Food Diary for Ostomates

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 diet that could be lacking or even adapting. I periodically have kept a food diary but in all honesty I am really bad at remembering to note them down accurately! There are tons of ways you can keep track of them from apps on your phone to the simple pen and paper.

Through the times I have written down what I have eaten I learnt that my blockages generally come from onions, jalapenos and new potato skins (yet jacket potato skins are fine) my output thickens if I have potato; and it turns red if I eat beetroot. I haven’t fully worked out what causes it to become like water.

Other reasons to why keeping a food diary could be helpful are:

• if you want to see how healthy your diet is
• pinpointing trigger foods
• tracking weight gain or loss – this can affect us all as our body is starting to absorb nutrients and calories again after having the diseased or affected area removed
• creating a meal plan
• just out of sheer interest as often we don’t really think about what we are eating
• mindful eating

Do you keep a food diary? If so how do you keep it and why do you keep one?