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General Dietary Advice

If you are given some guidance to change or modify your diet, it can be difficult to know what to do. The guide below aims to help define some common terms and give you some ideas for simple and healthy changes you can make.

 

Low fibre/residue diet

This restricts food high in fibre. Foods to avoid include

  • Wholemeal, granary, brown and high fibre white bread
  • Cereals such as Weetabix, bran flakes, oats and muesli
  • Wholewheat pasta and brown rice
  • Crisps, nuts and cereal bars
  • Potato skins
  • Full fat yogurt, ice-cream and full fat milks

 

Foods which are commonly advised include:

  • White bread
  • Cereals such as rice crispies, cornflakes and Special K
  • White rice and white pasta
  • Plain biscuits such as rich tea
  • Peeled potato
  • Low fat yogurts without fruit

 

Fat free

  • This means products containing no more than 0.5g of fat per 100g of the product

 

Low Fat

  • This means the products contains no more than 3g of fat per normal serving. The label should tell you what the ‘normal’ serving is. You may be able to include small amounts of these products in a very low-fat diet

 

Reduced Fat

  • This means the product contains at least 30% less fat than equivalent foods. It may still be high in fat. Be cautious with these products if you are following a very low-fat diet. Look at the label to see how much fat is in your portion

 

Dietary advice for new Ileostomies and Colostomies

  • If you have recently had an ileostomy or colostomy formation it is important to be aware of some of the guidance below:
  • Everybody finds what diet works for them. Dietary needs can vary between ileostomies and colostomies
  • After surgery we advise a lighter/softer diet until your stoma has begun to work. This includes soups, yoghurt, custards and jelly
  • Eat small meals often, ensuring you are chewing well to encourage food to pass through the stoma with ease
  • Make sure you are keeping well hydrated. Dehydration can cause you to become unwell. Drinking isotonic drinks containing electrolytes is encouraged to avoid this

 

Foods that we commonly advise avoiding include:

  • Foods that may cause gas such as, onions, garlic, diary and fizzy drinks
  • Food that could cause blockages such as nuts, seeds, tomatoes, citrus fruits and whole grain foods (mainly for ileostomies)
  • Food that may increase odour such as garlic, sprouts, fish, curry, mushrooms and eggs
  • Foods that may thicken your stool such as bananas, potatoes, cheese, bread, jelly, babies and marshmallows
  • Foods to soften stool such as beans, spice and caffeine