Diet after bowel surgery for oncology

Bowel cancer is the worst of the diseases that can affect the human gastrointestinal tract. In many cases, it is fatal, and even in the early stages one cannot do without a surgical operation - the gastrointestinal tract is cleaned, the tumor is excised, the edges of the incision are carefully sutured. But the struggle does not end there - you need not only to get rid of the tumor, but also to do everything possible so that there is no relapse.

The importance of diet after bowel surgery

After any surgical intervention, you need to follow a diet, because a weakened body cannot cope with food in full. But after bowel surgery, nutrition becomes especially important for two reasons:

• One of the factors provoking bowel cancer is the habit of unhealthy food. The abundance of fried, fatty, salty, passion for fast food affect the gastrointestinal tract in the most deplorable way - the use of products of this kind, even in small quantities after surgery, can cause a relapse.
• After the operation, the intestine, which has suffered and lost part of its volume, is not able to cope with solid food - in order to restore its working capacity without risking the divergence of the seams, you need to act carefully and gradually.

After the end of the rehabilitation period, the diet will become somewhat more varied, but it will have to be followed for the rest of your life, combined with a general change in routine and periodic scheduled examinations.

The basic principles of the menu for oncology of the intestine

In order for nutrition after surgery on the intestines for oncology to be as useful and comfortable for the body as possible, you need to follow simple rules:

• gradual rule. You need to start small - on the first day the patient is not offered food at all, because his intestines are too irritated after the intervention and will not be able to work normally. On the second day after the operation, only liquid food is allowed. After a week or two, mashed potatoes and grated cereals are added to it. And only when the doctors are satisfied with the condition of the patient's gastrointestinal tract, more or less solid food becomes acceptable.
• Schedule rule. After surgery, the intestines are not able to cope with large amounts of food - nor is it able to survive long periods of hunger without irritation. Therefore, you need to eat often - breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, second dinner. The break between meals should be no more than 2-2.5 hours. At the same time, breakfast, lunch and dinner are considered the main meals - the rest should be light, easy-to-digest food.
• processing rule. Coping with fried, smoked, salty and spicy is difficult even for a healthy stomach, therefore stewing, boiling and steaming are the preferred processing methods. Fresh vegetables, fruits, berries and other foods that are usually eaten raw should also be boiled, stewed or steamed.
• balance rule. You should not eat more or less food than the body needs - the doctor will calculate the optimal calorie intake and you should not go beyond it. You should also adhere to the correct ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates - in the first days it should be 5% / 5% / 90%, in the next 30% / 15% / 55%. At the same time, carbohydrates should be complex (cereals, vegetables), proteins should not be too fatty (white chicken meat, turkey meat), and fats should be predominantly vegetable.
• Fluid rule. At least 1.5 liters of liquids should be consumed per day - and this amount takes into account not only clean water, but also soups, juices, kissels and any other drinks and dishes.
• temperature rule. Food should not be too hot or too cold. Ideal for the digestive tract is considered room temperature.

The combination of all the rules will create the best conditions for the intestines - and you must adhere to them all your life.

Allowed and prohibited products

The categories “fried”, “fatty”, “salty” in the rules can give a general idea, but it is much better to know in detail which foods are better to refuse, and which must be included in the diet. So in the diet menu after surgery due to oncology should not be:

• canned food, pickles, marinades and smoked meats;
• fatty meat and fish;
• foods that cause bloating - usually fresh white bread, apples, legumes, grapes, fresh cabbage;
• unnatural juices, alcohol, strong black tea or coffee;
• sweets rich in empty carbohydrates, pastries and fast food;
• mushrooms.

Food should not be fried, salted too much (the norm of salt intake is only 5g per day), poured with oil, use hot spices in excess. Instead of everything forbidden, you should make a diet of:

• a wide variety of cereals - rice, buckwheat, millet, barley and any others;
• vegetables - at first they are stewed, boiled and steamed, after, with successful restoration of the intestine, you can introduce a little fresh;
• fruits and berries - they are also first introduced only ready-made, but over time they can be consumed fresh in small quantities;
• low-fat fermented milk products - if the patient tolerates them well, they can be included in the daily diet;
• vegetable oil;
• nuts;
• lean meat and fish (seasonings and sauces for them are prohibited, except for dairy);
• white bread that has had time to get a little stale.

Particularly useful additions to the diet after bowel surgery due to oncology are:

• foods that contain the mineral selenium - seafood, broccoli, beef liver, parsley, dried fruits;
• vegetables and fruits in all varieties - from compotes, juices and stews to mashed potatoes.

The composition of the diet is very dependent on the person - someone does not tolerate sour-milk products and is forced to exclude them, someone does not experience any unpleasant consequences from eating beans and therefore can continue to eat them even after surgery.

The main thing is not to deviate from the basic principles. Even if it seems that the gastrointestinal tract has recovered and is ready to tolerate fried food normally, this is not a reason to include it in the diet.

What the daily menu might look like after bowel surgery 

With the severe restrictions that come with a diet after bowel surgery due to oncology, the menu can be quite difficult to put together, especially at first and without the habit of proper nutrition. To avoid difficulties, you can focus on an example with options:

• First breakfast. It should include fiber and carbohydrates - and you need to take it within an hour and a half after waking up. May consist of:
• cereals on the water - oatmeal, for example, is traditional for breakfast;
• steam omelette - it is important to make it steamed, without a drop of oil;
• a glass of natural juice, compote, jelly or kefir;
• sandwiches with low-fat cheese or cottage cheese mixed with herbs - bread for them should be dried;
• light fruit salad dressed with yogurt - if enough time has passed since the operation that such a combination does not cause harm.
• Lunch. Should be lighter and used as a snack. It could be:
• a handful of nuts or dried fruits - they are very high in calories, a very small amount is enough;
• a glass of kefir, low-fat yogurt, weak tea;
• allowed fruit - for example, a banana or an apple baked in the oven.
• Dinner. Should be high in calories and include protein in combination with vegetables. It could be:
• a dish of steamed vegetables along with steamed chicken fillet;
• vegetarian borsch with separately boiled lean meat;
• fish or meat steam cutlets in combination with vegetable stew;
• soup-puree from vegetables in meat broth;
• rice soup in fish or meat broth;
• mashed potatoes with boiled fish fillet.
• afternoon tea. Also a light snack, for which you can eat the same as for second breakfast.
• Dinner. May be light or more satisfying, depending on how the patient feels. It could be:
• porridge on the water - rice, buckwheat, pearl barley - in combination with steam cutlets;
• steam omelet from 2-3 eggs;
• steam fish fillet combined with vegetable stew;
• low-fat cottage cheese - if after it the gastrointestinal tract feels normal;
• beef liver stewed with vegetables;
• steam chicken fillet combined with boiled broccoli.
• Second dinner. Used 2-3 hours before sleep, should be very light and beneficial to the stomach. It could be:
• a glass of warm low-fat milk;
• curdled milk;
• a glass of warm tea with crackers;
• an apple baked in the oven;
• a glass of compote or natural juice.

Proper nutrition is useful not only for those who are trying to recover from surgery and protect themselves from relapse, but also for those who are seriously concerned about prevention. Eliminate fried, salted and smoked, eat more vegetables and fruits, prefer steamed to everything else - and the chance of getting sick (for the first time or again) will noticeably decrease.

The main thing is patience and attention to yourself

Diet after bowel surgery for oncology - video