What to eat
What to eat for a better output
Straight after surgery, your diet will be restricted to fluids, as in most cases your bowel tends to go to sleep. However, you should be able to return to a normal diet after a few days.
Reintroducing foods
Many hospitals follow a four-stage process when reintroducing you to food after your stoma surgery:
Stage one includes clear fluids such as black tea, coffee, jelly, water and cordials
Stage two includes free fluids such as liquids containing nutritional supplements and ice cream
Stage three is a light diet including the first of solid foods. This is subjective but may include soft, moist, easily digestible foods
In stage four you would return to your normal diet with no restriction
Many foods are trial and error as everybody’s digestive systems work differently. You should be encouraged to try small amounts of what you would normally eat to see how you handle them post-surgery. If possible, you should try and develop a regular and steady eating output to make your stoma output more manageable.
Some options for thickening your stoma output and absorbing fluids include:
Starchy carbohydrates
Foods high in protein
Salty foods
Calcium rich foods and liquids including full fat dairy products
Small quantities of food containing a high volume of fats and sugars
Small quantities of fats and oils when cooking
Some things to avoid as they can negatively impact your stoma include:
Alcoholic and caffeinated drinks before bedtime
Excessive amounts of alcohol, beer in particular may increase your stoma output
Avoid fibre rich foods for the first 6-8 weeks after surgery then slowly introduce back into your diet in small quantities
Fizzy drinks can cause unwanted wind
Spicy foods are less well-tolerated than plainly cooked foods