After gastric bypass surgery, your stomach is significantly reduced in size. Your "new" stomach limits the amount of food you can eat daily and leaves you easily satisfied. Therefore, it is important to choose healthy food options that will ensure weight-loss and promote health. Seek a registered dietitian for a full list of healthy food options based on your specific condition and lifestyle.
Diet Significance
Immediately following surgery, proper diet and nutrition is essential for healing and recovery of the stomach. Patients may undergo several diet phases that begin with only liquid foods and eventually progress to solids. Healthy food options will allow for more comfortable digestion and also minimize complications. Patients may go through some of the diet progressions at their own pace while their body adjusts to new eating patterns due to surgery. Ultimately, a life-long diet for gastric patients will promote weight-loss and maintain it over time.
Diet Progression
A typical gastric bypass diet consists of four phases that gradually lead to a safe and comfortable eating pattern for patients after surgery. The first phase consists of only liquids and semisolid food options. A liquid diet is intended for patients one or two days immediately after gastric surgery. Some examples of phase one foods include sugar-free gelatin, milk, broth and soup. After a few days of liquids, patients can progress to pureed foods that are smooth in consistency. Patients may enjoy pureed lean meats, beans, egg whites, fish and yogurt. To puree, blend solids with a variety of liquids such as water, skim milk or broth. It is important to focus on foods that are high in protein to promote recovery. Eventually, patients can progress to the third phase, or semi-solid foods. The third phase includes foods that you can eat with a fork such as diced lean meats, fresh fruits and cooked vegetables. The final phase is the introduction of solid foods that patients are able to tolerate. In general, gastric bypass patients can enjoy foods that are high-protein and provide low dietary fat, fiber and sugar.
Foods to Avoid
Certain foods must be avoided immediately following surgery to prevent complications. Nuts, seeds, popcorn, dried fruits, fibrous vegetables and tough meats are some foods to avoid. Food tolerances vary from person to person, and you may be able to introduce more foods as your body heals from surgery. Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology notes that gastric bypass patients should limit foods that are high in fat, fiber and sugar from their daily diets. High sugar food includes desserts, candy, cookies and other sweets. Foods to avoid that are high-fat include fried foods, dairy products and fatty meats. Finally, fiber is found in many foods such as legumes, raw vegetables and whole-grains.
Special Considerations
Dehydration is an important concern for gastric bypass patients. Consume water between meals rather than with meals to prevent you from feeling too full. Chew all foods thoroughly and eat slowly so you do not overeat. A vitamin and mineral supplement may be recommended by your doctor since your food intake is limited.
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