Foods That Are Easy to Digest

Piggybacking on Imperfects "Foods I miss" -- let's list the foods that really go down well. Might give others an idea of what to try.

Most pureed things don't cause a problem, so maybe let's limit this to food that we eat non-pureed.

Me (ileo): Potatoes (no skin), rice, cooked carrots, small amounts of chicken/ground beef/turkey/fish, avocado, pasta, cheese, cheesy puffs
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, white bread, cottage cheese, canned mandarin and peaches, plain muffins, Motts low sodium Garden Cocktail Juice, perogies, skim milk, coffee in small amounts, fruit juices, egg

So - not too bad. But I sure miss the raw veggies
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Biggest thing is chew, chew, chew. If I forget and gobble a bit, I pay for it later - no matter what I ate.

Ok folks --- am I the only one eating here
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?

From reading on the Forum, I know that lots of foods cause trouble ... pipe in and share what's working for you!

Let me add Campbell's Cream of Potato and Tomato soup (made with water, not milk) and crunched-up crackers.

Portion control seems to be important too for me. Small meals more often. I used to eat the same amount as my 6'2" hubby ... those days are gone even though the appetite is still there
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At the moment, Beatrice, most of the time I feel so tired and nauseous, and I still have this yucky taste in my mouth, that I really cannot be bothered to eat properly or cook... nothing is really working for me...

Tonight, though, I did have a craving for something cheesy, so I knocked up one of my very cheesy quiches, which was lovely at the time, but is not so great now!

Sorry - just can't think - I do most things but nuts and corn - really don't like the sound of your soup; I think it would just go through me!

Poor you! I have to have a foot in the grave before my appetite goes
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.

I'm liking my output on the watery side -- the nightmare of the hospital blockage will never leave me.

I find that alternating meals that go through fast with others (like potatoes or rice) that stay around for a bit feels good.

Hope you're feeling better soon, Rachel.

Nice idea, Beatrice.

I am eating more fish these days. It's easy to digest. I don't care for the pouch odor, but in case I do gobble, at least it's broken down.

However, the other day I wolfed down a HUGE French Dip Sandwich (no peppers and onions). My friends were surprised that a gal as small as I am can eat THAT much.

I'm also a big fan of soft food, especially chicken and dumplings, stews, and such.

Lottagelady, there are times I also have no appetite too; my broth days. Luckily, I don't mind that either. I don't like the headache from lack of eating though.

EAT WELL!

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

I wouldn't want to piss anybody off, but I eat everything that I like, and the only time I ran into trouble is when I cook up a large batch of chicken stir fry and chicken fried rice. The problem comes in (and yes, I should have known better) but at eleven at night, a big dish of that wonderful stuff kept me awake all night, so now I try to squeeze it in before eight o'clock, no problem, live and learn. I even eat peanuts like they're going out of style, yummy. Ed
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PS: I should add that this is only possible since one of the local surgeons rerouted parts of my intestines, man, but it was worth the misery I went through.

Ed - let me live vicariously through you... you mean that you make up and eat a stir fry with all the veggies?

Lucky you! I used to whip up batches of stir fry with lots of onions and garlic... sometimes even with lean pork. Fried rice I can still do... plain fried rice only (oil, bit of garlic, no onions or other veg). But just that 'frying' makes it taste so good compared to just steamed rice (which I also love).

What kind of 'rerouting' was done? I'm thinking you have no colon, just the small intestine? Is that right?

I have to say my diet has become very tedious. I can't eat most vegetables; I only eat potatoes and soft carrots, and for fruit, I can only tolerate peach slices out of a tin or skinless apples, so I mostly go without. I cannot eat pasta, I am lactose intolerant, I like mushrooms but they come out the same as they went in! Soup doesn't like me either. Meat is okay if it's not chewy, as I get blockages really quickly. I'm not keen on fish much. I'm trying to diet, though I'm not overweight, just feel it (have anorexic tendencies). I tend to only eat in the evening, but any thrill of eating has gone. I have been on this low-fibre diet since my colostomy 17 months ago through a major flare-up of Crohn's
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Doesn't sound like much fun, Rhian. You probably know this already... but just having one meal is really hard on your innards. Especially having that meal in the evening when you'll be lying down for most of the digesting time.

I love food so much (no anorexic tendencies here) that even when I could only eat jello and liquid soup, I concentrated and enjoyed every mouthful.

Like I say in every food post
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I miss my salads and veggies! ... but then I think, "Cheesie Puffs still go down good." Love my salty cheesy snack - all is not lost.

Keep snacking,
Beatrice

Just adding to the list:

I've now had fish and chips twice ... both times I've enjoyed every bite and it digested very well. The odor when emptying is, of course, fishy ... but a small price to pay.

Plain cheese pizza is great too.

I keep trying my salad every couple of weeks ... it's like digesting gravel
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. Keep thinking my guts may accept it one day. Fingers crossed.

I am probably dicing with death here, but just recently (probably the last 4 weeks or so?) I have been eating my own homemade 'Granola' with whole nuts, seeds, wheat germ, oats, and dried cranberries, blueberries, apricots, and jumbo raisins! I toast the oats in the oven for a while with some organic honey and add all the other bits afterwards. I just eat it with fresh fruit, usually a banana or strawberries, pear, grapes - whatever is cheap in my local shop! It fills me up for hours so I tend not to snack, and if eaten before breakfast, it is 'through' before bedtime! It has really thickened things up bizarrely...! Strange, as nuts have previously caused me huge problems - it isn't helping my other symptoms, mind you, fatigue, nasty taste in mouth, etc., but hopefully, someone will shortly be able to help me with these odd symptoms when I go and see several different consultants in London.

Sorry you cannot manage salad yet, Beatrice, I tend to eat that by choice over other veggies... hope that you can manage some soon xxxxxxxxxx

Hi Beatrice, I'm trying to answer your question, but I was still foggy when the doctor tried to explain what he did to me. He seemed pissed off at the way I was left after the last operation. I do remember something about rerouting, but there was something else. I didn't push as I was in a bit of misery at the time, but nothing compared to what I was going through when I was getting blocked up and that damn tube they shove up your nose to keep the stomach drained. After a couple of years of that, I was willing to go through anything, and the doc promised I'd not have to worry about that anymore. True to his word, I've never had another blockage and never give a second thought to what I eat unless it's something I never liked to start with, like cauliflower and broccoli, etc. Just the other day, we had a big feed of corned beef and cabbage, man, what a delight. And for Father's Day, my daughter brought in a feed of lobster and scallops, and yes, I pigged out on them. I'm slowly coming back to life, trying to deal with a spinal injury and procrastinating about seeing another surgeon. Soon, I will probably have no choice, but till then, I'll keep on keeping on. Ed
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I pretty much eat anything but don't have much of an appetite. It used to be that if it didn't cover the whole plate, then it wasn't a meal, but now if it covered a side plate, then that would be more than enough. About once a week, I manage a 'big' meal. Generally, though, I can't be arsed to make a meal, so I usually end up with a sandwich.

Rachel: Ever since I developed a hernia right behind my stoma, I keep getting this damn coppery taste in my mouth, although I've never had occasion to eat copper. The taste seems to be that, know what I mean?

Just gotta add, since strawberries are now coming in, I really pig out on them with sugar and lots of coffee cream, 18% milk fat. I know it's not really healthy, but I can eat two quarts a day plus my regular meals, which is only a sandwich because I need room for the strawberries. As the season is short, I make the most of it, Ed.

Hi Ed. Glad you're enjoying the strawberries. Not to be too graphic or personal (heck why not
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) but do the little 'strawberry seeds' come out whole in your output? I had a few strawberries and that is what happened to me ... and they kinda hurt the stoma.

Gosh -- aren't we all so different -- I find it amazing that an ileostomy can vary so much for different people.

All the best, Beatrice.

Well, Beatrice, I never noticed passing any seeds. The only thing that shows up is when I do a stir fry, and I see the red and green pepper skins, and also the snow peas, something like those long-lasting pills that seemed to pass right through me and never did have any reduction in pain from them, so we don't use them anymore. The worst scare I've had was after eating almost a can of baby beets. Damn, but I thought I was going to die when I saw all that red, and then I remembered what I had eaten. What a relief! I was getting ready to go to the emergency room until I remembered. Almost scared the sh*t outta me. LOL, Ed
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LOL - I know what you mean about the 'red - my guts are bleeding'. I had the same thought when I first drank a tin of V8 juice.

So with seeing the pepper skins, snow peas, etc., you just see the stuff... no discomfort?

[quote="gutenberg"]Rachel: Ever since I developed a hernia right behind my stoma, I keep getting this damn coppery taste in my mouth, although I've never occasioned to eat copper. The taste seems to be that, know what I mean?



Ed, I still got the taste too - not metallic though, just rotten and horrible... seems to get much worse with some foods too. I made myself a pasta bake the other day, took one mouthful and threw it away as it just tasted so disgusting, and made a sandwich.

So glad you are enjoying the strawberry season - we can get them nearly all year round here nowadays, mind you, they are probably full of chemicals or are irradiated or something horrid!
PS: My strawberry seeds don't come out whole, but the sunflower/pumpkin ones often do! xxxxxx

Beatrice: nope, can't ever recall having any discomfort from anything I've ever eaten, one of the few things in life I can be grateful for. Ed

Hi! I was just browsing and saw this! How is beef for you? A bit of a random question, but ever since my op 3 years ago, beef has been a no-no! It just causes immense pain and my stoma to give a high output in a very short space of time
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I don't particularly mind, but it kind of affects my family who rarely seem to eat beef anymore because my mum will have to buy a separate meal for me. Other than that, I can eat most foods apart from fish, spices, and fibrous-type vegetables like cabbage
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But yeah, if I eat a large meal or too much, I can't stop going!! xx

Beef is okay if I have very small amounts. For ground beef: a small (couple tablespoons) ground-up amount in meat pasta sauce, or about 1/2 a small beef patty or a 1.5" piece of steak medium rare.

I just started the beef about 2 months ago and have worked out that as long as I chew well and don't exceed the above amounts by too much, everything processes okay. I can tell if I've had too much ... output doesn't change, but I get gut cramps/ache.

Yeah, I know about the separate meal thing ... I do one for hubby and then modify it for me, or do something separate for me.

There are lots of lucky people on this forum who can eat almost anything.

Still trying to introduce additional foods to see how I respond now that I'm a year post-op. Glad to say that the canned mix of carrots/peas can now go on the "Goes Down Good" list
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.

Still keeping my fingers crossed for lettuce/salads one day ...

All the best!

Ahh thanks, I'll have to try the recipe sometime!

I guess I don't mind not being able to eat certain foods, but I think it's most annoying as I'm 18 and when I go around my mates' houses or we go out etc., that's when it becomes a bit inconvenient!

I haven't really tried alcohol either, I don't know if that would affect me at all!

I have to say, over the last day or so I have felt really, really ill and I have no appetite - almost like I felt after my operations and you're not allowed to eat :S But I think that is to do with my hernia. I hope not though :S

I imagine lettuce will be ok when you try it, but how about iceberg as I don't think it's as bad as say a 'floppy' lettuce and also how about like shredding it? Might make it easier to digest
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xxxxx

Gutenberg
I had the heck scared out of me as well after eating cherry Jello.
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I thought I was bleeding as well until I remembered eating the Jello. Have you ever noticed mushrooms don't even slow down? They just shoot straight through. Ha!
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Bob

I have discovered that cooked egg noodles with a bit of garlic butter tossed in digest rather easily and are very filling! I also experiment with some sort of meat to put on top and cover in a bit of gravy, like a stroganoff sort of. The last batch I used meatballs with gravy. I loved it, filled my belly, and my kids asked for seconds.
Of course, there are the standbys which are now staples in my house: pudding, yogurt, ice cream, all lactose-free. It pisses my kids off that I get to eat Jell-O and pudding for dinner sometimes, and they get real food. However, it may seem great to them, but they wouldn't want to live on the stuff. I love it and all, but can't do it day after day, meal after meal. I need MEAT! I love BBQ anything! I can do some veggies, but they have to be cooked really well and really soft, and yes, I will get the gas and sometimes the pain, but I do it to myself and know I will pay for it later. I also LOVE popcorn and try not to gorge too much on it, except when I go to the theatre, but how can you not when they offer free refills? I love cream soups and pea soup, a good hearty soup that sticks to your ribs. Eggs are good, as well as fish, which I have just recently been craving. Guess it's the steroids kicking in for cravings.
I try to eat whatever I want, but there are things I just can't do anymore, like raw veggies. I do indulge in cucumber and the odd Caesar salad and chew, chew, chew; things seem to come out okay if I do that. I was never really a big rice fan, except when I order Chinese food; they just make it taste so much better than anything I can make.

Meat! I'm with you, Budd ... a few days without it and I'm ready to eat the dog
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! I find that any meat done in the slow-cooker comes out very tender. Last night we had chicken done that way. Yum. I still don't eat alot of meat at one meal ... maybe a small thigh or part of a breast.

And guess what ... I had about 1/2 cup of romaine lettuce leaves last night too! First time in over a year and so far all is well. I chew, chew, chewed those leaves till they were green mush but it was worth it.

Keeping my fingers crossed this is just the beginning of eating salads again.
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  I have to change something in my diet -- just putting on way too much weight and feeling slow and energyless.

p.s. popcorn
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-- really? Do you spit out the little semi-popped hard pieces or do you 'see' them later in the bathroom?

I have full dentures which need replacing. So chewing on raw veggies and salads can be uncomfortable, and doesn't really do the job all that well. Unless I am in the mood to chew chew chew, I have tried this...I make a huge salad because we love a lot of salad. Hubby takes his 2 or 3 big helpings, and I put the rest in the food processor - along with the dressing. I pulse it a few times and let it become almost like a pesto or sort of like a fine coleslaw. It literally chews it up for me. I still "chew" it, but most of the work is done except for mixing with saliva which is an important first step in digestion (especially for starches, but it must be useful in other ways as well.) The tastes blend really well and I have no problems with teeth or with undigested salad in the output.

I also noticed how much less processed my food is when it appears in the bag. I'm getting all colors of the rainbow. It makes me wonder how much nutrition I am absorbing. I got the bag during surgery in February and things are just starting to get under control now after a few weeks of radiation and the fun side effects from that.  
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I haven't had any B12 shots yet and they say my iron is low. My GP says that there are likely to be absorption issues with other nutrients as well.

So how can we stay healthy even if we are able to "stomach" more nutritious foods as time goes on, when most of  the foods they say are best for preventing cancer are problematic for the stoma! The reason for my surgery in the first place was to get rid of cancer! AND most of the foods we are told to eat to prevent problems with the stoma are the biggest no-nos for causing obesity and heart disease!

Frustrating, but if it's a choice between stoma comfort and convenience and avoiding more cancer and possible heart disease etc. (if possible), I guess I'll choose to suffer some discomfort and inconvenience (as much as possible).
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I'm actually able to eat virtually whatever I want. However, I stay away from foods that are too spicy and I eat a lot of small meals as opposed to a few large meals. Potatoes without skins are the best! I can eat french fries all day
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. Eating too much results in a bloated stomach, and that sucks. Oh, I also stay away from chowing down on too many apples with the skin on.

Why not try everything like you would have done prior to surgery.
Fish makes me smell
Too much booze makes me liquid
Fresh coconut blocked me up, and I had a trip to the doctors. So, never again.
Curries make me gurgle.
Peas pass through (as does sweetcorn).
Cauliflower makes me inflate (how romantic, floating away on a cauliflower cloud!).