Patient/caregiver was educated on dietary recommendations for individuals with ileostomy as follows
- Individuals with ileostomy must avoid or minimize eating nuts, such as, groundnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, etc., Thoroughly chewing them can be difficult and the gritty nature of residue from chewing can pass unchanged through the stoma and increase the risk for blockage of stoma in individuals with ileostomy, thus precipitating an emergency. Also, the high fiber in the nuts can be poorly tolerated by individuals with ileostomy.
- Individuals with ileostomy must avoid or minimize eating seeds, such as, flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, etc., Thoroughly chewing them can be difficult and the gritty nature of residue from chewing can pass unchanged through the stoma and increase the risk for blockage of stoma in individuals with ileostomy, thus precipitating an emergency. Also, the high fiber in the covers of seeds can be poorly tolerated by individuals with ileostomy.
- Always chew your food thoroughly, as chewing helps release lot of saliva with digestive enzymes. So, digestion starts in the mouth with chewing, which helps ease the digestive process and aid better nutrient absorption. This applies even more in individuals with ileostomy, as chewing the food thoroughly to almost liquid consistency helps prevent risk for blockage of stoma. Poorly chewed food with bigger chunks in swallowed portion can increase the risk for blockage of stoma in individuals with ileostomy, thus precipitating an emergency. As chewing thoroughly involves some time, individuals with ileostomy must plan enough time on their schedule for meal and not rush through it.
