In this blog, expert dietitian Laura Coster recommends picnic and BBQ foods that will be more agreeable and gentle on your stoma. The examples listed tend to be lower in fibre and are especially great for people in the first 6-12 weeks after surgery. Not everyone with a stoma needs to reduce their fibre long-term and so you may like to also include foods not in this article.
Disclaimer: This advice does not replace any from your own medical professional. If you would like more support, please see your GP or dietitian.
Top Tip – Finding the balance
Whether you eat your meal all in one go, or go for seconds, the overall amount and balance of food can make a difference to how your gut feels.
Whatever you eat, try to have a portion you’d usually have rather than lots more. And chew it well.
Aim for each third of what you eat to be:
• carbohydrate e.g., potatoes
• protein e.g., chicken
• vegetables e.g., barbecued red bell peppers.
Protein foods
- Barbecued meats, fish, and poultry – ideally with a marinade to help keep them juicy and easy to digest
- Eggs (in any form) e.g., boiled or scotch-eggs
- Tinned fish e.g., in sandwich fillings or a pasta salad
- Tofu and tempeh – marinade and barbecue for the best texture and flavour combination
- Hummus, bean dips, and falafel e.g., in wraps, or as ‘finger-foods’.
A Falafel Pitta from the Ostomates Kitchen Recipe Guide – free to download or order by post.
Starchy carbohydrates
- White or ‘best of both’ type bread, rolls or wraps
- Sesame seeded burger buns
- Pasta salad
- Potato salad
- Plain crackers or oatcakes without nuts, seeds or dried fruit.
Dairy and alternatives
- Yoghurts e.g., a mint and yoghurt dressing for a barbecued lamb chop
- Cheeses without nuts, seeds and dried fruit e.g., halloumi, feta, and plant-based options
- Iced coffees or other cold milky drinks, using animals or plant-based milks e.g., soya or almond.
A Halloumi Salad from the Ostomates Kitchen Recipe Guide.
Fruit
- Berries and yoghurt or an ‘Eton mess’ dessert
- Fruit salads made of peeled and soft fruits e.g., apples, peaches, plums, melon, banana
- Tinned fruit with cream
TIP: Tinned fruit cocktail and other fruit mixes are easy dessert choices.
Vegetables
- Peeled vegetable sticks e.g., carrot and cucumber. Bell peppers are also tolerated by many
- Vegetable skewers e.g., onion, aubergine, courgette, butternut squash, beetroot
- Vegetables in salads e.g., cooked and chilled broccoli and cauliflower florets, edamame beans, root vegetables, watercress, radishes.
Drinks
- Up to 150ml of fruit juice or smoothie a day (ideally without ‘bits’)
- Water, still flavoured-water, squash or cordials
TIP: If you used citrus fruit to create a marinade during cooking, add the rinds to your drink to add a hint of flavour.
Sauces, herbs and savoury snacks
- Smooth dips or sauces like ketchup, mayo, BBQ sauce, apple sauce, mint sauce, tzatziki, Baba ganoush, chutney
- Any herbs and spices (although chili can cause irritation)
- Crisps, prawn crackers and poppadoms.
- Smooth peanut butter on oatcakes.
Dessert and sweet snacks
- Jelly and ice cream or sorbet
- Biscuits, cakes, muffins and other baked foods without nuts or dried fruit.
TIP: Ask yourself is it easy to chew and not stringy, gritty or tough? If it passes the test, then it’s probably OK to eat!
Wholemeal Banana Muffins – from the Ostomates Kitchen Recipe Guide.
I’ve included a selection of our Ostomates Kitchen recipes below, which I think you’ll love at your BBQs and picnics.
Our Mains
1. The Roasted Vegetable and Halloumi Salad can be cooked on the barbecue rather than in an oven
2. Quiche Lorraine can be served hot or cold
3. Salmon Goujons can be made ahead of time and served alongside other picnic foods
4. A Falafel Pitta Burger is a tasty picnic option
5. Slices of nut roast served with roasted vegetables will travel well wherever you picnic.
Our Desserts
1. Vanilla panna cotta and berry compote
2. Wholemeal banana muffins
3. Almond and apple scones
4. Blondies
Our Drinks
1. Green smoothie
2. Black forest smoothie
Extra resources
- Ostomates Kitchen Nutrition Guide including a ‘low irritant’ food table
- You can find more recipes on our blog, and in our Ostomates Kitchen Recipe Guide
- Ostomates Kitchen Hydration Guide
- Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association
A charity and support source for those with ileostomies and internal pouches - Colostomy UK – A charity and support source for those with colostomies.
Registered Dietitian Laura Coster is dedicated to supporting individuals in feeling empowered and at ease while managing their health, all while discovering happiness through the food they enjoy.
With a background in both NHS and private practice, Laura provides personalised nutrition guidance through one-on-one consultations and engaging nutrition workshops across the UK. Her extensive experience includes holding senior dietitian positions within the NHS, where she has worked closely with patients undergoing stoma-formation surgery.