Ostomy Diet and Nutrition Guide: Learning What Foods to Eat

If you’ve just underwent the ostomy procedure, then it is crucial to be very careful about your diet and nutrition. Any wrong food ingested into your body can lead to complications.

That said, here are some of the most helpful ostomy diet and nutrition tips that you have to keep in mind, so you’ll know exactly what to eat and stay away from:

  1. Eat meals regularly – This means eating at least three times every day. You can expect ostomy to work favorably that way while also producing less gas. Aside from eating regularly, it is vital for you to chew foods properly. Such is crucial in preventing the risk of stoma blockage. You also need to be extra careful when you’re chewing those foods that are extremely difficult to digest, as well as those rich in fiber.
  1. Try new foods one by one – Doing so can help you figure out which one can produce negative side effects, like constipation, bad odor, loose stool, and excess gas. In case a new food you tried seems to produce negative effects, then consider removing it from your diet for weeks but put it back again after some time. This is important in determining whether it is really that food, which causes the problem or another one.
  1. Drink lots of water – The stoma may cause you to lose a higher amount of body fluids than what is normal, so it would be best to drink plenty of it to ensure that you won’t end up dealing with the negative effects of fluid loss. Those who lost a huge part or all parts of their large intestine are at risk of experiencing too much loss of fluid. It’s because the large intestine is the one, which normally reabsorbs the body’s fluid.
  1. Stay away from high-fiber foods or chew them well – Keep in mind that foods that are extremely rich in fiber tend to stimulate your gut, causing you to experience a blockage or diarrhea. These foods include bamboo shoots, lettuce, coconuts, tomato skin, bean sprouts, cabbage, mushroom, popcorn, celery, dried fruits and pineapple.That said, you need to minimize your intake of them or avoid them altogether. If you can’t avoid them, then make sure to chew them well for proper digestion. Doing such can also lower your risk of dealing with colic. All fruits should also be peeled prior to eating.
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