Debbie, known to the Community as Jersey Lily, is an Ostomate. She’s also a real ‘foodie’, so off the back of a temporary ileostomy earlier this year, she found it difficult to find tasty and suitable recipes anywhere. Debbie though powered through, adapting a few of her favorite recipes, and discovering new ones suitable for an Ostmate.
This week Debbie’s shared with us a recipe for a fresh and health ‘Super Green Soup’, packed full of green goodness – but first, here’s Debbie to tell us a little more about her story…
Before I was diagnosed, I was living a healthy lifestyle – eating all the right things, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep. I am not an anxious person, have little stress in my life (being able to retire early from teaching has been a real bonus), believe in positivity and have a ‘glass half full’ attitude. I have a very happy marriage of 28 years, two lovely children, a grandchild and another on the way. At 57, I had sailed through the menopause with ease and hadn’t been to the doctor for any reason for 2 years. This cancer diagnosis was, therefore a real shock, especially as the only symptom I had was bit of occasional bleeding, originally put down to piles.
Accepting that I was going to have a stoma and bag, especially when the time-scale moved from weeks to months, took a while. I am a real foodie, I love to cook meals from scratch, love to dine out, and was able to eat absolutely anything. My digestive system was never a problem, in fact my husband used to say that he could set a clock on when I’d go to the toilet, every day after breakfast!
I did a lot of research before my surgery to find out what I could and couldn’t eat with an ileostomy, and found many lists explaining that, along with what to eat to thicken/lessen output, what might cause wind, odor etc. What I didn’t find was any decent recipes for tasty meals to cook from scratch. In hospital (8 nights in the end) and then during the first few days at home, I quickly tired of cheesy white pasta, bland root-vegetable soup, carrots, potato, white rice, plain fish, grilled chicken…and longed for green vegetables and fruit. So, I took advice and reintroduced these one at a time in soups and smoothies to begin with. I am now able (at 9 weeks post op) to eat (well-cooked and well chewed) broccoli, spinach, courgettes, peas, green beans, avocado, cooked red pepper, cucumber with peel and seeds removed, small amounts of baked beans, deskinned and deseeded tomatoes, lettuce, raw baby spinach. The things I miss are mushrooms (a serious blockage risk, though pureed in soups and sauces have proved fine) and nuts – I really don’t want to bother with just a few over an hour, cut up small and well chewed.
'What I didn't find was any decent recipes for tasty meals to cook from scratch.'
This first recipe is a Super Green Soup, one I cooked and ate before surgery. There are lots of antioxidants and vitamins in a bowl. It contains onions, as most soups do, but I find any wind problems associated with them are lessened when they are pureed. I substituted a courgette for the peas in the original recipe, as both broccoli and peas are known wind creators! My husband says he prefers this version! He adds a dash of hot sauce, which he says, “brings out the flavor” – but I’m happy without. I first tried this soup just 10 days after surgery – about a quarter of a bowl, with white bread to help thicken the output in case the vegetables caused it to thin. I had no adverse reaction at all, so a few days later I had a half bowl, increasing to a full one. Be warned, the output becomes rather green! I then tried two small florets of broccoli, well cooked and well chewed, to no ill effect, and in this way have introduced other vegetables.
Remember that I was a good eater with no digestive problems before surgery. If your digestive system was compromised or not as well functioning before your cancer diagnosis, take it slowly, in small quantities.
I do hope you try this recipe, and enjoy it!
Ingredients
1 TBS olive oil.
1 onion, chopped.
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets.
1 large courgette, roughly chopped.
700ml chicken or vegetable stock.
1 small bag of baby spinach (approx. 250g).
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan, and sweat the onion until translucent. Add the broccoli and courgette to the pan, cook for 5 minutes, then add the stock – the vegetables should just be covered (you may need to add extra water). Bring to the boil then simmer until just tender, around 8 minutes. Don’t overcook the vegetables or they will turn a dull green.
Using a stick blender, start blending the soup, adding a handful of spinach at a time – the spinach will cook as it’s mixed into the soup. Blend until the soup is smooth.
"Lots of antioxidants and vitamins in a bowl."
Thoughts on food and cancer, or perhaps a recipe you wish to share? Go ahead and do so using the comments section below. You might also like to join our Ileostomy, colostomy and stoma support group to talk to other Ostomates.
Keep an eye out for another recipe from Debbie later this month.
