Ostomy surgery can affect the way your body digests and absorbs the food you eat. As you recover, you will need to advance your diet slowly. Most people can return to their normal eating pattern in a few weeks.
Ostomy Nutrition Tips:
• Eat slowly; take small bites and chew thoroughly
• Eat small frequent meals and snacks
• Schedule meals and snacks at the same time each day
• Introduce new foods one at a time
• Keep track of what you eat and your symptoms
Although people with an ostomy generally do not need to follow restrictive diets, certain foods may aggravate common symptoms.
|
Common Issues |
Recommended Foods | Foods to Limit |
Notes |
| Gas | Most cooked vegetables | Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beans, carbonation | Eat smaller amounts more frequently |
| Odor | Cranberry juice, buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, parsley | Asparagus, alcohol, fish, eggs | Try odor-eliminating drops or spray |
| Hard stools or constipation | Warm or hot beverages, fresh or cooked fruits, cooked vegetables | Nuts and seeds, corn, coconut, raw celery or cabbage, raw apple peel, dried fruits may cause obstruction | Increase fluid intake |
| Watery stools/diarrhea | Cheese, smooth nut butters, rice, pasta, potatoes, bananas, applesauce | Prune juice and grape juice | Choose lactose-free milk if you are lactose intolerant.
If you have persistent watery stools, ask your doctor if you should consume an electrolyte drink. |
Be sure to contact your doctor if you are experiencing unusual symptoms or discomfort.
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Hey Laura, I’m a new ostomate and just got the clearance from my doctor to resume a regular diet. Any tips for things I should watch out for? 
Thank you for the information. I would suggest adding a “food journal” to track what we consume and what the results are. It helps to understand cause and effect.
Also, I encourage you to offer links to the Colon Cancer Alliance’s online community at http://www.ccalliance.org/mycrcconnections/index.html
Be WELL!
Randy, 26 year colon cancer survivor and ostomate
I have diarrhea for two days and feel weak and tired. tried imodium and my bag fills up all day. Tried to eat a little since this has caused me to be nauseated. Drinking gatorade and plenty of water. how do i stop the diarrhea? its just filling up with brown water. my ileostomy surgery was two years ago and i haven’t had a problem until now.
Hi Erma, I’m sorry to hear you’re having issues! First and foremost I would call your GI doctor and tell him/her about the issue. He or she may want to do a stool sample or something of the sort to make sure you don’t have some sort of bug. As far as trying to stop the diarrhea, Imodium is a good start, I would also suggest if you can stomach some applesauce, rice, mashed potatoes, bananas or toast, those will all help thicken your output and absorb some fluid. Pedialyte would be a good option to hydrate with, or G2 Gatorade (less sugar, as sugar can cause runny output). Especially since you are getting nauseous, I would call your Gastrointestinal Doc right away! Good luck and please keep us updated! -Laura, Ostomy Lifestyle Specialist