Advice after your nerve block for surgery
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Aim to reduce the volume of Modulen / feed over two to four weeks and gradually introduce a normal diet.
Stage 1 - Plain Foods (5 Days)
- Milk substitutes e.g. rice, soya, oat, nut or coconut milk
- Dairy free margarine (used sparingly) e.g. soya, Pure, Flora Freedom, supermarket’s own
- Corn oil in moderation
- Chicken (without skin) - roasted, grilled or baked
- Red meat e.g. lean mince, lamb, pork, beef, ham, bacon (with all visible fat removed)
- 100% meat sausages and beef burgers (grilled)
- Fish - white or oily e.g. poached cod (in milk substitute milk), tinned sardines/mackerel in tomato sauce, tinned tuna or salmon in brine or any fresh fish (not shellfish)
- Egg - poached, boiled or scrambled with milk substitutes
- Grains, boiled rice, rice cakes, tapioca, sago
- Potatoes - boiled, mashed with dairy free margarine, jacket potatoes (no skin)
- Breakfast cereals - rice krispies, cornflakes or with milk substitutes
- Puddings - meringue, dairy free yoghurt, dairy free ice cream, jelly
- Fruit - tinned or peeled fruit (no dried fruit)
- Vegetables - very well-cooked vegetables (no salads)
- Boiled sweets, fruit pastilles or gums, sugar, honey, syrup
- Sauces - tomato ketchup, salad cream, mayonnaise, milk-free casserole packet mixes, sieved soups
- Fruit and herbal teas, tap and mineral water, fruit juice (with no bits) squash
Recipes for Stage 1
Tasty Burgers
450g/1lb minced beef
3tsp tomato ketchup
6 tsp rice flour (from health food shop)
60ml/2floz apple juice
Add all ingredients together with three teaspoons rice flour, adding enough apple juice to give mixture a firm consistency. Shape into burgers and dust with remaining rice flour. Cook under pre-heated grill for 10-15 minutes or until browned.
Potato Cakes
450g/1lb potatoes
120g/4oz margarine (dairy free)
120g/4oz rice flour (from health food shop)
Cook the potatoes until soft. Mash with margarine, mix in flour and shape into rounds approximately 1 inch thick. The potato cakes can then be placed on a greased baking tray, dotted with margarine and bake at190oC / 375oF/gas 5 until golden brown.
White Sauce
Mix one tablespoon cornflour with enough water to create a paste. Pour half a pint of milk substitute into a saucepan and when on the point of boiling, stir in the cornflour paste. Add herbs to flavour.
Shepherd's Pie
1 onion
240g/8oz lean lamb
1 stock cube
600ml/1 pint water
360g/12oz peeled potatoes
30g/1oz milk substitute
30g/1oz dairy free margarine
Boil meat and onion in ½ pint of water for 5-10 minutes (or until the meat has browned) and skim any fat off the surface of the water. Sieve the meat and onion to remove excess water.
Add the stock cube to the remaining ½ pint of water and put into pan with meat and onion. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half. Place into a suitable oven dish.
In another pan, boil potatoes until soft, drain and mash with dairy free margarine and milk substitute. Add to the top of the meat and cook under a pre-heated grill for 10-15 minutes or until browned.
Stage 2 - Wheat Introduction (5 Days)
- Sliced bread/rolls (white varieties only - use dairy free margarine to make sandwiches e.g. Marmite, ham, bacon, chicken, egg mayonnaise, tuna mayonnaise
- Pasta e.g. spaghetti, macaroni, tagliatelle etc - use Dolmio/ragu (with no added extras) or packet tomato-based sauce mixes with pasta to make spaghetti bolognese
- Biscuits that do not contain milk e.g. bourbon, rich tea, party rings (check label of different brands)
Recipes for Stage 2
Home-made Cake
100g/4oz self-raising flour
100g/4oz sugar
100g/4oz dairy free margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
Cream margarine and sugar together
Gradually beat in eggs. Sieve flour and baking powder together and fold into mixture together with the water to make a sponge batter. Put into a greased 8” sandwich tin and bake at 205˚C/400˚F/gas 6 for about 20-25 minutes.
Home-made Biscuits
50g/2oz dairy free margarine
100g/4oz plain flour
50g/2oz sugar
½ tsp mixed spice or 1 tsp vanilla essence
Knead margarine, flour and spice together to a ball of dough. Grease a baking sheet with margarine and drop spoons of dough onto it. Spread out using a knife into biscuit shapes. Bake at 230˚C/450˚F/gas 8 for 20-25 minutes and then leave to cool on a wire tray.
Stage 3 - Milk Introduction (5 Days)
- Normal biscuits and cakes
- Small amounts of normal margarine or butter
- Small amounts of chocolate
- Yoghurt
- Cheese
- Ice cream
- Milk
Stage 4 - Everything Else! (10 days)
High fibre Foods
- Raw vegetables e.g. salad
- Fruit with skin e.g. unpeeled apples
- Weetabix, bran flakes and other high fibre cereals
- Baked beans and other beans e.g. kidney beans
- Wholemeal bread
Fried and Spicy Foods
- Chips/roast potatoes
- Chinese food
- Indian food
Points to Consider When Re-introducing Food
Possible Abdominal Discomfort
Reintroducing foods may cause discomfort not because your condition has deteriorated, but because your gut is not used to food. This tends to resolve after a few days.
How Quickly Should You Move Through the Stages?
The stages have been structured to allow your gut to become used to foods gently and therefore should be followed accordingly. Foods can be reintroduced quicker but only if you have successfully completed a course of Modulen and food reintroduction therapy in the past with no ill effect.
For How Long Should You Continue to Take Modulen?
It should be continued until you have completed Stage 4 and until you can meet all your nutritional needs from your diet alone (your Dietitian will assess this for you at the end of the reintroduction phase).
Will I Need to Complete a Symptom Diary?
A symptom diary is a way of recording:
- How you feel each day
- New food reintroduced
- Number of times you open your bowels
- If pain is present
Write down this information in a notebook/on the computer and email your Dietitian
What Should You Do if a Particular Food Causes Discomfort or Upset?
- Do not introduce any more new foods
- Continue to eat the foods that you know are safe
- Wait for three days or until you have no symptoms, whichever is the longest and then continue with food reintroduction, avoiding that suspect food
- Once you have finished Stage 4 of the introduction plan any suspect foods can be tried again.
Contact us
If you have any queries relating to this information, please contact the Dietetics service.
About this information
Service:
Dietetics
Reference:
DT/122
Approval date:
1 June 2026
Review date:
1 June 2029
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Important note
This page provides general information only. It is developed by clinical staff and is reviewed regularly every 3 years for accuracy. For personal advice about your health, or if you have any concerns, please speak to your doctor.