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Food

This can be quite a controversial topic for many ostomates (bowel ostomates anyway) whether you can eat nuts or not! I have in fact seen many heated debates on Facebook groups and have even had people arguing with me over the fact I can eat them! Which I have to admit I found absolutely laughable as our ostomies and the diseases that lead us to have them are just as individual as we are!  For as long as I can remember I have had struggles with foods either being trigger foods (yet that took 20 years for anyone to tell me what foods to pay attention too) intolerances, the odd allergy and now foods that affect either my output or...

Like with most things in life moderation is definitely key and it is even more important in my mind after ostomy surgery. Not just in the healing period but for the rest of your life with an ostomy. I’m not trying to be preachy when I say don’t gorge yourself on certain food or drink but more from experience! When I started to feel myself again after my surgery and for the first time in a really long time I wasn’t in pain any more and food were no longer triggers I literally ate everything I could and as much of it as I could stomach. This wasn’t the best idea in hindsight but allowed me to pinpoint some very specific areas...

I remember being between a rock and a hard place after having my ileostomy on what to eat. I had next to no appetite and when I did I just wanted all the foods I was a bit worried about. For instance there wasn’t much information out there about eating vegetables with a stoma and I was worried I was going to have to change my diet! So I came up with this soup which I still have in my rotation; normally I wouldn’t share a soup in the summer but the weather has been a bit up and down so I didn’t think it was the end of the world! You know the seasonal veggie packs most supermarkets have?...

We all need electrolytes to keep our body in tip tip condition but did you know that having an ostomy specifically an ileostomy can affect the levels of electrolytes you have? In this post we will have a little look into what they are and what they do! Electrolytes are salts and minerals that hold a type of electricity more specifically positive and negative ions once they are dissolved in liquid; in your body this is your blood, sweat and urine. Electrolytes found in your body include: Sodium Potassium Chloride Calcium Magnesium Phosphate Bicarbonate They help your body do a variety of things such as ensuring your nerve endings and muscles function properly and keeping you hydrated – which those...

Have you ever thought about keeping a food diary? This can help with all sorts of issues you may be having when it comes to your output. This is often a really handy tool to keep when you first have your surgery to see how certain foods affect you and how this can change over time. However this is something you can start at anytime especially if you are finding your output is becoming unpredictable. Every food affects us all differently and you could be surprised at what you find out. You may have the need to visit a dietitian at some point for various reasons and keeping a food diary could really be beneficial in pinpointing areas of your...

This week I wanted to share a recipe that goes down well with my family and on the off chance I decide to eat red meat my stoma tolerates. Sadly I couldn’t get a decent picture of the meatballs as 00Steve and the kids tucked in before I get a chance to take a photo! But I guess that means it is just that tasty! Small wins I guess!! Ra-Ra also enjoys helping make the meatballs which is a great way to encourage your kids to eat better or just eat in general. 1 pack of beef mince 1/2 an onion red/white or 3 shallots 3 mushrooms – yes you may be able to eat mushrooms with little worry to your stoma...

We all know when we have an ostomy we run the risk of becoming easily fatigued due to a few different reasons; you may have thought to get your iron levels checked but what about your B12? This for ileostomates who have had more than one surgery on their small intestine could be the underlying cause for many issues. So having too little B12 in your system can cause it’s own type of anaemia (there are like 6 types! yeah it was news to me too!) where the red blood cells essentially don’t shrink to the right size therefore underdeveloped. B12 is essential for the making of red blood cells, keeping the nervous system healthy and releasing energy from the foods we...

As you all know our diets with our ostomies are unique to us. Although diet usually only affects urostomates with colour and odour it can be a whole different ball game when it comes to colostomates and ileostomates. This means it is important to pay attention to what we eat and no that doesn’t just mean how much we chew; although that is very important in itself! You may have had your stoma only a few weeks or it may be years before you notice that certain foods can cause you issues. Now as a rule most but in no way all ostomates tend to not eat sweetcorn or mushrooms for the risk of blockages. Now if they are chopped...