Post-Surgery Diet: How to Make an Appetizing Meal Plan
Your post-surgery diet plays a major role in your short and long-term recovery. Not only does a nutritious meal plan give you the fundamental necessities required to heal and recover, but the right foods can also prevent common complications.
Fortunately, it’s entirely possible to legitimately enjoy your post-surgery diet, and you may even adopt lifelong eating habits long after you’re healed. You may also be surprised by how many options you have on the table (or on your bed tray). Read on to learn how to create a meal plan that’s both delicious and nutritious.
Avoid Processed Foods
One of the most important changes is reevaluating your relationship with processed foods. Your goal should be to eat as little processed foods as possible (ideally none). Start your diet plan by actively seeking out whole foods. For example, an apple is a whole food, but apple juice is not. Potatoes and chicken breasts are whole foods, but French fries and chicken nuggets are not.
When shopping at the grocery store, try to buy ingredients rather than prepared foods. While it may take a little extra work to prepare your snacks and meals, the nutritional content and lack of chemicals, fats, and sugars are going to go a long way in helping your body recover effectively. Naturally, fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats are all ideal choices.
Boost Your Fiber Intake
Constipation is one of the most common complications associated with surgery recovery. Beyond causing general discomfort, constipation can also force you to return to the hospital if it gets bad. While taking fiber supplements can help, fiber-rich foods tend to be more effective at reducing constipation.
Fortunately, your goal of selecting whole foods aligns with your goal of selecting fiber-rich foods. Whole grain bread is an excellent source of fiber, as are fresh or frozen fruits and veggies. Cereal can be a suitable choice, but make sure you check the label to be sure.
Besides just eating lots of fiber, you also want to avoid foods that cause constipation. Again, avoiding processed foods is a big step. You should also avoid red meat, dairy, and any sweet treats such as cookies, cake, and pastries.
Consume Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein that you need to heal properly. Protein helps to regenerate your body’s skin tissue, which naturally is a huge help in healing your post-surgery wound. Lean poultry and seafood are both excellent sources of amino acids. Beans are another option. As usual, you also can’t go wrong with fresh fruits and veggies.
Smoothies Are Your Best Friend
After surgery, it’s not surprising that you may not have a big appetite. If you don’t already own a blender, it’s a solid investment. Making smoothies is a fantastic way to take in significant amounts of nutrition without feeling like you’re consuming a lot of food. Additionally, preparing a quick smoothie is often much easier than putting a meal or snack together.
When making smoothies, be sure to avoid processed ingredients. Whenever possible, stick to fruits and vegetables. You may be surprised by how you can sneak in greens without significantly changing the taste of a fruity smoothie. You may also want to add protein and fiber powders to further enhance the nutritional value of each smoothie.
Eat Healthy Fats
The word “fat” seems counterproductive to a healthy post-surgery diet, but the right types of fat assist your body in absorbing nutrients, helping you to feel more energetic while also hastening the healing process. Examples of foods with healthy fats include avocados, nuts, and olive oil, so go ahead and make yourself a tasty salad with all the fixins.
Seek Out Antioxidants
Antioxidants help to repair your body and fight off bad stuff that could lead to complications, so eating lots of antioxidant-rich foods is a no-brainer. Berries are known for their outstanding antioxidants, so try to eat lots of pomegranates, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and strawberries. Berries are wonderful in smoothies, in salads, or on their own, so stock up.
Look for Vitamin K
Vitamin K is vital to blood clotting, which is essential to your body’s healing. Leafy greens are an outstanding source of vitamin K, so eat lots of kale, Swiss chard, spinach, romaine lettuce, and mustard greens. Fortunately, leafy greens are delicious in salads and smoothies (are you starting to notice a trend?).
Crack an Egg (or a Dozen)
Patients who are recovering from surgery are often given eggs as a first meal. They’re incredibly rich in a wide range of healthy nutrients, including protein, zinc, iron, calcium, folic acid, riboflavin, and vitamins A, B, E, and K.
Once again, boiled eggs are a perfect addition to those salads you’re going to be making. While it may be tempting to crack them into your smoothies too, it’s best to avoid consuming raw eggs while your body is vulnerable.
Drink Plenty of Water
While you’re focusing on your new diet, it’s easy to overlook just how critical water is to your recovery. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to get all your hydration from water. Yes, drinking only water can be boring, but you can spruce it up with a twist of citrus or other fruits. On average, you should be drinking at least eight glasses of water every day.
Recipe Ideas
By now, you should be well aware that a hearty salad with lots of ingredients is one of the best food options. You can really cover all the bases at once.
Try making a salad with leafy greens as your base, and then add nuts, berries, avocados, chicken breast, and boiled eggs. Make a vinaigrette with olive oil as your base. It’s going to taste delicious, and it’s absolutely packed with crucial nutrients.
Soup is another great option if you’re craving something hot. A bowl of classic chicken soup with celery, carrots, onions, and potatoes is a wonderful choice. If you want chicken noodle soup, just make sure you use whole grain pasta.
Sandwiches are another easy and tasty food option as long as you use healthy ingredients. Skip the white bread and use a dark whole grain bread. Use lots of veggies, and if you’re going to add meat, make it chicken or turkey.
Reach Out for Assistance
While you’re in recovery, it’s completely understandable that you may not feel like putting on your chef hat. If possible, hire a caregiver or reach out to friends and family members for assistance. Having prepared meals and ingredients in the fridge really goes a long way in reducing your effort.
If you don’t have anyone available to help you out with the prep work, try to get a lot done when you feel up to it. For example, instead of just making a quick salad, you could chop up all your salad ingredients and store them in Tupperware so you can make a quick salad next time you’re hungry. Planning your meals in advance really helps when you’re going through ups and downs.
Enjoy Dietary Changes
Depending on your pre-surgery diet, this new meal plan can be daunting, and it may take time to readjust. Try to appreciate the new flavors and textures you’re going to experience. The truth is that eating healthy actually tastes better too once you develop your palate. Look at your surgery as an opportunity to embrace positive changes that improve your overall health for good.