Fuelling your body for IBD surgery

How can good nutrition help with surgery?

Surgery puts a lot of stress on the body. Good nutrition can help your body heal faster, reduce infections and lead to a shorter stay in hospital.

Optimising your nutrition and strength before surgery

While your surgeon is planning for your surgery, there are some simple things you can do to optimise your nutrition and strength.

Nutrition tips

• Eat regularly and do not skip meals
• Eat from the five food groups with an emphasis on consuming enough protein-rich foods which help to maintain your muscle mass and support your immune system

Protein-rich foods include

Protein-rich foods	Examples
Dairy	Yoghurt, fruche, flavoured milks and smoothies, cheese & crackers, haloumi/feta/bocconcini into salads, ricotta into pasta or desserts
Eggs	Omelette, poached/boiled/ fried onto toast, quiche, mix into fried rice
Fish	Tinned fish into sandwiches or on crackers, fish curry, BBQ fish, baked fish
Beans & legumes	Baked beans on toast, dhal, cannellini beans into salads, Mexican black bean dishes, lentil soup, hummus dip & crackers
Nuts & seeds*	Nut butters onto toast/crackers or in smoothies, handfuls of nuts as a snack, include nuts and seeds in salads and stir fries
White & red meats	Include chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, kangaroo into soups, curry, casseroles, pasta sauces, in stir fries, grilled over salads, roasted and sliced into sandwiches

*If you have strictures, speak with your IBD dietitian or doctor about fibre modification

If you are eating less than usual or losing weight without trying

• Include a small dessert after lunch and dinner
• Have snacks between meals, aiming to eat small amounts every 2-3 hours
• Consider including 1-2 nourishing milky drinks each day after a meal (e.g. milo, nesquik, milky coffee, iced coffee, smoothie) or a pre-made nourishing drink (e.g. Sustagen^TM, Resource^TM, Ensure^TM and Fortisip^TM).
• Your IBD Dietitian can give you specific advice to suit your nutrition needs.

Exclusive Enteral Nutrition

Your surgeon/IBD team may recommend Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN) liquid diet before surgery to help decrease inflammation and improve your nutrition. It is important that you see an IBD dietitian who will be able to guide you through this. Refer to the Exclusion Enteral Nutrition webpage for more information.

Nutrition after surgery

What should I eat after my operation in hospital?

Your surgeon and dietitian will advise on suitable foods and fluids after your operation. Most people gradually return to a normal diet after surgery, but in the early recovery phase, you may need softer foods and/or nutrition drinks.

What should I eat once I am at home recovering from my surgery?

Generally, most people can return to a normal, balanced diet after surgery. If you are eating less than usual, you may benefit from nourishing drinks or snacks until your eating improves. Your dietitian may recommend nutrition drinks for home during the recovery period. Following your surgery, if you are losing weight without trying, ask your IBD specialist for a referral to an IBD dietitian.

What do I eat if I have a stoma?

Please refer to our Life with a Stoma and Managing a High Output Stoma webpages for information on eating and living with a stoma.