• food-nutrients-for-ostomates

    Promoting the health and wellbeing of Ostomates

  • Nutritional Clinics

    Personalised, professional and practical dietary solutions

  • nutritional-consulting-dietary-strategy

    Nutritional Consultations, Clinics and Presentations

Welcome to Nutrition For Ostomates

Dedicated to the varied yet specific nutritional needs and concerns of all Ostomates, this site aims to educate, inform and empower all Ostomates in order for you to experience greater health, peace of mind and freedom in the new circumstances. Please feel free to browse the site, and sign up for my newsletter if you would like to receive nutrition information relevant to ostomates.

Introduction

Stomal surgery can be a large and life-changing operation with many positive aspects and possible pitfalls, and the outcome for individuals can vary depending on many factors.  Some people can have stomal surgery and hardly miss a step, whilst others experience significant repercussions that are chronic and deeply entrenched.  The nutritional implications of this surgery on the individual can also vary significantly, so that some people just need tweaks to their dietary intake once they leave hospital, whilst others need a much greater degree of nutritional education and support.

Either way, it is important to gain relevant guidance that is specific to individual needs after surgery. Difficulties with dietary intake after becoming a Colostomate or Ileostomate in particular can be due to a myriad of factors that may be unrelated to the actual foods being consumed.  There may be residual issues within the intestinal tract itself that make some foods difficult to assimilate, such as inflammation, ulceration, fistulas, strictures etc. These challenges often need to be addressed and healed before nutritional intake can be expanded and optimal digestion and absorption of nutrients restored.

Dietary intake is not often considered an important factor for Urostomates, but maintaining a strong immune system to fight infection is imperative once a urostomy is formed to ensure bacteria are not able to proliferate in the urinary tract. Many foods and nutrients have anti-bacterial and immune stimulating properties, and regular consumption of these can strengthen the body’s natural defences.

The Nutrition For Ostomates Outreach Program is aimed at providing specialised nutritional support for Ostomates across Australia and further afield. Via this service Ostomates can receive professional support from a qualified Nutritionist that takes into consideration individual issues and circumstances after surgery.

This service is also appropriate for those Ostomates who have had their surgery reversed, and want to get their gastrointestinal function or general health back on track.

Providing the missing nutritional links to support the health and wellbeing of Ostomates