Post Gastric Bypass Diet

Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery

Sep 22, 2009 Brenna Coleman

Following a gastric bypass surgery, diet and nutrition are vitally important for both healing and weight loss.

Aside from rest, eating well after weight loss surgery is essential for proper recovery. The body is dependent on adequate nutrition from easily digestible food sources. It is useful to develop a post gastric bypass diet and to set up personal health goals for life after gastric bypass surgery.

During gastric bypass surgery, the anatomy of the upper digestive tract is altered. Usually staples are used to decrease the size of the stomach pouch and bypass part of the stomach as well as the upper part of the small intestine, called the duodenum. After weight loss surgery, less food is needed to feel satiated, therefore significantly reducing calorie intake. Another result of gastric bypass surgery is that fewer nutrients are absorbed. Without time spent in the duodenum the body does not have as much of an opportunity to utilize the vitamins and minerals provided by food, making the quality of calories ingested extremely important after weight loss surgery.

Post Gastric Bypass Diet Essentials

There are important guidelines to follow for a post gastric bypass diet, which are most likely outlined by a health care practitioner. To begin with, no food should be consumed for one to two days after the operation, only liquids. This is so the surgical site has the chance to began healing before having to digest food. Fluids are important for healing. Sip non-irritating, nourishing juices, vegetable broth, water, and herbal tea such as chamomile, throughout this two-day period.

The next step for eating well after weight loss surgery is to move on to nutrient-rich pureed foods for about one month. Steam vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, and green peas, and puree them in a blender with water and a tablespoon of olive oil or hemp seed oil, which is an excellent source of omega fatty acids. Eat plenty of applesauce for vitamin C, yogurt for calcium and digestive health, and soy-protein shakes for minerals and protein.

The third progression of the post gastric bypass diet is soft foods, for another two months. Eat plenty of eggs, tofu, and fish for protein, minerals, and omega fatty acids, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and soft fruits such as melons, bananas, and avocados. As the weeks pass, introduce a greater variety of easily chewable foods into this segment of the gastric bypass diet, eventually including diced meat and chicken.

About three months after weight loss surgery, most foods can be consumed, although it will always be important to avoid high-fat, high-sugar, or processed foods as they are difficult to digest and do not offer enough nutrition.

Tips for Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery

Life after gastric bypass surgery will likely be different than before the operation. Instead of becoming an issue to neglect, health will become even more important in order to recover properly and reach a state of well-being after undergoing such a life-changing procedure. The best way to take positive steps after weight loss surgery is to form healthy habits.

There are a number of foods that should be consumed on a regular, if not daily basis to support optimum health, especially after a gastric bypass. Aloe vera juice is one of the single most beneficial natural foods for healing. One eight ounce glass a day will help protect the body from infection, reduce inflammation, increase antibody production, stimulate new healthy cell growth, and help balance the body's acidity levels.

Drinking carrot juice every day will defend the body from infection, increase immune health, and protect the body from free radical damage, all from the healing benefits of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. Always eat some sort of fat, such as a piece of cheese, when drinking carrot juice as vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient.

A mineral-rich broth, made from simmering carrots, celery, parsley, potatoes, cabbage, and onions for thirty minutes, then straining, will provide a wealth of easily absorbed nutrition which the body is desperate for after a gastric bypass surgery. Try making this broth once a week, and storing it in the refrigerator.

Eat a green salad every day, sprinkled with a tablespoon of wheat germ for energizing chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and either brown rice, oats, or another whole grain for a daily dose of the B-complex vitamins.

Eating well after weight loss surgery is as simple as focusing on the good foods that can be enjoyed instead of the unhealthy foods that should be avoided. Making these simple additions to diet, and excluding the empty calories of refined and processed foods will help to improve the quality of life after a gastric bypass. Always include the advice of a health care practitioner when developing a post-surgery diet.

Sources:

Balch, Phyllis A. "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Fourth Edition (Penguin Books, 2006).

Page, Linda. "Healthy Healing: A Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone." Eleventh Edition (Traditional Wisdom, 2003).

Mayo Clinic

The copyright of the article Post Gastric Bypass Diet in General Medicine is owned by Brenna Coleman. Permission to republish Post Gastric Bypass Diet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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