Nutritional Guide - Flipbook - Page 16
FLUIDS & SALT
Fluids
Most people require ~6-8 cups, 1.8-2.4
litres or ~3-4 pints of fluid a day. Almost all
fluids count e.g. water, squash, tea, coffee,
fruit juice, smoothie, milk-based drinks
and sports drinks, but not alcohol. If you
routinely consume less than 3-4 cups of tea
or coffee a day then this is unlikely to be
dehydrating, however if more is consumed
then this can cause extra urination and
possibly looser bowel movements. Swap to
decaffeinated for extra hydration.
For those who lose excess fluid, either
through sweating (heat, exercise or
otherwise induced) or with watery stools
(jejunostomies, ileostomies and other
causes), extra fluid is needed to replace
what is lost.
For every cup of fluid lost through a watery
bowel movement, another cup should be
drunk to replace it.
For those with urostomies or frequent urinary
tract infections (UTIs):
There is some research that supports the daily use of
cranberry capsules, juice and other fruit juices to reduce
the frequency of UTIs, improve urostomy skin health and
decrease urostomy mucus and kidney stone production. The
European Association for Urostomy Nurses recommends
appropriate patients can try taking cranberry capsules.
Keeping as hydrated as possible is ultimately going to be
the most effective way to decrease urology and urostomy
related problems.
Certain medications interact with cranberry, speak
with your health professional for advice.
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