{"id":4474,"date":"2025-09-01T15:28:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T15:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/eating-out-with-a-stoma\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T15:28:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T15:28:25","slug":"eating-out-with-a-stoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/eating-out-with-a-stoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Eating out with a stoma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

Eating out with a stoma | by Kevin<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Due to travelling with work and having a busy lifestyle I find myself eating out quite a lot of the time. This could be with friends, family or work colleagues. This wasn\u2019t always the case though and when I first had my stoma I would make excuses not to go out.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dining out at a restaurant<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Thefirst time I went out for food at a restaurant after my surgery I felt nervous, what if the bag filled up while I was eating, what foods would upset my stomach or what if my stoma decided to make noises while I was eating. These were all questions I asked myself but didn\u2019t need to worry about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve learnt a few things that help me in preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu in advance<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I always do this even before I had a stoma as I was always curious of what I could have especially if this was a new restaurant or a cuisine that I had not had before. By checking the menu I can just ensure that there is going to be something that I could tolerate. Over the years I\u2019ve found that as I have introduced more foods I have been able to eat what I like. This may not be the case for everyone but has been my journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eat your food slowly<\/strong><\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This has been a challenge for me as I have always been a quick eater and since having my stoma I have begun to realise that just taking the extra time to chew the food helps as this transitions through your body. By taking your time also helps to create less air that is swallowed while eating and helps with less gas in your bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portion sizes<\/strong><\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I do try to watch potion sizes and manage how much food im taking in at one time. By allowing the food to be broken down and in smaller portions helps with the transition through the digestive system. When I first had my stoma I would eat as I used to do with buig meals not realizing this was causing me to have blockages. I found that if I eat little and often this is a better way for me to manage my intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where are the toilets<\/strong><\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n