I thought it might be helpful to share the kinds of food I eat and how they affect my stoma output.
I initially planned to start a food diary last week but had a blockage and wanted to show an average week. A blockage and the subsequent days of soft and mushy foods are not average! It’s only the fifth complete obstruction I’ve had. Afterwards, I stuck to bland, easy-to-digest food to give my sensitive and sore intestine time to heal.
I’m focusing on evening meals because an entire food diary would be lengthy and boooring. You’ll notice that my meals always include a good portion of carbs. I always try to include veggies or fruits, and I need the carbs to thicken my output. I learned this when I had to lose some weight and cut down on carbs. For a healthy, balanced diet, starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice, and pasta should make up just over a third of your daily intake!
In a typical week, I plan two meals with meat (one poultry, one red), two with fish (one white, one oily), two veggie meals, and leave a day free for a takeaway.
I’ve been experimenting a lot lately. We tried Hello Fresh and Gousto for a while, then I started going through old recipe books. Now, I share meals with the IBD/ostomy community via the Samsung food app, which I use to plan our meals each week. You can join the community and find new recipes or share your own with us here.
It’s important to remember that everyone is different. The foods people can tolerate vary a lot, and the effect food has on people differs too.
So, let’s dive into the meals! I’ve linked the original recipes, but I’ve usually made some adaptations. Typically, I would take loperamide before some meals and use gelling sachets in my bag, but to note the outcomes properly, I skipped both this week!
Baked Ratatouille Pasta with Goat Cheese
This was a new recipe shared by a friend via the Whisk app. It always takes me ages to eat anything with insoluble fiber, like onions and pepper skin. I make sure to chew thoroughly to avoid blockages and pain.
Result: I avoided any pain, and the pasta helped slow things down and thicken my output. Thanks to all the tomatoes, it was undeniably red! The most notable outcome was definitely the distinct aroma of garlic. I used three large cloves in the meal for two—I’m a bit of a garlic fiend! There were also herbs and tiny pieces of undigested vegetables. Luckily, I chewed well!
Mixed Meat Kebab – Takeaway Day!
I had what my partner was having for a change to avoid food envy—a couple of different kebab meats, side salad, and pita bread. Even a few chips and cheese! I didn’t manage to eat half of it.
Result: I made the mistake of eating some salad without all the pita to thicken things up, although I did have a handful of chips and a fair amount of meat! The result was some undigested cabbage and onion in a pretty loose stool. No pain though, so I’m counting it as a win!
Roast Chicken Thighs with New Potatoes and Greens
My partner often wants a roast dinner, but I rarely fancy one. I threw in a few carrots for a change, so he almost had a “proper” dinner! I swapped kale for cabbage because kale has caused me pain before.
Result: I’m remembering why I usually take loperamide. It was coming out before I finished eating! Liquid output with undigested veg. I considered what I ate earlier, but I only had a giant scone with cheese and some jelly sweets, both of which usually result in thicker output.
Grilled Miso Salmon with Rice Noodles
I tried this recipe for the first time a few weeks ago. I wasn’t a fan of the noodles because they stuck together! This time, I went with egg noodles and avoided the beansprouts, opting for baby corn instead. I also just added some dried chili flakes—not brave enough for chunks of chili!
Result: The most notable thing was the odor. When I eat fish, I know I’ve eaten fish! And again, it didn’t stay in long! The noodles should have helped. Sometimes, we just have an off day or week, but I think it was also because I didn’t take loperamide.
Fried Pork and Mixed Vegetables with Rice – Takeaway
We had an unplanned takeaway because it was one of those days! I didn’t get off the laptop until 8 pm and usually eat around 5 pm. I was supposed to make courgette lasagne, but I just wanted to go to bed, not stand in the kitchen cooking.
Result: I definitely knew I had eaten garlic again! As usual, a lot of the veg came out as I had swallowed it. Output was thicker than the past few days, but there was so much of it! Veg can sometimes bulk up my stool (insoluble fiber does that), making it seem like there’s more than what I actually ate!
Courgette Lasagne
I had a courgette lasagne in Switzerland which looked and sounded great, but I felt it could have tasted better! So, when I got home, I created my version.
Result: Much thicker output thanks to all the pasta, plus it didn’t immediately start leaving my body! The only visible thing was a few chewed-up bits of courgette skin. I usually don’t have an issue with courgette skin—maybe because it’s thin, unlike the blockage-causing apple skin from earlier this month!
Lemony Prawn & Courgette Tagliatelle
I had a blockage from a prawn once, so I always chew extra well when I eat them. Courgette and pasta again! I didn’t follow the meal plan order due to use-by dates.
Result: A repeat performance of the previous day; pasta is my friend! And guess what… I could smell fish and garlic! It wasn’t loose, which is always good, especially when eating late as it means less chance of a leak during the night!
And that’s my week! I hope it’s been interesting, and I’d love to hear which foods help and hinder you in the comments!
Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford | Patient Advocacy 