Healthy Eating With Your J-Pouch

Good nutrition plays an important role in maintaining health for anyone, and it’s especially essential for you if you have an ileoanal J-Pouch.

Healthy Eating Tips With Your J-Pouch

Below are tips to follow for healthy eating as your body adapts to your ileostomy and digestive system. Always follow your surgeon’s results for optimal recovery from your j-pouch surgery.

• Follow a soft, low-residue diet initially. A low-residue diet is designed to decrease the amount of stool in your digestive tract and is a low-fiber diet.
• Eat a balanced, nutritious diet. Strive to include foods from all four food groups with every meal. That includes fruits, vegetables, protein and starches in your diet, unless your physician specifically tells you to exclude a certain food group or a specific food.
• Introduce new foods gradually. To learn how your new digestive system will respond to specific foods, introduce new foods slowly.
• Drink plenty of water and other approved fluids each day. This will help your body digest your food better and will keep you from becoming dehydrated. Drinking plenty of water is especially important if the weather is hot and before and after exercising.
• Avoid certain beverages. Some beverages may play havoc on your system, so you’ll have to experiment to see what you can tolerate. For instance, some carbonated beverages may cause you to have uncomfortable gas. On the other hand, you may experience diarrhea from some fruit juices. Limit drinks with caffeine and alcohol that can dehydrate you. Avoid prune juice as it is a natural laxative.
• Take your time eating. Chew your food thoroughly as it will help the rest of your digestive system to not work as hard.
• Do snack. Most surgeons recommend j-pouch surgery patients eat smaller frequent meals. This helps to keep some amount of food in the stomach at all times, which is helpful if you’re are taking medications that may upset your stomach if it’s empty.
• Avoid foods that may cause during and after defecation. These include spicy foods, raisins, salsa, coconut, nuts, and citric foods and beverages.
• Take note to limit or avoid certain foods. For instance, watch your intake of high-fiber foods as they can increase your risk of blockages or bowel obstruction. In addition, avoid corn, seeds, and nuts. Limit or avoid broccoli, cabbage, baked beans, hot peppers, fatty foods, fried foods, prune juice and dairy.
• Enjoy foods that can help. You can enjoy lots of foods, especially hard-boiled eggs, applesauce, oatmeal, creamy peanut butter, bananas, plain pasta, yogurt, white rice, toast, and white rice.

Keep in mind that each individual recovers from j-pouch surgery in a unique way and may process foods differently. Always work with your surgeon and discuss ways to improve your digestion.

If you have questions about your J-Pouch or surgery for a J-Pouch, contact us here at The Center for Ileostomy Surgery at Olympia Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA at 323-472-9931.