Diets After Ostomy Surgery

I'm not a big fan of ostomy diets. This is because there are no absolutes in the ostomy world. I come in contact with way too many ostomates who stick to the diet religiously that they were given in the hospital - even many years after their surgery. They are too afraid to stray from the diet even to try something that they love to eat but is not written down on the diet and I think this is so sad. Personally, I can eat anything, mushrooms, potato skins, corn, popcorn, peanuts, etc without a problem (and it shows!) and I know many many other ostomates who are the same. By the same token, I also know many ostomates for whom certain foods can cause blockages. There is also the anomaly that you can eat one food for years without a problem yet the next time you try it, it causes problems. Unfortunately, it's all a matter of experimentation.

Immediately after surgery, it's best to stick to bland foods until you've healed. After that, there is no reason why you can't introduce new foods into your diet. I suggest you do it one at a time in small quantities. This way, if a certain food does cause problems for you, you can identify the culprit and either limit it or completely eliminate it from your diet.

Just because a food causes problems for someone else DOES NOT MEAN they will cause problems for you - the only way to know for sure is to try it, so just because someone else says not to eat a certain food, don't listen to them. Just remember the Ostomates Creed: CHEW, CHEW, CHEW!