One of the things I struggled with most through my IBD and early ostomy adventures was food.  I love to eat, I love to try new things, and yet so often I found myself feeling confined.

Before having an ostomy, I struggled with ulcerative colitis. When I was flaring it seemed like everything was a trigger.  Going on dates or even out to dinner with friends was nerve-wracking.  How many times would I have to go to the bathroom? Where was the bathroom? Would I have time to make it to the bathroom? What if it was occupied and there was just one? Would the restaurant have options on the menu that fit within the diet I was trying to follow?

Immediately after my ostomy surgery, the doctors (and every website I read) suggested sticking to a low residue diet for the first few weeks/months to help avoid blockages while still inflamed. I didn’t eat out at all in those first few weeks after surgery because I was so focused on healing and building up some strength, but when I did go out to eat I remember feeling really overwhelmed trying to figure out what to order.

With ulcerative colitis I felt overwhelmed by food because everything seemed to make my body angry and flare me up.  In the months after ostomy surgery, I felt overwhelmed by food because I wanted to eat “healthy”, but was afraid of getting a blockage.

Knowledge is power

Knowledge is power, so I poured over the UOAA Nutrition Guide, rewriting it, highlighting foods I was excited to be able to eat, putting sad faces by foods I had to avoid, trying to commit it to memory.  I was so fortunate to have my dad supporting me through my surgery recovery. He did all of the cooking in those first few weeks and it was so nice to not have to worry as much about what to eat (I still worried a lot, though).

One of the first few times I went out to eat after surgery I had went to a sushi restaurant and ordered a lunch bento box that came with salmon teriyaki, salad (which I didn’t eat), rice and a couple pieces of a california roll. When they brought it out I realized it had sesame seeds all over everything and I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I freaked out a little. We ended up sending it back 3 times before they brought out a plate that didn’t have sesame seeds on it. Did I overreact? Maybe, but I was so terrified of “messing up” and eating the wrong thing and sesame seeds seemed risky.

Shortly after the bento box experience, my friend made me almond meal pancakes for breakfast.  I had never had almond meal before but they looked pretty similar to normal pancakes so I chowed down.  It worked out in the end, but the middle of that story was my first partial blockage and it was really scary not knowing what was happening or how it happened.

My almond meal pancake incident inspired me to dig in a lot deeper to understand why and how certain foods cause blockages in ostomates.  It turns out, when it’s not related to strictures, adhesions or other abnormalities inside of us, it’s usually related to what size a piece of food is when you swallow it and what that food is made of.  It’s usually fiber related, you can read up on it in the “how fiber works and why it’s important to understand” section on my page Eating with an Ostomy.

Once I understood better how certain foods might cause a blockage, I felt more confident trying new foods that were on the off limits list.  I’m happy to report that I’ve had a lot of success!  Sure, there have been a couple other close calls, but when I look back I can see why they gave me issue.

Here’s a few tips for introducing new foods to your ostomy:

1. CHEW!  Chew until it’s smoothie in your mouth.
2. Start small.  Don’t go gung-ho with that trail mix and eat handfuls of it right off the bat.  Start with a couple nuts, chewed up well and then stop eating them for the day and don’t eat any other questionable foods.  Give yourself a day or two and if  you have success, try it again!
3. Savor it, eat slowly. Eating slowly goes right along with chewing.  Avoid eating fibrous foods when you’re in a rush, especially if you haven’t tried them before because you run the risk of swallowing before you’ve chewed enough.
4. Eat in silence.  This is hard for me, I like to chat over dinner and am often caught talking with my mouth full.  Unfortunately when you’re busy talking, your not paying attention to how well you are chewing and you run the risk of swallowing your bite before you meant to.
5. Eat some soluble fiber and hydrate.  When you’re adding a food from the possible blockage list, eating some soluble fiber and hydrating can help it move along your digestive tract. This is especially relevant for insoluble fibers that are already broken down pretty small (like almond meal).
6. Track what you’re eating.  Keep track of how certain foods seem to affect your output by tracking what you’re eating.  This can be especially helpful if you find yourself with a blockage and can’t remember what you might have eaten.

Keeping those six tips in mind when you’re trying new foods should help build your confidence in which foods your ostomy likes and which it doesn’t.  While you can technically eat anything with an ostomy, each of our bodies are different and everyone has different tolerances.

My body seems to do okay with everything I’ve given it (including popcorn, nuts, raw veggies…), but I try to be really cognizant of those six tips when I’m eating a riskier food and I think that plays a large role in how fortunate I’ve been to keep blockages at bay. I’m often caught saying “ughh, salad just requires so much chewing…”. My favorite ways to eat veggies are in a smoothie, in a blended soup, and sautéed REALLY well. Knowing this about myself helps me make sure I’m still eating veggies by planning to include those foods in my diet.

There are people like Vegan Ostomy and Uncover Ostomy who eat a vegan diet filled with veggies and beans, and there are other people like Laura from Shield Healthcare who vlogged about how her body is not down with pickles. Knowing that each of our bodies tolerates foods differently, it’s up to you to experiment with what works for you. I hope these tips are helpful and you find that your ostomy is okay with everything you want to eat.

How did you work new foods into your diet post-op? What is the first “risky” food you think you’ll try adding back in?

Here’s a peak at some of the yummy stuff I eat:

Calzone pizza with all of the greens.

Breakfast pizza: eggs, bacon, cheese, greens, tomato sauce

Veggie piza: cheese, carrot, tomato, zucchini

Chicken burger with slaw

Burrito bowl

Salad

Cucumber, tomato, kalamata olives, feta salad

fresh lumpia: jicama, snap peas, ginger, carrots, cabbage…

My morning smoothie: banana, greens galore, chia seeds

Carrot, ginger, banana smoothie juice.