Seeking Recipes for Post-Surgery Digestive Health

While I love my surgical team's guidance on diet has been really basic.

Has anyone collected recipes that are easy and satisfying? I know we are all in different places so it's not a one-size-fits-all.

I'm post-reversal and having the hardest time putting together healthy meals that will help normalize my output - needs to thicken. When I look on the web, I see suggested foods, but I would love to have a giant cookbook directed solely to those of us with wonky digestive scenarios.

Also, pro tip: Pepperoni pizza is yummers in the moment, but two thumbs down as it comes out, hourly, with burning momentum throughout the night.

From Coloplast

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I'm in post-reversal now for 4 weeks and I started fiber capsules, and that really helped me. May not be right for everyone but wanted to share that. Good luck!

I am 3 weeks post reversal. My doctor advised Metamucil. It works! Previously, I was taking the capsules, but you need to take many of them throughout the day. The Metamucil is orange flavored, powder you mix in water. Tastes okay. And works.

Before my emergency ileostomy, I had several food intolerances. I've been home from the hospital for one month. I find myself eating many of the same meals that I did before the surgery. I'm about to hit the 6-week mark and am skeptical about trying anything I previously stayed away from. This included... dairy, soy, legumes, cruciferous veggies, pitted fruits, pineapple, pork, or processed wheat. I just ordered bone broth protein powder 2 days ago in an effort to increase my protein. I'd love to share my recipes and am considering writing a book of them.

My diet is consisting of brown rice pasta, free-range eggs, grass-fed beef, ground turkey, steak tips, stew beef, chicken, lamb, salmon, smoked salmon, tuna, sourdough bread, avocado, potatoes, sweet potatoes, canned green beans, carrots (canned or frozen), coconut yogurt (plain or lime), coconut water (great hydration), diluted water with pure cranberry or apple juice, Follow Your Heart parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, and mayo. Primal Kitchen marinades, cream of wheat, peeled apples, Birch Benders pancake mix, banana, marshmallow fluff, oat milk, cacao powder, chicken stock, vegetable stock, natural applesauce, grape jelly, orange marmalade, olive oil, PAM coconut oil, Earth Balance butter, Violife cream cheese, V8, real maple syrup, organic pizza dough, tomato sauce, bone broth, almond butter, Bob's Red Mill mashed potatoes, Carolina organic rice, cantaloupe, mandarin oranges (pre-packaged).

These are my go-to ingredients. I'm happy to provide recipes for my beef stew, dairy-free mac cheese, dairy-free chocolate chip cookies, air fryer chicken thighs/breasts, breakfast ideas, lunch ideas, dairy-free potato leek soup, dairy-free pizza, pasta w/meat sauce, and more...

I miss not having fresh veggies and fruits. I miss lettuce, olives, peppers... will try to reintroduce these slowly. I did order some salmon sashimi, egg drop soup, and steamed shrimp shumai recently and that went well!!! I love sushi. I use coconut aminos in place of soy, read the label first!

I hope that this was helpful to someone!!

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If fiber and healthful food is what you're looking for then maybe my soup recipe will help. I take two sets of bones from roasted chicken (Costco or other grocery chain) and add the cuttings from carrots, celery, onion, zucchini etc (the off cuts from chopping veggies up into larger chunks, like carrot and onion ends including peels) and put them all with some salt into an instant pot. Fill with water, pressurize and cook for 120 min. This makes bone broth, throw away all solids, keep the broth.

Throw broth into large pot, add those cut veggies from before (carrots, celery, zucchini, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, peas etc). If you want to get fancy you can sauté your onion to get even more flavor, I usually don't. Add some favorite herbs like basil, thyme, oregano etc and if you need more liquid I just throw in some chicken broth. Boil the whole pot until your veggies are softened. Now, in batches, put all into a Vitamix or other blender and blend until very smooth. If you've only added just enough liquid to cover veggies, your smooth soup should be thick and wonderfully aromatic. Put into freezer containers and freeze. Unthaw when you want soup!

You can make a whole meal out of soup by adding cut up crusty bread, some shredded cheese and chicken on top then pour boiling soup over that and let it melt. I call it stuffed soup and is it filling! It's quite thickening too. All the fiber in the veg plus if you do stuffed soup, the crusty bread, cheese and chicken will all add to the thickening effect. And it's all so healthy for you, all your veg, vitamins, protein etc in one delicious place.

I do this recipe in huge batches, like a kg of each veg and a huge stock pot meant for lobster, lol. Freeze, you have soup for a month at least.

Sounds good! Would love to try your recipes for dairy-free mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies, and pizza. Please share!

Dairy Free Mac Cheese

2 c Tinkyada brown rice pasta
1/2 c Follow Your Heart shredded mozzarella
1/2 c Follow Your Heart shredded cheddar
1/4 c Violife parmesan/grated
1 c oat milk
2 T Bob's Red Mill all-purpose flour
2 T Earth Balance butter
Salt, black pepper, onion powder, Bob's Nutritional Yeast, garlic powder

Boil pasta to desired firmness, drain, rinse w/cold water, set aside in colander.
Preheat oven to 350.

Medium saucepan, melt butter, slowly add flour and create a roux. Slowly add oat milk and allow to simmer and thicken on low to med heat. Add cheeses and seasoning.
Use glass rectangular baking dish (using 8"x10')
Blend pasta and cheese sauce in the baking dish. Cover with foil and heat for about 30 min., should be bubbling. Remove foil for the last 5 min or so.
You can also sprinkle panko or breadcrumbs on top before baking. I toast a piece of sourdough bread and break it up into crumbs.

Let me know if you try this or have any questions! Enjoy!

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Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 c Bob's Red Mill all-purpose flour
1/4 t sea salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3 T Earth Balance Butter
1/2 c Florida Crystals raw cane sugar
1/2 c Florida Crystals raw cane brown sugar
1 large egg (free range)
1 t vanilla extract (real)
3/4 c Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients separately.
Cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, blend well. Slowly add flour mixture and finally add chocolate chips.
Use a spoon to drop cookies onto the sheet, leave space between cookies as they expand.
This makes 2 dozen cookies, I usually fit one dozen to a large baking sheet.
Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a baking rack.
These taste the same as Toll House cookies to me. Enjoy!!

Dairy Free Pizza

1 fresh dough (I use an Organic Pizza dough in refrigerated section at the grocery store)
Paesana pizza sauce or small can of Hunts Tomato Sauce with Basil Garlic
Follow Your Heart mozzarella
Violife parmesan cheese grated

Since my husband can eat anything, I split the dough into 2 and make 2 individual pizzas. He gets pepperoni, bacon, olives, ham, and real cheese, although he does like the Violife parmesan too.
Preheat oven to 425.
I coat a large baking sheet with olive oil, split the dough, and stretch it to fit the pan. Spoon and spread tomato sauce as desired. In the past, I would add onion, spinach, olives, mushrooms, but not since surgery. Right now it's just been cheese pizza. Layer toppings and add mozzarella and parmesan last.
I caution against using too much of the non-dairy cheese; use suggested serving amounts.
Bake for a total of 14 minutes, turn pan after 7 minutes for even baking. Remove and slice with a pizza cutter for best results.

Let me know if you try this!!