Most people with a colostomy or ileostomy can eat as they did before surgery. You may need to make some changes to your diet to help manage the following problems.
Gas
Certain foods and drinks can cause gas. It can be difficult to control and it is sometimes embarassing.
You can help control gas by eating regular meals and chewing your food slowly. You may also want to limit foods that can cause gas, including:
- Dried beans and peas
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Onions
- Melons
- Strong cheeses
- Carbonated drinks
Odour
Certain foods can cause odour from the pouch or ostomy appliance. You want to limit foods that can cause odour which include:
- Onion
- Cabbage
- Turnip
- Garlic
- Dried peas and beans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Fried foods
Some foods, including yogurt, buttermilk and parsley, can also help control odour. You can also add deodorants to the pouch to control odour.
Talk to your enteral therapist if you are concerned about odour from the pouch.
Blocked or irritated stoma
Sometimes the colon or ileum can become narrow near the stoma. Certain foods may get stuck in the narrowed part of the colon or ileum and cause a blockage, or obstruction. These same foods could also make the stoma swollen and irritated. An obstruction is more likely to happen with an ileostomy than with a colostomy.
Drinking lots of fluids can help prevent a blockage. You may also want to limit foods that tend to block or irritate the stoma, including:
- foods with seeds, such as raspberries, strawberries and tomatoes
- nuts
- popcorn
- coconut
- corn
- celery
- pineapple
- apples with the skin
Tell your doctor or healthcare team right away if you have nausea or vomiting and nothing is coming from the stoma. These symptoms may mean that you have a blockage.
Source : (http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/diagnos... )
© 2015 Canadian Cancer Society All rights reserved. Registered charity: 118829803 RR 0001
Printed: November 24, 2015
The information that the Canadian Cancer Society provides does not replace your relationship with your doctor. The information is for your general use, so be sure to talk to a qualified healthcare professional before making medical decisions or if you have questions about your health. We do our best to make sure that the information we provide is accurate and reliable but cannot guarantee that it is error-free or complete. The Canadian Cancer Society is not responsible for the quality of the information or services provided by other organizations and mentioned on cancer.ca, nor do we endorse any service, product, treatment or therapy.
