Heart surgery is a frightening experience. Many people take heart surgery as a wake-up-call to start living a healthier life. Part of living healthy means eating healthy. When recovering from heart surgery you must take into account both your acute and chronic conditions. Nutrition can help your body heal and repair the wounds from surgery, but you can also use it to improve your prognosis.
Fat and Cholesterol
A diet high in fat and cholesterol can lead to high levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides, which can cause a heart attack. You should aim to limit your intake of fat and cholesterol each day. Saturated fat is the main culprit; it should not exceed 7 percent of your calories each day. You should also limit total fat to about 30 percent of your calories. Dietary cholesterol should not exceed 300 mg per day; in fact, less is better. Foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol are typically animal-based foods including red meat, eggs and dairy products. Other sources of saturated fats and cholesterol include fried foods. Instead of eating these, try to increase your intake of heart-healthy unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Foods that include unsaturated fat are olive oil, soy, sesame oil and margarine. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, that can improve your heart health, include fatty fish like salmon and tuna. When choosing a food, read labels to see how much of each kind of fat it contains.
Sodium
A diet high in sodium can cause high blood pressure, which is hard on your heart and body, especially after you've gone through heart surgery. In addition, certain recovery medications, like prednisone, can make your body retain fluid and sodium. To help control your blood pressure and increase your heart health, the American Heart Association recommends that you aim to consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium each day. Avoiding sodium-rich foods can be hard. Many common foods contain a large amount of sodium. The best way to avoid excess sodium is by reading food labels. Before you eat a processed, prepackaged food, which are often very high in sodium, read the nutrition label. Analyze the amount of the food you are going to eat in proportion to the amount of sodium in each serving, keeping in mind that you need to keep your intake of sodium less than 1,500 mg per day. You can also try to avoid high sodium foods like cured meats, salty snacks, pickles, sauerkraut, frozen or canned vegetables with salt, pork, prepared soups, stews and chili and fast food.
Protein
Protein can help your body recover after surgery. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a person recovering from heart surgery should try to consume 0.8 to 1.0 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Choosing the healthiest kind of protein after heart surgery is important, especially because animal based sources of protein can be high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Your choice of protein should be based on keeping your fat, cholesterol and sodium limits in mind. Try to limit your intake of meat to 6 oz. per day and get the rest of your protein from plant-based sources. The healthiest sources of proteins include soy, beans and lean meats like chicken or turkey.
Sample Meal Plan
A healthy diet for someone recovering from heart surgery might include an egg white omelet filled with cottage cheese and vegetables, and served with a side of melon for breakfast. Lunch could include a mixed green salad topped with chickpeas, roasted red peppers, low-fat cheese, topped with balsamic vinaigrette, and served with a whole wheat roll spread with margarine. Dinner might consist of a grilled skinless chicken breast marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and hot pepper, and served with a baked potato topped with fat-free sour cream and black pepper on the side. Each of these meals contains a source of lean protein, mostly unsaturated fats, low cholesterol and healthy carbohydrates. Sodium is also limited because these meals were home-cooked, meaning you are in control of the amount of salt in the food.
Special Considerations
When you have undergone a serious surgery, like heart surgery, you may be put on a myriad of medications. Sometimes these medications can have physiological side effects like constipation or nausea. To reduce constipation, increase your intake of fiber. Fiber keeps your digestive system regular and working. Healthy sources of fiber, that can fit into your heart surgery recovery diet include, oats, barley, peas, beans, wheat, carrots, apples and nuts. For nausea, work toward eating small meals portioned throughout the day. This can help keep your stomach from feeling sick and can also help you avoid malnutrition.
References
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute; High Blood Cholesterol; June 2005
- Cleveland Clinic: Diet After Bypass Surgery
- University of Southern California; A Patient's Guide to Heart Surgery: Diet and Nutrition; 2011`
- American Association of Kidney Patients; Why does Salt Cause High Blood Pressure?
- UPMC; After Heart Surgery; 2008
- Mayo Clinic.com; Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet; November 19. 2009
