Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPost-Surgical NutritionFoods to EatFoods to AvoidFoods to LimitOther Eating TipsNext in Colectomy Surgery GuideFoods to Eat and Avoid After a Colostomy or Colectomy
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Post-Surgical Nutrition
Foods to Eat
Foods to Avoid
Foods to Limit
Other Eating Tips
Next in Colectomy Surgery Guide
If you’ve had anytype of colon surgery(in which part or all of the large intestine is removed), chances are you’ve been told you need to follow a specialdietas you recover over the next few weeks. Your long-term diet after a colon resection (surgery) however, should not be affected.
Typically, a few days after surgery, you’ll be able to start drinking clear liquids. From there, you’ll gradually add foods back into your diet until you’re back to eating as you did prior to the surgery. As your colon heals, some foods are easier to digest than others.
This article will explain which foods you can eat during the weeks following your surgery as well as the foods you should avoid.
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Diet Immediately After Colon Resection
For the first two to three days after a colon resection, you’ll probably receive only intravenous (IV) fluids given through a tube inserted in a vein to give your colon time to heal. After that, you’ll switch to aclear liquid diet.
A clear liquid diet involves only drinking liquids that you can see through, such as:
Liquid items that are not allowed on a clear liquid diet include:
Long-Term Diet After Colon Resection
Foods to Eat After a Colon Resection
Common symptoms after a colectomy includediarrheaanddehydration.These symptoms can happen because your colon hasn’t yet returned to working normally. One of the things the colon does is absorb liquid. If it’s not doing that properly, diarrhea and dehydration can occur.
Foods that are easy to digest and can help to minimize diarrhea include:
Once you’re ready to start eating solid food again, the first foods you eat will be easy-to-digest foods, such as toast and cream of wheat.
Other soft, low-residue foods include:
Foods to Avoid Right After Colon Resection
Since you are still healing, it’s best to stay away from foods that might carry the risk offood poisoning. These include:
Having surgery may make you more likely to get an infection.Getting food poisoning shortly after an operation could land you back in the hospital.
If you have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea after getting home from a colon resection, call your healthcare provider right away. Violent vomiting, in particular, can lead to anincisional hernia, in which tissues from the abdomen push up through the muscles under the incision. It’s a common complication of colon surgery.
Foods to Ease Back Into After Colon Resection
You will be able to go back to your normal diet after surgery, but you may find that some foods you used to eat are difficult to digest. It is best to avoid these foods for now.
Over time, your body will adjust, and you should be able to eat what you want. No two people respond the same way after a colon resection. Take your time to find out which foods work for you and which don’t. In addition, adding back foods slowly makes it easier to figure out which food is responsible if something upsets your stomach.
It’s usually better to eat smaller meals every three hours or so rather than overloading your digestive tract with one large meal. Snacking also keeps your digestion moving and helps minimize constipation or diarrhea.
The foods you may need tolimit until your body adjusts after a colectomy include:
It can take time for your body to readjust to high-fiber foods. Try adding back one high-fiber food at a time so you don’t overwhelm your system, which can lead to constipation.
Remain patient and listen to your body as you slowly add more foods to your diet. If you feel sick to your stomach or full, stop eating or slow down.
Long-Term Reminders After Colon Surgery
In addition to eating the right foods, be sure to drink plenty of water (8 to 10 cups per day). This will help your body digest food and remove waste.
To make sure they get enough fluid, some people find it useful to place a full pitcher of water in the fridge each morning and finish it over the course of the day. Your fluids don’t all have to be water. Apple juice andcranberry juiceare good fluids too.
Chewing your food very well is important after colon surgery.Try to chew your food until it has a liquid-like texture before swallowing. This is especially important with meats or other dense foods that might cause a blockage if not broken down before swallowing.
No matter what your condition, it’s important to eat a healthy, balanced diet. If needed, work with a dietitian to design a plan with the right amount of carbs, fats, and proteins for your age, weight, and level of physical activity.
Summary
After a colon resection, it’s important to follow the diet your healthcare provider recommends. Immediately after your surgery, you will receive only IV fluids to give your colon time to heal. Later on, you will switch to a clear liquid diet.
Don’t be afraid to ask your healthcare provider very specific questions about what you can or can’t eat. Making sure all your questions are answered before you leave the hospital can go a long way toward your comfort and confidence when you go home.
Foods to Eat After a J-Pouch Surgery
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Nutrition guidelines for people with short bowel syndrome.Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.Colorectal surgery nutrition guidelines.UCLA Health.Clear liquid diet.Michigan Medicine.What should I eat after my colon surgery?University of Tennessee Medical Center.Colectomy.Xu Z, Qu H, Gong Z, et al.Risk factors for surgical site infection in patients undergoing colorectal surgery: A meta-analysis of observational studies.PLoS One. 2021 Oct;16(10):e0259107. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0259107Kobayashi T, Miki H, Yamamoto N, et al.Retrospective study of an incisional hernia after laparoscopic colectomy for colorectal cancer.BMC Surgery.2023 Oct;23(1):314. doi:10.1186/s12893-023-02229-7UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.Diet after colectomy.Additional ReadingMedlinePlus.Total colectomy or proctocolectomy - discharge.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Nutrition guidelines for people with short bowel syndrome.Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.Colorectal surgery nutrition guidelines.UCLA Health.Clear liquid diet.Michigan Medicine.What should I eat after my colon surgery?University of Tennessee Medical Center.Colectomy.Xu Z, Qu H, Gong Z, et al.Risk factors for surgical site infection in patients undergoing colorectal surgery: A meta-analysis of observational studies.PLoS One. 2021 Oct;16(10):e0259107. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0259107Kobayashi T, Miki H, Yamamoto N, et al.Retrospective study of an incisional hernia after laparoscopic colectomy for colorectal cancer.BMC Surgery.2023 Oct;23(1):314. doi:10.1186/s12893-023-02229-7UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.Diet after colectomy.Additional ReadingMedlinePlus.Total colectomy or proctocolectomy - discharge.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Nutrition guidelines for people with short bowel syndrome.Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.Colorectal surgery nutrition guidelines.UCLA Health.Clear liquid diet.Michigan Medicine.What should I eat after my colon surgery?University of Tennessee Medical Center.Colectomy.Xu Z, Qu H, Gong Z, et al.Risk factors for surgical site infection in patients undergoing colorectal surgery: A meta-analysis of observational studies.PLoS One. 2021 Oct;16(10):e0259107. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0259107Kobayashi T, Miki H, Yamamoto N, et al.Retrospective study of an incisional hernia after laparoscopic colectomy for colorectal cancer.BMC Surgery.2023 Oct;23(1):314. doi:10.1186/s12893-023-02229-7UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.Diet after colectomy.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Nutrition guidelines for people with short bowel syndrome.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.Colorectal surgery nutrition guidelines.
UCLA Health.Clear liquid diet.
Michigan Medicine.What should I eat after my colon surgery?
University of Tennessee Medical Center.Colectomy.
Xu Z, Qu H, Gong Z, et al.Risk factors for surgical site infection in patients undergoing colorectal surgery: A meta-analysis of observational studies.PLoS One. 2021 Oct;16(10):e0259107. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0259107
Kobayashi T, Miki H, Yamamoto N, et al.Retrospective study of an incisional hernia after laparoscopic colectomy for colorectal cancer.BMC Surgery.2023 Oct;23(1):314. doi:10.1186/s12893-023-02229-7
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.Diet after colectomy.
MedlinePlus.Total colectomy or proctocolectomy - discharge.
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