Winter Wellbeing: Food and eating

Food and eating are a huge part of our lives and it’s also often at the heart of socialising and celebrations — particularly at this time of year. Managing food or bowel problems can be difficult for those who’ve been affected by bowel cancer.

It can be hard to navigate a change in your eating or bowel habits, especially when you're out at events or in someone else's home. That’s why we’re highlighting different food related issues that you may face before, after and during treatment and sharing advice on how to manage them.

How can bowel cancer affect your eating? 

The foods you’re able to eat throughout your bowel cancer journey may change and you might find that you’re unable to eat the same foods as you did before. 

During treatment, your ability to eat and drink might be affected, as well as your appetite from side effects such as feeling and being sick.  

If you have a stoma, some foods are harder to digest and may give you symptoms such as wind or loose poo (output).  

You may need to follow a low-fibre diet during and after your treatment. Some people find that they’re not able to cope with eating some types of fruit and vegetables, like, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, which are high in fibre and harder to digest. 

How can you work around these challenges during the festive period? 

How you manage and work around food issues will vary from person to person and on your specific situation. To help make yourself feel more comfortable you could:  

• Try to plan ahead and bring ‘safe’ foods with you to events 

• Have a few different food options. What you feel like eating, especially when you’re feeling sick, can vary day to day 

• Maintain routines throughout the festive period, like changing your stoma bag or eating at certain times of the day 

• Try to limit alcohol intake as this can make symptoms worse  

• Take the pressure off by celebrating in ways that don’t involve food — play games, go for a walk, or watch a film instead 

How does having a stoma affect your eating? 

Having a stoma can affect what you're able to eat because they change the way your body processes and digests food. You may have to be more careful about what you're eating, especially during the festive season when you're more likely to be eating a wider range of food. If you have a stoma, you should avoid eating lots of small, hard foods like raisins, nuts and sweetcorn. These foods can sometimes block your stoma. If you do want to eat these kinds of foods, you should limit the amount and make sure you chew them well.

What should you do if you’re worried about eating? 

If you’re worrying about eating over the festive period, or have any questions about your diet, you should speak with your healthcare team. They’ll be able to recommend things to try and can tell you what sort of food you should be eating.  

If you have a stoma, speak to your stoma nurse for advice. 

You can also read more about eating with bowel cancer in our free booklet ‘Eating well’.  

How to cater for someone affected by bowel cancer?

If you’re hosting a get together and have someone affected by bowel cancer coming, you can help them feel more comfortable by asking:  

• What they’d like to eat 

• What they can eat  

• What is likely to cause them issues 

Be mindful and patient. Every step of someone’s bowel cancer journey can take an enormous toll on them. Your loved one may not want to eat much or change their mind about what they can eat. They may feel tired, nauseous or more anxious than usual.