Diet and nutrition

There is no special diet after an ostomy. The secret is to be balanced in your choice and follow certain rules of hygiene.

For example, it is important to eat regularly and to chew your food well. Moreover, it is important to drink plenty of water on a regular basis throughout the day. We talk between 1.5 to 2 liters per day. This way you decrease chances of constipation.

Digestive ostomy:

• Colostomy
  As soon as you leave the hospital, you can resume a normal diet.

• Ileostomy
  Following your surgery, your saddles will be more liquid and more abundant than before. In this context, a no residue diet will be suggested so that your intestines can get back its strenght. After a few weeks, you can reintroduce, in a progressive way, fruits and cooked vegetables, dairy products and raw fruits and vegetables that are more difficult to digest. It will take about one month before you can reintegrate your normal daily diet.

Foods that exacerbate gas production:

• Artichokes

• Dry vegetables

• Mushrooms

• Soft Drinks

• Turnips

For this reason, it is recommended to eat these foods with moderation.

Urinary ostomy:

Like a digestive ostomy, it is crucial to drink plenty of water, a minimum of 1.5 to 2 liters per day and to have a balanced diet.

One consequence of a urinary ostomy is that your urine may become alkaline. This reality can lead to skin irritations. If this is your case, it is important to focus on foods that promote the acidification of urine, such as:

• Animal based foods: meat, fish, eggs

• Drinking a weakly mineralized water

• Fruits: blueberries, red berries, rhubarb, plums, prunes