If you are undergoing a gastrectomy, which is a surgery to remove part or all of the stomach, your stomach will be very tender after your surgery. For this reason it is important to ease into eating again without upsetting your digestive tract or causing unnecessary pain. You should focus on eating soft foods, high in nutrients, as they are easy for your body to process and will keep you healthy while you recover.
Dumping Syndrome
After undergoing gastrectomy surgery, you may experience a problem known as dumping syndrome if you eat too much or ingest too much sugar, notes the Ohio State University Medical Center. Dumping syndrome is is characterized by food passing too quickly from your stomach to your small intestine. Symptoms of dumping syndrome include pain, cramping, diarrhea and nausea. Lying down for about half an hour may improve these symptoms, but it is even better to prevent them from occurring in the first place. A soft-food diet may help you to digest your food more easily, eliminating the discomfort of dumping syndrome. However, before you attempt to treat it yourself, you should talk to your doctor if you think have dumping syndrome symptoms.
Food Options
The Ohio State University Medical Center recommends that you keep meals small for the first several weeks following your surgery. Eat foods low in fiber, as high-fiber foods may upset your digestive system. Softer foods tend to be lower in fiber than others and are more easily digested without the help of fluids. The Ohio State University Medical Center suggests eating foods such as eggs, cottage cheese, white rice, nut butters and thoroughly cooked vegetables.
Beverage Options
Immediately following your surgery, the Ohio State University Medical Center suggests that you consume your meals without beverages. If you drink fluids with your meals, you may experience dumping syndrome symptoms. Save your beverages for after meals and and snacks, and wait 30 to 60 minutes after eating before you drink. Be sure to include drinks containing little to no sugar, such as sugar-free soda, lemonade and punch made with sugar substitutes. Also, be sure that your drinks are not too hot or too cold.
Comfort
Right after your surgery, it may be rather uncomfortable for you to digest food, as there will be significant swelling an bruising, notes Royal Devon and Exetor, a teaching hospital in Exetor, England. Soft foods are easier for your stomach to digest, helping you to avoid any pain or discomfort with eating. Avoid foods such as tough meats, seeds, whole-grain breads and fruits with fibrous tissues. These kinds of food are difficult for your stomach to digest and may cause great discomfort following a gastrectomy.
Excessive Weight Loss
While weight loss may be a desirable effect of a gastrectomy, excessive weight loss immediately following your surgery can result in malnutrition and deficiencies, notes Queensland Health in Queensland, Australia. Soft foods are easily digested by your body, allowing for improved levels of essential vitamins and nutrients. Ready-made nutritional shakes and meal replacement beverages are good options as they are easy for your body to process and include appropriate levels of essential nutrients.
What to Avoid
A post-gastrectomy diet typically recommend avoiding excessively hot or cold foods. Foods such as soups and frozen yogurt may be easily digested, but your body may have a difficult time tolerating foods that vary in temperature. You should also avoid excess activity following meals, as you may experience regurgitation or acid reflux, according to Royal Devon and Exetor.
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