The ileostomy care industry has come a long way in providing ways to greatly enhance the comfort and quality of life for patients. While the supplies available to address ileostomy are outstanding, it still helps to pay attention to nutritional habits. This gives you the best opportunity to live a better than normal life with little to no hindrances from the procedure.
Stay Hydrated Always
All of us need to consume more water, especially those living in warm climates like Florida or California. It helps ileostomy patients to at least drink until they are no longer thirsty, but consider consuming about 8-10 glasses of water each day.
Eat Consistently Throughout the Day
It doesn’t always help your digestion to skip meals. For one thing, missing meals can lead you to eat excessively later in order to compensate for them. Try to eat a balanced diet throughout the day and avoid eating too close to bedtime.
Get Potassium from Bananas
This is a key ingredient in loosening stools and keeping things smoother for your stoma. The potassium you get from bananas really does the trick as long as you don’t consume too many (since they contain sugar as well).
Utilize Peppermint Tea Bags
Peppermint tea bags are a terrific way to thwart the onset of gas. Patients with a stoma are more vulnerable to that problem, but peppermint can assist greatly.
Don’t Be Afraid of Salt
In moderation, salt is very good for you. This includes making it easier to thicken loose output.
Add New Foods Carefully
You usually want to try new things gradually. Everybody is different in terms of what their body will tolerate. You’ll know if you’re trying too many new things (too quickly) if you experience excessive gas.
Always Chew Thoroughly
Your dentist will appreciate this one if nothing else. Chewing your food all the way through has a big impact on digestion. This is an important step in avoiding blockage in your stoma.
Yogurt is Great for You
Here’s another delightful option for addressing gas and easing digestion. As we mentioned before, however, make sure to add this into your diet in small doses. Once you know your body can handle the dairy component, you can decide whether you want to consume more.
Cymed hopes you found these pointers helpful. It just goes to show that there are effective and simple ways to cope and thrive with Ileostomy. If you’d like to learn more about this topic or have an interest in our patented ileostomy pouches, call us at (800) 582-0707 or fill out the form below.