the bag to expand and detach from the skin (ballooning) Ballooning occurs when air from the stoma inflates the bag and cannot escape through the filter. The resulting air pressure can cause the adhesive to detach from the skin.
Ballooning occurs when your stoma bag blows up with wind. This is usually due to the filter becoming wet or blocked from stoma output. This can cause the bag to come away from the body. Please note: Stoma ballooning can happen with a colostomy or occasionally with an ileostomy.
Some common complications of stoma include poor siting, parastomal hernia (PH), prolapse, retraction, ischemia/necrosis, peristomal dermatologic problems, mucocutaneous separation, and pyoderma gangrenosum. Each will be discussed separately in further detail.
Taking a Skin Break
Many people enjoy leaving their skin uncovered for 15 to 30 minutes after taking their pouching system off. This is called a skin break. Taking a skin break can help with irritation or keep it from happening. You can decide if you want to take a skin break.
It usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to recover from an ileostomy and get back to your usual activities. But you should avoid strenuous activities or heavy lifting for 3 months while your tummy muscles heal. It's important to rest and take the time you need to adjust to the change in your body.
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.
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.
Spicy foods, some particular vegetables (onions, cabbages, peas, and beans) and fizzy drinks have been known to increase wind, so we would recommend avoiding these in your diet. We would also recommend not drinking with your meal if you are experiencing ballooning, as this can also cause you to swallow excess air.