Thriving with a stoma might seem a bit challenging at first. If you’ve had a colostomy, you’re likely craving your normal comfort foods. You’ve probably wondered, can you eat pizza with a stoma? Even with your new medical accessory, the good news is that you can still eat many of your favorite foods. We’ll show you how to do it the right way to avoid irritation or discomfort.
You can eat pizza with a stoma by testing a slice instead of a box of pizza, making sure to take small sips of water while eating, chewing thoroughly, avoiding artificial preservatives or extra spicy toppings, and limiting the amount of pizza that you consume at one time.
Discover the top 5 things to know about eating pizza if you have a stoma.
Key Takeaways
This article gives you the best tips and tricks that can help you eat pizza safely if you’ve had a stoma put in.
1. Start Small
Whether you’re healing after surgery or just haven’t tried eating pizza yet, it’s important to give your body the nutrients that it needs. While you’ve probably been advised to avoid things like sugar, high-fiber foods, and fatty meats, normal fat and protein intake from whole milk, cheese, and lean meats can help with healing and aid in your new digestive process.
Many ostomy patients agree that you can eat pizza even if you have a stoma. The first thing to do if you want to eat pizza after surgery is to check with your doctor or medical professional before adding anything new to your recommended diet. If they give you the green light, then you’ll want to start with a test run.
This means that you’ll want to try a small slice of pizza before you order a bunch of cheesy delights loaded with spicy sausage, pepperoni, or margarita toppings. You may also want to opt for a thin-crust pizza instead of a thick, pillowy crust to avoid eating too much bread-like dough that can cause obstruction issues.
Keep in mind that everyone is different. The key here is to figure out how your body processes pizza now. By starting small, you can let a slice of pizza digest and find out if it causes any issues or discomfort. If everything goes well, then feel free to dig in to your favorite pizza to your heart’s content.
2. Hydrate
Pizza is both mouth-watering and super salty. If you’re eating commercial pizza instead of home-cooked pizza, chances are that every slice contains a lot of salt.
Unlike most people, if you have a stoma, you’ll likely need to add extra salt to your diet since a colostomy or ileostomy can cause salt loss and water depletion. This means that eating salty pizza can help add salt back to your body.
Make sure to stay hydrated while you eat pizza. Drinking small sips of water during your meal helps break down food particles to enable your body to digest the pizza crust better. Drinking a little water while eating also reduces your risk for obstructions that can cause pain, bloating or other stoma issues.
Choose water or another non-carbonated drink to consume with your pizza. Just don’t overdo it by drinking too much water with your pizza, since this can cause the crust to swell in your digestive tract, and you’re all set to enjoy a yummy meal.
3. Skip the Spices and Preservatives
We all know that frozen pizza isn’t the most nutritious option out there. That’s because regular frozen pizzas are packed with artificial flavors, additives, trans fats, and preservatives that can cause irritation if you have a stoma. Many pizzas are also high in fat which doesn’t work well after colostomy or ileostomy surgery.
You can minimize pain and food blockage risks by ordering a fresh pizza from a local pizza place. This will also give you more control over customizing your pizza crust, cheese, meat, vegetables, sauce, and other toppings. A homemade pizza is much lower in salt, fat, chemicals, and colorings than a commercial pizza.
Avoid spicy veggies like onions or garlic. Although many people love mushrooms on their pizza, this is another popular pizza topping that can cause a food obstruction with a stoma. Pay attention to how your body reacts, since even small amounts of healthier pizza may cause digestive pain, odor, or discomfort.
The good news is that most people can enjoy a fresh pizza with healthier ingredients, spread out over smaller meals, with little or no issues.
4. Take Your Time
Now that you’ve bitten into a heavenly cheesy mouthful of pizza, you’ll want to make sure that you chew each bite thoroughly before you swallow. Everyone knows that our stomachs don’t have teeth, and it’s even more important to chew thoroughly if you have a stoma to avoid experiencing a nasty food blockage.
Aim to chew a mouthful about 32 times, or until it loses its texture and turns into liquid.
Slow and careful chewing helps break down the crust, which makes it easier for your body to digest. This means that you’re less likely to experience gas, bloating, or blockage and ensure a happy ending to your pizza party.
4. Use Moderation
One of the most important things to do if you want to eat a pizza with a stoma is to consume it in moderation. Take it slow. Even if you’ve started small and didn’t have a negative reaction, it’s smart to avoid putting away multiple slices in one sitting. This can overload your digestive system and impact your digestive health.
Your doctor likely advised you to only eat raw foods, instead of cooked foods, for 6-8 weeks after your procedure. Some people recommend skipping pizza altogether since processed pizza can cause negative side effects.
Eating raw, bland, and lower-fat foods can help your body adjust to its new re-routed system. If you started pizza too soon after you got home and found yourself up all night in pain, it’s likely just too soon to add pizza back to your diet.
With these few simple tips, you can wait it out, start slow, consume a little at a time, and focus on blander, fresh-baked pizzas that are easier to digest.
Final Thoughts
Can you eat pizza with a stoma? The consensus is that you can eat some healthier kinds of pizza once you’ve cleared the recovery period and if you don’t experience any negative results.
Check with your doctor to ask, can you eat pizza with a stoma? if you’re still in recovery from surgery. Do a food test to see what works best for you, stay hydrated, and enjoy every delicious bite in moderation.
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