Foods and preparation

Use the fine or instant grade only. Coarse or wholegrain cornmeal is off the list.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows does not name polenta. Refined maize products are allowed by St George's and Leeds.

Peel it and leave no skin on.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows and Leeds list porridge as avoid. St George's calls it medium. Milton Keynes lists oats as a stoma-output thickener. This book follows the leaflet and keeps oats out of the recipes.

Peel it and cook it until fully soft. Dice it small or mash it.

Peel it and boil it until soft. Mash it.

Peel it and boil it until soft.

Peel it and remove the woody core. Cook it until soft and purée it.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows does not name parsnip. St George's allows it peeled and well cooked.

Peel it fully and scoop out all the seeds and fibrous centre. Cook it until soft and blend it.

Peel it and scoop out the seeds. Cook it until soft.

Peel it and deseed it. Cook it until soft.

Use florets only, with no stalk. Cook until soft.

Hospitals differ: Allowed, as florets cooked soft, by the leaflet this book follows and by St George's. It is on Leeds's avoid list. Stoma advice flags brassicas for wind.

Use florets only, with no stalk. Cook until soft.

Hospitals differ: Allowed, as florets cooked soft, by the leaflet this book follows and by St George's. It is on Leeds's avoid list. Stoma advice flags brassicas for wind.

Cook it until completely soft, then either purée it into the sauce or strain it out. Never leave it crunchy or in strands.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows lists "sausages with onions" as avoid and does not list onion itself as allowed. Several trusts allow well-cooked onion. This book uses onion only cooked to melting and then puréed or strained.

Treat it the same way as onion. Sweat it to melting, or leave it out.

Use the white part only, sliced very finely, and cook it to melting, or sieve it out of a soup. Leek is stringy unless it is cooked this way.

Hospitals differ: Leek is not on the allowed list of the leaflet this book follows. St George's allows it well cooked.

Peel it and deseed it. Use it sparingly.

Hospitals differ: Raw salad is on the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows. Peeled and deseeded cucumber is medium at St George's.

Peel it and cook it until completely soft, then purée it or sieve it. Never grate it raw.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows does not name beetroot. It is treated as a peeled root vegetable cooked soft, like carrot.

Cook it soft and purée it.

Hospitals differ: Spinach is not on the allowed list of the leaflet this book follows. St George's rates it medium, so allowed with care.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows does not name mushrooms. They are on almost every other avoid and blockage list.

Remove the skin and all the seeds.

Peel it, core it, and deseed it. Stew it until soft.

Skin the plums and remove the stones.

Blend it, then push it through a fine sieve and discard every seed. Use the smooth purée only, never the whole fruit.

Hospitals differ: Berries are on the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows, because of their seeds. A sieved purée is smooth juice, which the leaflet allows. Some hospitals would still say to leave berries out.

Blend it, then push it through a fine sieve and discard the seeds. Use the smooth purée only.

Hospitals differ: Berries are on the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows, because of their seeds. A sieved purée is smooth juice, which the leaflet allows. Some hospitals would still say to leave berries out.

Use it fully ripe. Peel it, cut the flesh from the stone, then blend it and push it through a sieve to remove any fibres.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows does not name mango. It is treated as a peeled, deseeded, sieved fruit.

Hospitals differ: Pineapple has a fibrous core. It is cited in stoma and US guidance rather than in UK trust leaflets.

Remove the skin and cook it until tender.

Trim off the fat and gristle. Cook it until fork-tender.

Trim off the fat. Leave out the crackling.

Trim off the fat and gristle.

Remove the skin and check for pin bones.

Remove the skin and any bones.

Remove the skin and check it is fully boned.

Peel them and check for shell fragments.

Hospitals differ: Milk is fibre-free everywhere. Radiotherapy and LARS advice can add a separate lactose restriction.

Check the label for added fibre or husk.

Hospitals differ: It is on the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows. Smooth peanut butter is allowed by St George's, Oxford, Milton Keynes and Leeds. This book follows the leaflet and keeps peanut butter out of the recipes, and says so.

Keep it clear and strained, with no vegetable pieces.

Slice it and simmer it to flavour the liquid, then remove every piece. It is never eaten.

Hospitals differ: Ginger is a spice, and the leaflet this book follows lists spices under avoid. Infusing it and removing every piece leaves flavour behind without any residue.

Bruise the stalk and simmer it to flavour the liquid, then lift it out whole. Never chop it, and never eat it.

Hospitals differ: No leaflet names lemongrass. It is treated like an infused herb, which the stricter leaflets restrict when chopped.

Use a teaspoon or less, sifted and whisked in fully. It is tea, not a spice.

Hospitals differ: No leaflet names matcha. The leaflet this book follows allows tea, and matcha is finely ground tea leaf with no residue at these amounts.

Use a small pinch, finely ground, or leave it out.

Hospitals differ: The leaflet this book follows lists "herbs and spices" as avoid but "pepper" as allowed, in the same leaflet. St George's allows dried spices. This book treats a pinch of finely ground pepper as allowed, and says so.

Steep a pinch in hot stock until the threads soften completely into the liquid.

Hospitals differ: Saffron is a spice, and the leaflet this book follows lists spices under foods to avoid. Some hospitals allow it.

Use a small grating only, or leave it out.

Hospitals differ: It is on the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows. Dried spices are allowed by St George's and at Leeds stage 3.

Use small quantities, finely ground, and leave it out if your team says so.

Hospitals differ: It is on the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows. Dried spices are allowed by St George's and at Leeds stage 3.

Simmer a whole sprig or leaf, then lift it out. Nothing is chopped, and nothing is left in.

Hospitals differ: Fresh herbs are on the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows and at Leeds. Infusing them and removing every piece leaves no residue.