General Eating and Drinking Guidelines
Follow these guidelines for the first few weeks after your surgery. This will help keep you comfortable while your colon heals.
- Eat small meals often. Try to have 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large ones.
- Eat slowly and chew your food well.
- Drink 8 to 10 (8-ounce) glasses (about 2 liters) of liquids every day.
- Eat mostly bland, low-fiber foods. For more information, read the “Recommended foods” section.
- When you add foods back into your diet, introduce them 1 at a time. For more information, read the “Adding foods to your diet” section.
Before you’re discharged (released) from the hospital, a clinical dietitian nutritionist will talk with you about these guidelines. After you leave the hospital, your doctor and an outpatient clinical dietitian nutritionist will help you as you go back to following your usual diet.
Recommended foods
It’s best to eat mostly bland, low-fiber foods for the first few weeks after your surgery. Bland foods are cooked, easy-to-digest foods that aren’t spicy, heavy, or fried. Eating bland foods will help you avoid uncomfortable symptoms, such as:
- Diarrhea (loose or watery bowel movements)
- Bloating
- Gas
Source:
www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/diet-guidelines-people-colostomy