Ostomy News Dietitian

Welcome to my first Secure Start Dietitian blog

Hi everyone and welcome to my little corner of the Hollister World.

I’m here to bring you some interesting nutrition content that’s relevant for you and your medical considerations. I’m a registered dietitian with a background of 15 years in the NHS. Whilst treading many a hospital corridor, I have had the pleasure of working with thousands of unique individuals, supporting them with their diet in relation to health conditions or lifestyle goals.

I'm passionate about everyone having access to credible, trust-worthy information that empowers them to make the right choices for their health and their body. Dietetics has always given me the opportunity to combine my love of people, science and let’s face it, food! Over my 20 years of practice, the nutrition landscape has shifted significantly. We now have so much information accessible at the touch of a button, but with this information overload can come uncertainty, especially when there are contradictions in the so-called facts we’re consuming.

Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be governed by an ethical code of conduct. We’re trained to translate information about health, disease and diet to enable people like you to trust in their food and diet decisions. My commitment to you, as part of the Hollister team, is to enable you to cut through the noise and controversy so you feel clarity and confidence, with easy to understand and useful information.

There are lots of useful resources to support you here, but you’re also welcome to ask me any questions via the chat function, and I’d be happy to answer them. When not keeping my finger on the pulse of what’s new in nutrition, I’m busy doing my other job, that I don’t get paid for. Having my children gave me the opportunity to develop my Freelance Consultancy, which is what has brought me in front of you today. Juggling the demands of work and parenting, always keeps me real to the realities of day-to-day life, and all that influences our food choices.

Since graduating back in 2001, most of my post graduate training has focussed on many angles of behavioural science and change therapy. I soon realised that having a passion for knowledge was only going to get me so far. Unless we are curious about how and why we do the things we do, supporting people to make changes to their diets and lifestyles can feel a little two dimensional and not very fulfilling or successful even. Having a stoma fitted would no doubt have involved a huge amount of adaptation on your part.

You may have felt like you had no choice but to make some changes, but this doesn’t make it any less challenging and the period of readjustment is different for everyone. I’m excited to cover all sorts of nutritional topics for you, but always with an appreciation of your needs and circumstances and of course, if anything ever feels unclear, you can always reach out for more specific advice.

I’m looking ahead to summer and the summer holidays looming. It really doesn’t seem 5 minutes since the little darlings were frolicking around searching for Easter eggs in the garden, so I can’t quite believe we’ve reached the end of another school year. Hopefully, we’ll get some more sunshine, which will make all these stay-cations feel a little more exotic! How do you find the warmer weather influences your stoma output? It’s really helpful to have an idea of what different consistencies of output can mean for our fluid needs.

Have you seen this traffic light system guide to understanding your stoma output, suitable for those with an ileostomy. It’s worth a look as it’ll keep you ahead of any potential complications. Meanwhile, whilst the sun continues to shine, let’s all pretend we’re in the Mediterranean. The diet associated with this part of the world, is often hailed as the healthiest, with its preference for olive oils, fish, plenty of fruits and vegetables and wholegrains. The research certainly shows it helps to protect us against long term diseases such as heart disease and cancer. So, how Mediterranean does your diet feel, even if a trip round your local supermarket feels far away from the glistening seas?

You may be going through or have gone through a period of adjustment of your fibre intake as you play around with what suits your gut and affects your stoma output. It’s important to keep trying different foods, that initially post op you may have avoided, as your gut is constantly adapting and fundamentally thrives on as much variety as possible. Aside from the food, the Mediterranean diet is all about the lifestyle it promotes too - the idea of coming together to eat to savour and enjoy meals. In our busy lives, food can often feel like an after thought, so it’s worth reminding ourselves of the importance of slowing down, chewing well and allowing our gut the opportunity to nourish in a calm environment. This is particularly important when you have a stoma.

For some Mediterranean inspiration, have a look at this sardine salad recipe. You can adjust it to include roasted veg you’re comfortable with and the use of tinned fish keeps costs down. Omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish are really important for our health, so I’ll probably bang on about those another time. Let me know if you try it, or if you have any queries about making the Mediterranean diet suit you and your body and digestion, just let me know. Fingers crossed for a sunny summer, and I’ll see you soon.

Laura