Bariatric Surgery
Nutrition and Recipes
Nutrition
As you continue to lose weight, it is important to develop and maintain healthy eating habits. Success with weight loss will depend on your adherence to nutritious food choices and avoiding snacking or grazing between meals. The stomach pouch created by your surgery is a tool you will need to become accustomed to in order to meet your weight loss goals. This nutrition overview provides a few quick tips to keep you on the right track:
- Protein
Because your body cannot store protein, it needs a constant supply to repair and replace tissues that become worn out or damaged. Therefore, you need to eat protein every day to refresh your body’s basic protein needs. Aim for a minimum of 60–80 grams of protein each day. The gastric bypass or other bariatric surgery procedure reduces the capacity of the stomach to a small volume. Therefore, protein-rich foods must be eaten with each meal to ensure the body gets enough to preserve lean muscle mass. We do not advise using high-calorie protein supplements or beverages. We recommend eating high protein-containing foods at the beginning of each meal. Lean proteins, such as fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat cottage cheese, are just a few good choices.
- Vitamins and Minerals
After gastric bypass or other bariatric surgery, you will not be able to eat the amount or variety of foods needed to meet recommended vitamin and mineral requirements through your diet alone. A high potency multivitamin/mineral supplement with iron must be taken every day. Daily calcium and vitamin B12 supplements are also recommended to maintain adequate vitamin and mineral stores, and prevent anemia and osteoporosis. Some people require additional supplements after surgery. Your physician will determine your individual needs based on the results of lab work.
- Sugar and Fats
After gastric bypass or other bariatric surgery, a condition called dumping syndrome will occur if you eat foods high in sugar and fat (greater than 10 grams per serving). Symptoms of dumping syndrome include profound sleepiness, light-headedness, profuse sweating, rapid heart rate, cramping abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea. Avoiding foods or liquids with high sugar and fat content will help prevent dumping syndrome. Sweets, candies, fruit juice, soda, high-fat meats and fried foods are examples of selections that may cause problems.
Recipes
After bariatric surgery, your meal portions are much smaller. Your new diet helps you progress with weight loss in a nutritionally sound manner to reach your health goals. Eating a variety of foods will help you obtain adequate protein, vitamins and minerals.
To help increase the variety in your diet, we are offering a selection of recipes for you to enjoy. Many of our recipes were shared by others who have undergone gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy or another weight loss surgery here. All of the recipes provided have been reviewed for optimal nutritional content.
Note: Recipes may need to be modified based on your own weight loss surgery diet stage. If you have any questions about using the recipes offered here, please consult your health care provider.