Diet

What can we eat

With IBD and a Stoma, Diet can be a really big issue and if you are going through surgery or have gone through surgery or are just trying to maintain a healthy diet things can seem a little daunting. Medical professionals will recommend what foods and drinks to eat as well as avoid, so do take on board what your specialist, dietitian or Stoma nurse recommends. As I have said before we are all different, our bodies are able to tolerate certain foods and are unable to tolerate certain foods and varies from person to person. Basically it is trial and error!

It is always worth trying to eat little and often most people find that difficult it is important to make sure that you have three meals a day if you can’t eat little and often. I have tried to eat little and often and for me I found it a struggle. It’s worth introducing foods slowly into your diet keeping a diary of what you ate, what you felt like, how was your output, did your bag stay on. Over time you will come to know what foods you can have and what you can’t.

It is very important to maintain your fluid and increase your salt levels daily, it is recommended that you drink at least 6-8 cups of water a day with most stomas. With an ileostomy slightly more at least 8-10 cups of water daily. It seems a lot but it can be done, have a water bottle with you keep it topped up and sip through out the day. You will be surprised how much water you drink without realising it. Try not to eat foods that are too spicy, too fatty and high in fibre. We all need fibre but particularly for me with an ileostomy I avoid most foods that are high in fibre. Remember you now have a stoma and your stools are loose and for me fibre is just to many visits to the loo.

High protein foods are really good to have in your diet foods like meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, starchy foods, tofu. I eat a dairy free diet and meat free diet but I do eat fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs and some pulses. You can read about why I made the decision to cut out dairy and meat in another page that will be up soon. I love to cook I also will be sharing some recipes with you too.

With all my information pages there will always be a link to sites that will give you Professional Medical Information so do click on them.