A bariatric surgery diet must be followed in order to ensure good results and keep the body healthy after surgery. Because the size of the stomach is altered to hold as little as 2 tablespoons, it is important to eat small quantities of food over a period of 30 minutes. The proper diet is essential during this time to allow the body to heal and adjust to its new stomach size, while providing the proper nutrients to nourish the body.
Strive to Eat High Protein Foods
Protein is the most important nutrient in the gastric bypass diet because it enables the body to create new tissue, which is essential to ensure surgery wounds heal properly. Protein also helps preserve muscle tissue, thus ensuring that the patient loses fat and not muscle.
Liquid Intake Is Vital
Patients should strive to prevent dehydration by drinking a total of 48 ounces of liquid every day throughout the healing process. In between meals, patients should slowly consume 1 cup of water or another low calorie liquid over the course of 30 minutes. Since the stomach is so small, it’s important to have an empty stomach before eating, so allow at least 1 hour after drinking before eating a meal.
Stages of the Bariatric Diet
As the body heals, the bariatric surgery diet unfolds in a specific progression to promote healing, provide sufficient nutrition and avoid complications.
- Stage 1: Clear Liquids – Immediately after surgery and for one or two days following, the diet is limited to clear liquids or beverages. To help the body adjust to the smaller stomach, these liquids are usually consumed in 2-3 ounce increments and may include water, chamomile tea, broth, sugar free juice and diet gelatin.
- Stage 2: High Protein Drinks – In the week or two before hospital discharge, patients will advance to high protein drinks such as Ensure or Diet Carnation Instant Breakfast. These drinks offer increased nutrients for strength and healing. The doctor will also prescribe vitamin supplements at this time since the small amount of food ingested will not supply the necessary vitamins and minerals for the body.
- Stage 3: Soft and Pureed Foods – In the first weeks after hospital discharge, most physicians will allow the patient to begin eating soft foods, which pass easily through the digestive tract. Some foods are inherently the right texture, such as low fat cheese, tofu, scrambled eggs, yogurt and applesauce. Tuna, pork, chicken and steamed vegetables can be pureed in the blender to obtain the right consistency. Many patients opt to use baby food during this stage because it’s readily available and requires no preparation.
- Stage 4: Regular Diet – About 2 months after surgery, patients are often able to begin eating a more regular diet consisting of selections from all 5 food groups. An emphasis should be made to begin meals with lean meat or milk to ensure the patient is getting enough protein. Lean red meat, pork, chicken or turkey with no skin, fish, eggs and cottage cheese are good choices because they are high in protein and low in fat.
