Foods To Avoid After Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery, also called weight loss surgery, helps morbidly obese patients reach and maintain a healthy weight. Bariatric surgery procedures include adjustable gastric bands that restrict the size of the stomach, biliopancreatic diversions that block calorie absorption and gastric bypasses that use restriction and malabsorption to facilitate weight loss. If you've had one of these procedures, you must learn to avoid certain foods after surgery to prevent weight gain and digestive distress.

High-Calorie Foods

A gastric bypass patient who eats sugary or fatty foods may develop dumping syndrome, a condition that causes diarrhea, nausea, flushing and abdominal cramps, according to Judy Down, R.D., in a report published in the March 2005 issue of "Diabetes Spectrum." Because the operation reroutes the digestive system to bypass the part of the small intestine where sugar and fat normally digest, these nutrients break down elsewhere in the intestines and turn into lactic acid that causes the unpleasant digestive symptoms. Adjustable gastric banding patients do not experience dumping syndrome because their anatomy has not been changed, but they must avoid high-calorie foods as well, including those high in sugar and fat, to lose and maintain their weight. Foods to avoid include desserts made with sugar or fat, fried foods, many fruit juices, full-fat dairy products, milkshakes, candy and pastries.

Difficult to Digest Foods

You may find that certain foods seem to stick in the opening between your stomach and your intestines after bariatric surgery. Foods that are commonly difficult to digest include pasta, rice, fibrous vegetables, soft bread and tough meat, according to Linda Aills, R.D., lead researcher in a report published in the September 2008 issue of "Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases." Other foods to avoid include nuts, seeds and popcorn. Chewing these foods thoroughly sometimes allows you to eat them, but many patients avoid them entirely.

Certain Beverages

Most patients receive instructions to avoid consuming caffeinated, carbonated and alcoholic beverages after gastric bypass and adjustable gastric banding procedures, says Aills. Some surgeons may permit patients to consume these beverages after the first six months, whereas others ask their patients to avoid them for the rest of their lives. Aills reports that little scientific evidence exists to support the theories that caffeine and carbonation may slow a patient's weight loss; irritate the stomach, obstruct the outlet between the pouch and stomach or interfere with wound healing. Discuss your dietary restrictions with your surgeon and follow her instructions exactly.