I Have an Ostomy-What to Eat Is My Question
So now you have an ostomy. Many things are new to you. I found that one of the biggest things for me, when adjusting to the changes, was working on figuring out my diet.
Big Question is What To Eat?
It was noticeable to me within the first week of my ostomy being operational that some foods that I would eat, were responding differently for me than those same foods had before my colon operation.
This was noticed by me quickly because the changes created things that were bothersome and concerning as well. I knew at that point that this was and is a problem area that everyone was needed to pay special attention to.
Planning out things for better results could be done and should be done, to avoid any mishaps.
What To Eat Concerns With an Ostomy
So here is a list of the foods that involve me. Some situations you should be prepared to either avoid or learn to deal with.
- Foods that used to not bother you at all, now are proving to be gaseous for you. I found as some examples of this would be fresh broccoli, while good for you and your diet, for me has proven to be an item that can and has produced extra amounts of gases in my ostomy pouch.
- Another example which is easier to understand is beans. Beans such as baked beans (navy beans usually), kidney beans, or pinto beans. Maybe they produce smaller, less harmless farts for you, but for me it has been different. The difference for me is that now every ten minutes you have a large expanded ostomy pouch.
One that needs attention by you. Is this what you need or want to do, maybe,? it’s your choice. - I have found that soups, stews, and foods like chili, go in your stomach as liquids mixed with some solids. However, they always come out through my pouch as quite a bit of liquid, much more than I really like to deal with.
- Dairy products can be very interesting for you as well. I have found that ice cream definitely is diarrhea type discharge. Many cheeses like cheese that is (processed you know like cheese whiz), or Velveeta, or a cheese dip like a Frito Lay cheese dip or Tostitos cheese dip (those type of smooth liquid cheeses) will come as possible ostomy adventures.
So you can see just looking at this abbreviated list, that the foods you eat you will be dealing with, when it come time to empty your pouches. I guess this is just common sense. Be aware of this.
Some More Eating Examples For an Ostomy Owner
I have found some good examples of food not being a problem for me. Such foods as breads, pasta, potatoes, green beans, and salads, foods that possess a lot of roughage and carbs.
These foods (mostly vegetables) while very good for your health are also very good for a person with an ostomy. Your waste will be more solid, less gassy and much safer to deal with.
A Great Key Suggestion: You should go through what you are eating, as a project and for a few months keep track of what foods you eat, and how you respond to them.
I believe you will find that most foods will generally react now as they did when you had the normal waste management system.
But you also will find a few other things that you will need to realize and that you will probably naturally react to.
Here are the items that I find had the most profound of all of my new changes.
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- Vegetables-Some foods just don’t digest well. So be prepared. Corn is one of those. I have also found that asparagus can be interesting for you as well.
- Soda or pop whatever you call it, basically carbonated drinks can create a lot of gas for quite a period of time. Many hours is what I am saying. Or things like sparkling water, or club soda, again the carbonation, be aware of.
- Furthermore just so you get the idea even better I have put together a list of my foods and If they are affecting or have affected me since I have been living with my ostomy. You may click here to have a look at a closer look at foods I eat and how I respond to them in my blog post titled What I Eat-How Food Affects My Ostomy Pouch.
Eating with an Ostomy Can Be Very Interesting
So I have found that it is just not what you are eating, but when you are eating that can make a few changes seems probable for you.
What I mean is that what your daily life today is (as a single day unit) or you can look at your life for the next 5 days as a 5 day unit. How you are viewing your life, either as take it a day at a time or a block of 5 days at a time. Your view will cause how your approach to all ostomy things is and what it looks like.
This is what I am going to be discussing, so let’s go it over that now.
An Example: Example One
If my next three days, let’s say as an example, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. These next three days for me, are uneventful.
Nothing special is happening. I don’t have any meetings, any social gatherings, no road trips, nothing Nada. All perfectly normal.
So in this case, with my food I will be doing my normal 3 meals a day, with my Keto genic diet. The times are spaced out and my ostomy will respond as a normal time thing. No surprises should come up. Life is normal.
An Example: Example Two
Okay the second example is that the next 5 days are going to be on a road trip, visit my daughter 5 day event unit. So I have prepared for this. 
My eating alone should be kept under control.
It looks like this. Travel in a car, so the food to bring along is a few apples, some red grapes, and a couple of keto snack bars, and we will be taking along a case of bottled water.
To supplement the trip with food we will be stopping at a couple of often visited fast food type restaurants on the over 300 mile to trip visit our daughter.
Foods I in the the past included on a road trip, potato chips, corn chips, and then we always had a few 6 packs of bottled Coca-cola and or Sprite, root beer.
You Get the Picture
I don’t do soda or carbonated drinks on a road trip anymore. This lets to my pouch filling up with gas very often. That makes sitting and driving uncomfortable.
The visit with my daughter will be mostly eating out at a few local diners, or others like that. I try to eat sensibly and I certainly do not eat soups, stews, cheese dips, or things that will cause more gases or a more loosening of the feces waste.
Why because I am now dealing with changing, and emptying my ostomy pouch in strange bathrooms. This is always just not as comfortable as what I have set up at home.
Summation of Ostomy What To Eat Thoughts
Just my siting a few simple example you can see, that what you eat with an ostomy pouch can be something you need to pay attention to.
There are many situations that you always need to address, it’s just a matter of how successfully you navigate those waters that will matter.
Yes you can do it, using my easy to apply, common sense tips on living with an ostomy in 2018.
George writes from first-hand experience about having a stoma and living with an ostomy. As a former cancer patient and a survivor of colon cancer, you can draw from his experiences. His goal is to help you as he shares the realities of living with an ostomy.
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