My list of illeostomy friendly foods and drinks

[Shamrock4806]

My eat only guide that may help others with an ileostomy.

This list of acceptable foods and drinks was devised by personal experience and consulting this guide my otosmy dietician gave me that's unfortunately not available online, it's very through and accurate I've found.

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So instead of working from all the things that cause issues with my illeostomy I'd figure out all what I can have which may be ideal for others to follow.

Not everyone is the same but instead of being overwhelmed by issues they may prefer to have something easy to start with first and experiment after that.

Note that my list is likely nutrient deficient but I take a Centrum Silver multivitamin multimineral crushed in food as needed. The list is also somewhat prediabetic friendly, thus light on the fast carbs. Portions are about a ordinary sandwich size portions every 4 hours over the course of 24 hours to reduce high output and have more lull periods in between to do a bag change.

Note: The Centrum Silver has been harsh on my system, diarrhea problems and now switched to prenatal fruit flavored chewables and things have been better. So if you notice any skin wounds like mosquito bites not healing as quickly you might want to have blood work done to identify what vitamins etc. are missing from your diet. Ileostomies are problematic in that regard.



So with that here is my list which is a work in progress

If it's NOT on this list then it causes issues or hasn't been tested yet. My objective is all near liquid output that's not excessive. Pea soup like consistency is also fine. A stoma that has to extend out to discharge a chunk or more solid material is going to break the barrier adhesive seal or worse cause a painful clog that may require a hospital visit.


So the trick with an ileostomy diet is nutrient density without bulk: small meals, high protein, moderate carbs, controlled fats.


**My problem free ileostomy diet**

Low or no fat milk (plain, no chocolate etc) cup or so fine, but a cereal bowl with milk may produce gas for short period. Lactose free milk now due to being intolerant. Calcium source.

Fruit juices like apple, orange in very small amounts at a time (one small glass per day, mornings only on a good bag, diarrhea risk in larger quantities)

Soft canned diced peaches, a small fruit cup (one per day, mornings only on a good bag, diarrhea risk)

Applesauce (no sugar added) thickens stool.

Strawberries (in small amounts, tiny bits mixed with other food, not chunks) Tiny seeds not a clog risk, but larger ones are. Strawberry shakes (real) and mixed.with banana as a smoothie. Both not whole due to pancaking issues.

Greek Yogurt (no chunky, skinned or fibrous fruits; like cherry, blueberry or pineapple) with small soft strawberries peach bits or others like it. Good odor control.

Rice based cereals that soften quickly and completely with milk (or water) like Rice Chex and Krispies. Not Cheerios (smells). Good source of fortified vitamins.

Lean unseasoned, NEVER deep fried, very tender meats like steak (filet 6 oz), juicy chicken (skinless, not brined), pork chops, lamb and skinless turkey (avoid fatty or alcohol gravy and any hard parts) about 6 oz per serving. Pork limit to one thin chop size due to high fat content causes diarrhea. A careful balance of getting protein, but not too much fat which will cause diarrhea.

Extremely lean hamburger or chopped steak, gravy without fat, alcohol or veggie chunks. 6 oz per serving. Fatty, diarrhea risk. I find the ground steak from Longhorn steakhouse to be the best. (Source of iron)

Skinless (if you can) all beef hotdogs, bratwurst (plain) 1 max. (Fatty, diarrhea risk). No veggies or chili with beans (clog risk) cheese and mustard etc fine, no relish, onions or peppers (clog risk)

Sausage (not spicy, thin casings and no tough bits) two four inch links max per serving (fatty, diarrhea risk in quantity)

Ketchup and mayonnaise. Mustard (light amounts)

Seasonings- light powdered or flakes kind and nothing heavy like blackened, brined, salted or spicy etc. BBQ sauce seems fine as long as it's not too sugary or spicy. Brisket seasoning is very bad. Diarrhea risk if not watched.

Lean Bacon, Ham or not spicy, not chunky bits, skinless deli meats. No honey or salted pork. 6 oz per serving. Pork is very fatty, limit to one small pork chop portion (diarrhea risk)

Chicken salad with pasta (no veggies or olive oil) 6-8 oz per serving.

Potatoes: White mashed potatoes without chunks, skins, fatty sauces or veggie chunks. No sweet potatoes or yams. Baked or potato salad can be tricky swallowing clog prone chunks without knowing it.

Tomato pasta sauce with no solid veggies (either strain them out using a fork or use Mariana or meat sauce) Minimize amount just to barely flavor, don't mix with bread. If it stains the bag it's too much. Try to reduce tomato sauce to as little as possible.

Fatty meat sauce and gravy- limited amounts per meal. Like just barely enough just to flavor the meat or pasta only. (high diarrhea risk in quantity)

Macaroni with cheese about a cup max per serving, (diarrhea risk in quantity)

Breads: Regular wheat based breads (slices, rolls, flour tortillas and biscuits) not very dry (eat with a liquid) and pasta in small one cup amounts at a time (avoid corn anything or heavy grain breads, nut and fruit type breads) Banana Bread without nuts or fruit chunks is fine.

Eggs (not scrambled or omelets where yoke is mixed with whites, seems not to digest fully) and plain egg salad in small amounts chewed well. Over easy style best for complete digestion.

Corn beef hash one cup. (Diarrhea risk in larger amounts)

Creamy peanut butter (not chunky, no sugar added) natural, unsalted.

Jelly, no chunks, no sugar added, all natural ingredients with no artificial sweeteners (high diarrhea risk), tiny strawberry sized seeds okay (no larger!), max two tablespoons at a time on a good bag. (diarrhea risk)

Butter and butter like spreads

Bananas - blended with juice in a smoothie, pudding or eaten in small bits and amounts with something else. Not as whole one all at once. (causes pancaking) Banana bread without nuts or fruit is fine. (Potassium source)

Real cheese, not processed cheese food (comes out like plastic) in small amounts and diced fine as some cheeses like low moisture mozzarella may not fully digest and can exit in chunks that could clog..

Rice cooked more than al dente (like when the ends split), fried rice minus veggies. No sticky or sushi rice (clog risk). One cup max per serving.

Water, or water with some electrolytes added for taste although milk is a better rehydrator than water.

V8 juice with less sodium (one small glass)

Dill pickles spears (no skins, clog risk) just drinking a little pickle juice good enough as cucumber unlikely to digest fully but usually soft enough to not clog. (clog risk, chew well) One is usually craving salt if they want a pickle. Too much salt and the body goes into diarrhea mode.

Centrum Silver (long diarrhea risk, mornings on a good bag only) crush and powder food a little as needed. Potential clog risk if pills taken whole, especially slow dissolving types. Centrum Silver has been a stomach irritation for me so I avoided using it and then had mosquito bites that wouldn't heal so now I'm on prenatal chewable gummies instead. Wounds are healing faster the next day.

Tapioca pudding (little pearls okay)

Meat and cheese lasagna with no solid veggies (2" x 4" slice at a sitting, diarrhea risk) May induce a deep sleep as any heavy pasta may, small portions recommended to not overfill bag.

Ice cream: Mint chocolate chip 2 scoops. Others without clogging fruit or nut chunks and not too much chocolate or caffeine (causes diarrhea) may also be fine.

Orange soda - doesn't contain caffeine thus causing diarrhea..although carbonated drinks can cause bag ballooning depending how carbonated it is. I learned to keep it cold but let it go flat a little, seems to help with the gas noise too. NOT a good rehydrator, only use if urinating normally at just about every bag dump.

Vanilla wafers (aka Nilla Wafers) seem fine as long as consumed with milk or water in the mouth to mix. (can pancake if too many or dry eating them)

Cookies (no nuts or candies), crackers, dry bread and other dry foods should be mixed with liquid in the mouth before swallowing to avoid pancaking. (thickens stool)

Pizza, stromboli and calzones. Soft meats like ham, cheeses and bread usually fine. Veggies or tough spicy meats are not. However likely will cause a short diarrhea episode and deep sleep afterwards. I would limit to half a calzone or two slices of pizza at a serving.

Chicken, juicy, skinless and either boiled, steamed or pan fried is likely the best source of protein. Supposedly dark meat is more nutritious. Baked is good too without the skin on so the fat drains out of the meat better, just not dry. Always try to drain the fat out of meats when cooking.

Hot or cold decaffeinated black tea seems fine, no diarrhea or burning leak pain issues. Caffeine and coffee (even decaf) produce more stomach acid which can make its way out into the bag or on the skin if a leak and cause more pain than normal. Normally the pH level of output is 8, but stomach acid is much lower like 2. So it really burns if there is a leak if too much stomach acid makes it way out and not raised naturally to 8 pH by the body.in time.


**Note: Avoid mixing diarrhea risk foods at the same time**

Items above assume rinsing bag with just plain water after each dump to control odor. Use a dollop of toothpaste in the bag to control future odor.

Warning: Olive oil coated foods, may not digest fully.





What is diarrhea? It's a ileostomy condition where the digestive system flushes an inordinate amount of water out of the stoma that causes dehydration. Some output is normal but excessive output is unwelcome resulting in many trips to the bathroom to dump. Dehydration causes weakness, dizziness and fatigue. Not having enough body water can cause urinary issues of no or dark colored urine.

The ileostomy diarrhea condition can be caused by any reason the body feels it needs to rapidly get rid of whatever one has eaten or drank, even too much acceptable food will cause it. It's because an ileostomy bypasses the colon which is responsible for taking up water (and other nutrients) from the digestive system. If this diarrhea occurs, stop drinking or eating anything until it subsides and output thickens up into a slurry, then go easy.

What is pancaking? Pancaking is a condition where stool output is thick or chunky from undigested food that collects around the stoma and pressure forces itself under the barrier adhesive and causes a leak or even a blowout. Normally stool should drop to the bottom of the bag but if it's too much thick then it won't. Obviously a condition one wants to avoid, why both these conditions require a careful maintenance policy of ones diet to prevent them. With pancaking it's important to feel the pressure of it occurring right away and head to the toilet for a dump and water bottle rinse to try to gently massage the material loose without pushing it or that can cause a leak as well.

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[Shamrock4806]

Okay it's been almost two years since my surgery and things have gotten a bit better.

I can almost eat a normal sized lunch within the confines of what doesn't cause bad things to occur. But watching the dinners because going to sleep with any issue is a recipe for disaster.

I find soft meats, bread and most cheeses to be just fine as long as I can thoroughly chew everything. So like a Philly cheese sandwich I would obviously avoid the veggies or any tough parts as they can clog.

Submarine sandwiches without the veggies or leafy greens, hot dogs without the beans (can clog) etc. All seem to find on the go.

What is bad is fried and/or brined or very dry chicken like nearly every fast food and restaurant serves. One has to go with the lightly grilled plain versions instead that are juicy. Not too many offerings there unfortunately.

French Fries I stay away from because of the fat triggering diarrhea, any fat usually but once in awhile a little fat is okay in small amounts.

I'm trying to give up milk, seems even low fat milk gives some discomfort, likely because I'm probably lactose intolerant and need to switch over.

I created this thread to help others get a decent diet going right away without much issues so they can stabilize and then get well, then can experiment as they see fit

So I hope it's helped some as it was a lot of work.

[Shamrock4806]

uodated

[Shamrock4806]

Updated

[Shamrock4806]

Updated, no sweet potatoes or yams

[Shamrock4806]

A very easy solution I've found is to eat mainly pre prepared frozen dinners.

Their portion control is small, they mostly consist of non-fried foods and contain a blend of protein and carbs, along with usually very soft small vegetables that digest better and usually don't cause clogs provided they are chewed well (especially beans).

So that's what I've been eating lately because of its convience of a few minutes in the microwave oven.

I'll eat two or three of those TV dinners over the day, some rice type cereal with low fat milk and orange juice in the mornings or go out for breakfast.. Pop tart or a donut during the middle of the night to keep hunger away.

Pretty much the routine now, it's been easy pleasy.

[Mara]

Glad your diet is working for you!

Personally, I love sweet potatoes and eat them all the time - I broil them until quite soft....

[Shamrock4806]

Soft isn't the problem for me, that they are fibrous and don't digest so they cause pancaking. Just like bananas do.

I can eat them, just have to purre them a little and mix with something else.

[Shamrock4806]

It's been two years and now I've gotten my diet down to a science that I'm actually almost back to 3 meals a day instead of many smaller ones.

The trick is not to eat diarrhea, pancaking or clogging type foods, chew borderline stuff very thoroughly and watch the water intake.

Supposedly the body adjusts eventually since a colon is no longer in play and the stomach and intestines will absorb more water making up for the missing colon.

So instead of slugging water because just about everything I ate came rushing out, I now sip water a little here and there throughout the day and less volume of watery output and still peeing normally. Less water at night helps with less nightly dumpings.

I've also given up on the TV dinners mainly because my freezer is on the fritz. I could go out and get one every night but trying to enjoy life a little now that I have my leaks and diet under control better.

It's been a rough two years of getting this right, I'm writing all this for others won't have to go through what I did.