Favorite Foods After Ileostomy

I'd just like to know what people are eating. I had an ileostomy on Oct 24, so I am still finding my feet.
I get the no nuts or sweetcorn, so what are your favorites?

Hi:

Welcome to the site. I am sure that the gang will chime in on this. In the meantime, do a Google search for "Ileostomy diet." You will get a ton of info. Having said that, I was advised by my dietician about 5 months post-surgery to start trying things in small amounts. So, despite what the experts say, I eat nuts on a regular basis, grapefruit, and oranges, etc. I started with very small amounts and chewed things really thoroughly. Fruits and vegetables with skins are a concern as I don't digest those things, i.e., blueberries, black beans...

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Everything I can get my hands on lately needs to be cut down!

Everything and anything with an ileo except pineapple for me, that not to you and others couldn't eat it without having any problems.

Bin the foods to avoid lists; they do more harm than good, giving people a fear of food for no reason.

Just have to try everything in small amounts and see how it goes down and out for you. Then, if it were to cause a problem, it would be short-lived, and even then, try it again in the future as it may have just been an off day, as I call them. All of us have that with food at times: loose output or clogged up from something we've eaten a thousand times before problem-free, or it could even have been adhesions, as they often get the blame for food blockages.

Hi pissaro, welcome to the site. I eat pretty much what I used to eat, except for raw fruit and veggies, but I do make smoothies with them. Just add stuff you like to eat and see how it goes. Also, chew things to mush and stay hydrated with a variety of liquids, not just water.

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Looks so savory!

My stoma loves pasta. I think he is a pasta-tarian. I try to work in veggies by getting spinach pasta, you know, the pasta that is green. Also, smoothies with banana and peanut butter. And beets are fun, purple output. Also, I eat a lot of deli meat and cheese roll-ups with tortillas and lean deli meat like chicken or turkey, and Swiss cheese.

Hi Pissaro, I have an ileostomy too, and I eat anything and everything that I did prior to my ostomy. There are some caveats, though. I chew everything really, really well, and remember to keep hydrated. You really do need to keep up a good liquid intake, as without your colon, your body does not retain water the same way. It will also help to move things along. Also, there are some things, i.e., pineapple, that are really fibrous. I will eat it, but the really fibrous bits that just won't break down, I spit out. I do eat nuts, again, just really turn them into mush in your mouth. Some apple peels are really hard, and I now peel them. As others have said, just try things gradually, one at a time, with small amounts, to find out what you can tolerate. Enjoy!

Terry

This really makes me wish I could still eat solid food.....

I got my ileostomy 28 years ago, but things went downhill rather rapidly, and I ended up having over 50 operations. I had a feeding tube (because I kept being admitted to the hospital with malnutrition because I could not digest anything I ate by mouth) for a while, which didn't end up working either, as it had to be pulled out due to the fact that my gut condition was causing my feeding tube to leak constantly, which eventually ended up with my skin becoming infected.
While I was allowed to eat for pleasure, it became more and more painful after I'd eaten only a very small amount of food; and now I can no longer eat any solid food without ending up in so much pain it just isn't worth trying - plus, because of all those surgeries, I lost all my IV access, which means no more operations for me, and as I will not survive another bowel obstruction, I get to live on 6 bottles of 200ml chocolate-flavored Fortisip.

Cooking for my husband was a challenge when I could no longer taste the food to see if it needed anything extra, and sometimes what I've made smells so delicious that I wish I could have just a little bit - until I remember food = pain!

I'm so sorry to hear this, Gracie. It must be really hard. When you say you have lost all IV access, I'm not sure what you mean. Can they not find a vein anymore? I'm one of those people who the doctors and nurses always find hard to get an IV line in. I've been poked to the point of torture on a few occasions. I remember once going through four different nurses and a doctor before one nurse finally got the line in. I'm hoping I will never have to have surgery again, needless to say. I can imagine how hard it is to prepare meals for your husband that you cannot eat!

Terry

I too am hard to get an IV in. I have been poked up to 9 times with no success. They haul out the ultrasound machine, call in supervisors, special nurses, the works. It is not fun to be a pin cushion.

I tell the nurses that it's $20 for each poke after three attempts. 🤑😬

I tell them before they even start that they should get the ultrasound machine and save themselves some time.

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. I'm beginning to understand that we are all different, with different experiences and circumstances. I've been trying different foods, most of which, I'm happy to say, have little effect.

Fattening food 😊

The only things I stay clear of are spicy hot foods, onions, nuts, pineapple, and sweetcorn.

I miss pickles but have found I can eat salad, beetroot, all root vegetables, potatoes, and greens.

Cake, chocolate, bread, porridge 😚

It's not so bad really, better than I expected.

Hi,

I agree with those who suggested you try food items in small quantities and chew, chew, then chew again. For me, I avoid pineapple and popcorn. I've found nuts to be fine, as long as I chew thoroughly. After a while, chewing thoroughly -- some might say excessively -- will become second nature and you will do it automatically. I have also had a problem on occasion with onion chunks, so I avoid those. If you proceed with caution, with small samples and chew thoroughly, you will continually expand your "acceptable foods" menu. Enjoy the journey!

Could you try pickle relish in chicken salad? I have an ileostomy, and I can eat chicken salad with no problems.

I don't eat meat. Most premade pickles in the UK have onion and garlic in them, which I avoid. Glad to hear you can still eat them though 😊

Oh, sorry, I didn't know. Yeah, avoiding onion is a good thing with an ileostomy. I have found that out the hard way. I'm sorry you can't find pickles in a form you can have. That stinks. Find something else that you can have, and maybe you will like it even more.

Hi Pissaro, your ileostomy is still pretty new, so you'll be testing things out in small amounts. Mine is ten years old, and I eat everything… except quinoa. It gave me a blockage as it continued to expand in my intestines 😬. Be careful not to eat too many thickening foods together, like butternut squash soup and peanut butter and a banana (that actually sounds pretty gross, but you get the idea!)

Ha! I also can't give up the pineapple! Glad to know I'm not the only "spitter" in the crowd!

I have found that doing a few wall push-ups (15) really helps with the IV starts. I share your IV troubles.