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 to include in your diet
Low-fiber foods, such as: Well-cooked vegetables without skins or seeds (such as peeled potatoes, peeled zucchini with the seeds removed, and peeled tomatoes with the seeds removed) Lettuce. Strained vegetable juice.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 limit
High-fat milk and dairy products, such as: Whole milk. Regular ice cream or sherbet.
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.
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.
Beans. They're loaded with healthy protein and fiber, but they also have hard-to-digest sugars that cause gas and cramping. Your body doesn't have enzymes that can break them down.
Baked beans can be healthy as part of a balanced diet — but there are important things to note. Baked beans found in cans, such as Heinz, contain added salt and sugar that are a significant amount of the recommended daily intake.
Beans in general are difficult to digest because they contain a sugar called raffinose that we're not able to break down.
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.
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.
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)
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.
Choosing the right fluid is also an important part of staying hydrated and your dietitian/stoma nurse will discuss this with you. Fluids such as water, coffee, tea and juice are generally fine.
Food options for people recovering from a colostomy include: non-fat or low-fat skimmed milk. lactose-free dairy products. yogurt.