Healthy Eating with an Ileostomy: Tips & Recipes Needed!

Hello everyone! I've had my ileostomy (Penelope haha) for a few years now. I've recently wanted to start eating healthy and getting into shape. However, I have the type of personality that, if something is overwhelming to me, I shy away from it. Trying to figure out healthy eating with an ileostomy, well, was overwhelming to me. A coworker of mine suggested trying a forum, so here I am :)

Does anyone have any tips/recipes for healthy eating? Most of the healthy recipes I come across are recipes that include items I cannot have. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi Noodle,

Try the veganostomy.ca site. It isn't just for vegans, but there are lots of recipes on that site, developed by ostomates, for ostomates.

Laurie

Thank you so much, Laurie! I will check out that site now.

Hi Noodle, I have had my ileostomy since I was a teen (I'm Marsha) as a result of UC... That's over 50 years... Once I had the surgery, I was able to eat just about everything....but was "cautious" with raw and heavily fibered foods... some nuts were okay.... raw carrots no.... lettuce fine, cabbage not so much (some coleslaw okay.... it marinates). As an adult, I loved to cook and have to admit, I didn't always eat healthy.... loved pasta... Chinese food... and all the other heavily carbed foods.... not healthy. Then I spent 2 weeks visiting my vegan son and his family and ate what I could of their very healthy diet (omitting what I knew I couldn't eat). I lost 10 pounds and got an "education"... I came home and started to change the way I was eating.... using less fats, healthier choices... meatless meals.... using the dietary guidelines that worked for me... It was challenging and lasted about 3 months... The lasting effects were..... learning that preparing meals/cooking in general is using the ingredients you want or need to use in a healthier way... Read "vegan recipes," use or discard... what you know you can't digest... Ex.. I made Asian-flavored ground turkey/lettuce wraps..... but omitted the nuts (which I can no longer have) and crunchy raw ingredients.... and substituted cooked ingredients instead.. It was a delicious mixture... and if you can't eat lettuce, you can substitute a low-cal. wrap.. Lose the fear, gain the confidence to experiment.... work with varying your spices... to change the taste of the same "old" basics.... It can be fun if you like to cook, or you can feel "deprived" and make yourself sad... (that's what used to happen to me). These days are a real challenge for me. I developed another "gastric condition"... similar to IBS, but since I have no large intestine, I have issues with dehydration and "the runs".. not good. So basically.... I'm off all healthy foods.... Raw fruits and veggies... no artificial sugars, or real sugars (I'm diabetic as well) can use onion and garlic (flavors) but not eat the real thing... no lemon or lime (I was guzzling Crystal Light...) So "healthy" meals now... is more of a challenge. Chicken, baked potato, oatmeal, proteins... (It's called the FODMAP diet). It's not "forever" but I have to carefully test.... each type of food... Just because I can eat it one day doesn't mean it will sit right the next.. If any readers out there are having excess gas or bloating...... (my pouch can fill with air in an hour or less)... look into the diet... It's not an easy solution.... but it works. Most of my doctors had no idea what was going on with me.. But when I saw my gastro dr. (who I rarely see).... he knew what it was immediately.. I think back to the days when I could eat just about anything.... :>)) These days, I'm grateful when I have a slice of tomato and have no "reaction".. Good luck to all my ostomate pals.... Happy eating. (I had tomato sauce yesterday.... with no reaction. It's been months!!! Marsha

Thank you so much for all this info! I've actually never tried lettuce because I've just been too nervous. I do badly miss a good salad though haha. Usually if I do happen to have something on our "no no" list (like maybe corn), I do regret it, as it causes a leak. I so wish we could just eat whatever we desired.  

Chew your food really well. Use a mini chopper if necessary. Small frequent meals.    Consult with a nutritionist if you can. I avoid stringy fiber or meat,   like pulled anything.   Try small amounts and see if you tolerate. I had sushi last night. Cooked cabbage salad with grilled chicken for dinner.    

Thank you Steven. May I ask... what does the meat do to you, why do you avoid it? I've seen others mention stringy meat as well, and I'm wondering if maybe I've had issues with it and just assumed it was something else I ate. Also, cabbage?? Well, I have had coleslaw in small doses, and I've been alright with it, but it did scare me haha. I do love sushi, without sesame seeds please.

A friend gave me some pulled pork. It was difficult to chew, and I developed an obstruction and ended up in the ER with pain and nausea. It did resolve but was a very miserable experience.

Hi Noodle, I see you have already gotten lots of good advice here and on the VO site. I would just add that what I have discovered as an ileostomate is that I can pretty much eat what I want, BUT eating slowly and chewing food really well, and drinking lots of water or other fluids to wash it all down, is really important for me anyway. So, some of these things you think you can't eat may well be possible for you, give them another try, cautiously, slowly, small amounts at a time. As far as keeping it healthy, there is no reason you can't eat lots of fruits and vegetables. If you are a meat eater, think more about the way you are preparing the food, i.e., baked chicken instead of deep-fried. Good fats, olive, avocado, grapeseed oil, etc., are fine. Sugar is the real demon and a good thing to limit as much as possible, as hard as that is with nearly everything having added sugar these days. In short, a healthy diet is a healthy diet, whether you are an ostomate or not. If you are trying a new diet and feel like you are depriving yourself, you most likely won't stick to it, so reward yourself occasionally. Eat that donut or whatever other naughty food does it for you, and don't feel guilty. I wasn't clear from your post whether weight loss was part of your plan, but if it's not, disregard this last bit! Good luck!

Terry

*As I sit here, eating a donut* Haha thank you delgrl, I'm going to broaden my horizon. I'm amazed by the amount of help I've received in both of the forums, I'm so grateful! I would like to lose weight, if possible.   I gained after getting my ileostomy, now that I'm not living on saltines haha. I've lost a little since working at Amazon, but I definitely could afford to lose more. Sorry, I babble.  

Hi Noodle, Well, let me tell you something I found out the hard way. I remember when the prevailing advice for weight loss was to cut down on fat. Sugar was mentioned, but fat seemed to be the biggest culprit that needed to be avoided. Food manufacturers all came out with their own versions of their products made "low fat". We are learning now that sugar is the real culprit and fat really isn't such a bad thing. After my ileostomy surgery, I was encouraged, even by the nurses and my doctor, to up my sugar intake, as my output wasn't what it should be and it's known that sugar will stimulate the bowel to work. I was adding sugar to the water I drink every day, plus drinking fruit juice, which is very high in sugar (even the no-added sugar stuff). It made me feel really crappy, but what really bugged me is that I started gaining weight. I hadn't gained weight for years and it wasn't welcome. I talked to my doctor about it and he sent me for blood work that showed my liver enzymes were really elevated, and this was just from sugar! He said you can get non-alcoholic fatty liver disease just from a high sugar diet. Who knew!? I stopped the sugar immediately and found that as long as I drink lots of water (with a little salt), my output is just fine. The weight came off very easily and quickly. The other thing is that my diet is anything but "low fat". I eat lots of fat, just good fat. I am very generous with the olive oil, eat avocados and nuts which are really high in fat. So, bottom line, Noodle, if you want to lose weight, lose the sugar, not the fat. You will also be a lot healthier! Talk about babbling! Good luck on your journey!

Terry

Hi Terry.....great post! There are so many different diet suggestions out there, that we forget how to follow basic nutritional advice. Yours is the voice of reason.... Thanks.. Marsha

Try smoothies made with fruit or vegetables. They are good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are lots of recipes on the internet.

Just some thoughts. I'm 6 weeks post-surgery for an ileostomy. I googled oatcakes and found some really good recipes that ranged from dry and brittle but very healthy to a sweeter version with brown sugar added. All of them have you grind the steel-cut oats and rolled oats down to a flour-like consistency. Top the crackers with cheese or peanut butter or even smoked salmon. I made a homemade soup the other day that was a mixture of sweet potato and carrots with some curry powder. Chicken broth. Everything is cooked well, including onions, and then blended. Very healthy. Very flavorful. I'm craving FLAVOR, as I'm sure many do when they've been stuck with a low-fiber, bland diet for weeks. Today my husband is buying me watermelon. I drink V-8 juice frequently to get the vitamins and minerals I'm missing. Don't like giving advice about diet without specifying that I'm 6 weeks past surgery and, outside of the ileostomy, I'm very healthy and haven't had any problems with sampling in small quantities of foods I couldn't have right after the procedure.