How do I find out about diet for a person with an ileostomy?

Generally, colostomy and ileostomy patients can easily maintain a balanced diet to provide all the vitamins, minerals and calories needed for good health. In those cases where certain foods have to be restricted to control stool patterns or stool consistency, the physician may prescribe a vitamin-mineral supplement.

Most patients return to a fairly normal diet. A trial and error pattern of eating is often necessary to identify those foods that may have an undesirable effect on the patient's stool. Then it is simply a matter of changing how much of these foods are eaten. The lists that follow are a guideline.

Eat foods at a regular time each day. Eating 4 to 6 smaller meals may help to promote a regular bowel pattern.

Try eating the main dinner meal at noon and a smaller meal in the evening. This helps to reduce the stool output at night.

Introduce one type of food at a time to test how it affects bowel function. If it does not produce a good result, stop eating it. However, as the body heals and adjusts, the offending food may become easier to tolerate, so try adding it to the diet again on several occasions before giving up on it.

Chew foods completely to help the digestive process. Especially avoid swallowing large pieces of leafy vegetables since they can block the stoma opening on the abdominal wall.

Fresh fruit may cause loose stool.

Drink 2 to 3 quarts of water a day. This helps to keep the stool fluid, and it also prevents dehydration. Normally, the colon absorbs water and electrolytes (substances such as sodium and potassium) from the stool, so people who have all or part of the colon removed will lose more water. Because electrolytes are also lost, do not restrict salt in the diet.

Maintain an ideal body weight. Extra fat in the abdominal wall can make it difficult for the stoma to function properly.

During the first 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, ileostomy patients should limit foods that caused problems prior to surgery. This will reduce the chance of stoma blockage and lower the amount of gas.

Certain substances can change the appearance of the stool. Bile that cannot be reabsorbed in the intestine can cause a yellow or green stool color, especially when diarrhea or rapid bowel action occurs. Beets make the stool appear red; it is not blood! Broccoli, asparagus, spinach, and Pepto-Bismol can darken, even blacken, the stool.

Certain medications such as Imodium, Lomotil, Levsin, and Bentyl can help to slow the bowel when diarrhea is a problem.
Foods containing large amounts of fiber and bran should be avoided for 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. After that time, certain bulking agents such as psyllium (Metamucil), methylcellulose (Citrucel), and calcium polycarbophil (FiberCon) may help firm the stool. Only certain patients need to have a firmer stool, so do not use these agents without the physician's instructions.

Guidelines:-
Foods that Are Poorly or Incompletely Digested and that May Block a Narrowed Stoma - Cabbage, Lettuce , Celery , Mushrooms, Coconut Nuts, Corn Olives, Cucumbers Peas
Dried fruits Pickles, Green peppers Pineapple,

Things that Cause Excess Swallowed Air and Then Gas includes
Jittery or stressed personality and excessive saliva swallowing
Poorly fitting dentures, smoking pipes or cigarettes, chewing gum or tobacco can cause increased salivation and swallowing
Eating fast and swallowing large chunks of food or large amounts of beverages, Using straws or drinking from a bottle or can Inactivity and lying down after eating

Foods that Tend to Form Gas - Legumes, Most beans, especially dried beans and peas, baked beans, soy beans, lima beans, Vegetables, Cabbage, radishes, onions, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumbers, sauerkraut, kohlrabi, rutabaga, turnips, asparagus, onions

Fruits - Prunes, apples, raisins, bananas, excessive amounts of fruit, Cereals, breads, Excessive wheat products, including breads and cereals. Check labels for specific grains.

Milk, milk products - Excessive milk, ice cream, cheese, Fatty foods, Excessive pan-fried or deep-fried foods, fatty meats; rich cream sauces and gravies; pastries, Liquids, Carbonated beverages,

Odor-Reducing Foods and Medications - Buttermilk Yogurt,
Cranberry juice Charcoal tablets (check with physician )
Parsley,

Odor-Producing Foods - Asparagus Garlic, Eggs Onions , Fish

Foods that Tend to Thicken Stool - Applesauce Pasta , Bananas Creamy peanut butter, Breads Starchy foods, such as potatoes
Cheeses,

Foods that Tend to Cause Diarrhea - Apple juice Prune juice,
Grape juice Highly seasoned foods, especially hot peppers

The answer from vivax, is about right, if you care to read that far, but i would say a nutritionist.