Anti-dumping nutrition therapy is for persons with partial to total gastrectomies (stomach partially or totally removed) or gastric bypass (part of the stomach is bypassed) for morbid obesity. They don’t tolerate:
- tough meat, especially beef
- milk and dairy products
- bread, especially when fresh or fluffy can form a ball
- pasta
- citrus juices and fruits
- fried foods
- concentrated sweets
Also drinking fluids with meals displaces nutrient-rich foods and tends to make the person feel bloated even if flat (fizz has gone) carbonated beverages are drunk.
What happens is because of the smaller gastric pouch, the simple sugars aren’t broken down prior to being dumped into the duodenal intestines. The sugars ferment and cause bloating or often vomiting. Nausea, vomiting, bloating or heartburn can also result from:
- eating or drinking too quickly,
- not chewing food adequately especially beef,
- eating high fiber foods that can block the stoma,
- drinking cold fluids,
- eating too much,
- drinking with a straw,
- eating rich or sweet foods,
- eating gas-producing foods or drinking carbonated beverages,
- eating foods that usually cause gastric discomfort to the individual.
Nutritional adequacy may be lacking due to decreased volume of food in either gastrectomy or bypass. Consider vitamin or mineral supplements, but only if the intestines have not been surgically shortened.
If you have provided all of the above and the person is still vomiting, consider the stoma may be blocked and talk to the doctor. Don’t you have a consulting registered dietitian to work with?
