Guidelines on diet for people who have an Urostomy
Everyone is individual, whether they have a stoma or not, so these hints and tips are only a guide and are intended to help you after having a urostomy. Following your surgery, it is important that you eat a variety of foods to help keep you healthy.
Include fruit and vegetables daily.- Have foods high in protein - e.g. meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk or yoghurt.
- Foods classed as carbohydrates - e.g. bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and breakfast cereals - should make up at least half of your meal.
- Include milk and dairy foods two to three times per day as they are rich in calcium - choose lower-fat varieties as a healthier option.
You should aim to drink one-and-a-half to two litres of fluid per day. This should be increased in hot weather or if you sweat a lot e.g. when exercising, or if you have a raised temperature.
If the urine appears dark, this may be a sign that the urine is more concentrated and so you need to drink more to ensure that the urine is dilute. Note: if your urine remains dark, odorous or cloudy, this may be a sign of infection. Please seek advice from your Stoma Care Nurse.
Tea, coffee and alcohol are all diuretics (which make you pass more urine) so it may be advisable to reduce these before bedtime. If you do experience excess urine production at night as a result of this extra fluid intake, you may use an overnight drainage bag to increase the capacity of your pouch overnight. If you are making a long journey, a legbag attachment, discreet under clothes, may be used to increase the capacity of the pouch.
Foods high in vitamin C help make the urine more acidic and so may reduce the risk of infections. Vitamin C is found in:
Citrus fruits- Soft berries
- Cranberries or cranberry juice (which may help reduce mucus)
- Blackcurrant cordial
Odour
May be caused by asparagus and fish. Drinking tomato juice may help.
Colour of urine
Some medication may discolour the urine, as can some foods:
- Beetroot
- Food dyes
- Radishes
- Spinach
If you have any concerns about your diet and its effect on your urostomy, or experience constipation or diarrhoea, please seek the advice of your Stoma Care Nurse.