Colostomy and Ileostomy Diet Guidelines 
                 
                Nutrition is important for your health and            Foods that cause blockage: 
                healing. Limit fiber for the first 2 weeks                •   Celery 
                after surgery. Avoid fresh fruits and                     •   Coleslaw 
                vegetables. You can have canned fruit and                 •   Corn 
                well-cooked vegetables. Slowly add back all               •   Dried fruits 
                foods after talking with your doctor at your              •   Meat casings 
                first clinic visit. People with ostomies can              •   Mushrooms 
                still enjoy a normal diet.                                •   Nuts 
                                                                          •   Peas 
                Food tips                                                 •   Pineapple 
                Eat meals regularly. Eat three or more                    •   Popcorn 
                times a day. Small frequent meals may be                  •   Salad greens 
                better tolerated and produce less gas.                    •   Seeds 
                                                                       
                Chew your food fully. Chewing well will               Reduce Gas and Odor 
                help avoid a blockage.                                Gas is normal but if you feel you are having 
                                                                      excess gas, try to change your diet to get rid 
                Eat in moderation and slowly. Too much                of the problem. Try these tips:  
                of any food can cause problems. Eat normal                •   Eat often.  
                amounts and eat slowly to allow for proper                •   Do not skip meals. 
                chewing and digestion. If a new food seems 
                                                                          •   Do not swallow air while eating.  
                to give you problems, don’t eat it for a few 
                weeks. Try it again later.                                •   Relax and eat slowly. 
                                                                          •   Avoid chewing gum or drinking 
                Drink plenty of fluids daily. You may lose                    through a straw. 
                more body fluids through the ostomy, so you               •   Drink 8-10 glasses of water, 
                must stay hydrated. Patients who have lost a                  cranberry juice, or other non-
                large part of their large intestine will notice               caffeinated drinks. 
                more fluid loss. This is because most of the           
                body’s fluid is reabsorbed in the large               Foods that cause gas or odor: 
                intestine.                                                •   Asparagus 
                                                                          •   Apples 
                Keep mind that no two people will react                   •   Bananas 
                the same to foods. You will learn through                 •   Beer 
                trying which foods, if any, you should avoid.             •   Broccoli 
                                                                          •   Brussels sprouts 
                Blockage                                                  •   Cabbage 
                Certain foods, if eaten in large amounts may              •   Carbonated drinks 
                cause blockage. Use caution when eating                   •   Cauliflower 
                these foods. Eat them in small amounts and                •   Corn 
                be sure to chew them well.                                •   Cucumber 
                     •   Dairy products                                   Foods that help thicken stools: 
                     •   Dried beans/peas                                     •   Applesauce 
                     •   Eggs                                                 •   Bananas 
                     •   Fatty foods                                          •   Cheese 
                     •   Grapes                                               •   Cream of rice 
                     •   Green pepper                                         •   Marshmallows 
                     •   Melons                                               •   Mashed potatoes 
                     •   Onions                                               •   Peanut butter (creamy) 
                     •   Prunes                                               •   Rice 
                     •   Radishes                                             •   Soda crackers 
                     •   Turnips                                              •   Tapioca 
                                                                              •   Weak tea 
                 Foods that help relieve gas and odor:                     
                     •   Yogurt with active cultures                      If You Have an Ileostomy  
                     •   Buttermilk                                       Those with an ileostomy lose large amounts 
                     •   Cranberry juice                                  of salt, potassium and water in the ostomy 
                     •   Parsley                                          fluid. Losing too much can lead to 
                                                                          dehydration.  
                 Stools                                                    
                 The thickness of your stools depends to a                Drink water or sugar free, non-carbonated 
                 certain extent on where your stoma is placed             drinks all day. Sports drinks can be used 
                 in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. When the            because of their electrolyte content. The 
                 stoma is higher up in the GI tract, the stools           color of your urine should be clear to pale 
                 tend to be looser. In some cases, a loose                yellow, if it is darker increase your fluid 
                 stool may be the result of eating certain                intake. 
                 foods.                                                    
                                                                          Include a number of good sources of sodium 
                 Foods that cause loose stools:                           and potassium in your daily diet. 
                     •   Alcoholic drinks                                  
                     •   Apple juice                                      Good sources of potassium: 
                     •   Baked beans                                          •   Ripe bananas 
                     •   Chocolate                                            •   Orange juice 
                     •   Coffee                                               •   Tomato juice 
                     •   Dairy                                                •   Mashed potatoes 
                     •   Grape juice                                       
                     •   Green leafy vegetables                           Who to Call 
                     •   Licorice                                         Nutrition Clinics: UWHC and AFCH 
                     •   Prune juice                                      (608) 890-5500 
                     •   Spiced foods                                     Nutrition clinics UWMF: 
                     •   Tomatoes                                         (608) 287-2770 
                                                                          www.uwhealth.org/nutrition
                  
                  
                 Your health care team may have given you this information as part of your care. If so, please use it and call if you have any 
                 questions. If this information was not given to you as part of your care, please check with your doctor. This is not medical advice. 
                 This is not to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Because each person’s health needs are different, you 
                 should talk with your doctor or others on your health care team when using this information. If you have an emergency, please 
                 call 911. Copyright © 6/2020 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the 
                 Clinical Nutrition Services Department and the Department of Nursing. HF#293