What You Should Add To Your Diet After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Have you recently had gastric sleeve surgery? Are you worried about what you need to eat to successfully keep weight off?

More than 200,000 Americans have some form of bariatric surgery every year. These procedures happen when other weight loss programs have not worked. Losing a significant amount of weight has been proven to reduce your risk for diabetes, improve cardiovascular health, eliminate sleep apnea, and reduce joint pain.

If you plan on having surgery, you will need to learn a new way of eating. Read below for some easy tips and ideas for the diet after gastric sleeve surgery you will need to follow to help you recover, avoid complications, and transform your body.

Week One – Post-Surgery

The first week after your procedure, you will start with a clear liquid diet. This will help you avoid any serious complications, such as bowel obstruction, diarrhea, gastric leakage, constipation, and dehydration. Your body needs to use this time to heal, and this approach will help with that goal.

Liquids such as water, clear broth, decaffeinated beverages, and Gatorade, which contains electrolytes, will be great for keeping you hydrated during this first week post-surgery.

However, you should not drink any liquids that contain sugar since it can contribute to dumping syndrome. This complication happens when sugar enters the small intestine too quickly and can lead to nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting.

You should also skip caffeine during this time since it leads to acid reflux and dehydration. In addition, you should avoid carbonated beverages such as seltzer and soda which can contribute to gas and bloating.

Week Two - Post-Surgery

The second week after surgery, you can move on to thicker liquids, which means you will be on a full liquid diet. These options might include:

• Protein powder shakes
• Broth and cream-based soups
• Unsweetened milk
• Sugar-free, nonfat pudding
• Sugar-free, nonfat ice cream
• Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• Cream of wheat or oatmeal

You may feel that your appetite is starting to return, but it is best not to start eating solid food during this time. Your system is still healing and cannot handle it which can result in vomiting or serious complications.

Week Three - Post-Surgery

You have now made it to week three which means you can add soft, pureed foods to your diet. At this point, you may be hungry, but make sure to slow down and chew your food all the way through. You can puree any low-fat and sugar-free food, including lean protein and non-fibrous vegetables.

Your goal at this stage is to increase the amount of protein you consume. If pureed protein such as chicken and fish does not taste good to you, continue to drink sugar-free protein shakes or eat eggs every day. Some foods that you can start to eat include:

• Cooked, pureed fish
• Scrambled or boiled eggs
• Ground meat
• Cottage cheese
• Soft fruit
• Cooked vegetables
• Hummus
• Mashed avocado
• Plain Greek yogurt

It is best to continue to avoid any food that is solid or in chunks as well as caffeine during this time. Spices can cause heartburn, so be sure to stick to food that does not have any seasoning.

Week Four - Post-Surgery

Now that you are four weeks out from surgery, you can start adding solid foods back to your diet. Well-cooked chicken, fish, vegetables, sweet potatoes, low-fat cheese, and fruit are items you can include.

Certain items and foods should remain off-limits: candy, fried foods, nuts, seeds, bread, and fibrous vegetables. Other foods you should try to avoid include pasta, white potatoes, and other high-carbohydrate items.

At this point, you can reintroduce caffeine, but only in small quantities. Your primary focus should be on getting in lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Week Five and Beyond

Now that you can resume a regular, balanced diet, try introducing one food at a time so that you can assess your body’s reaction. Pick nutrient-dense options, such as lean protein and vegetables, and try to avoid empty calories, sugary sweets, and soda.

Your diet after gastric sleeve surgery needs to be selective, but it does not have to be boring. So this is where the fun and creativity begin! Consider trying a unique flavor of nut butter from American Dream Nut Butter paired with fruit or even vegetables like celery or carrots.

Flavors such as Gimme S’more Peanut Butter, Sugar Pie Honey Chunk Almond Butter, or Blueberry Brunch Cashew Butter can be a delicious addition to your new diet. These nut butters are high in protein, low in sugar and carbohydrates, and have no artificial sweeteners.

Nut butters are also tasty and filling and can help you satisfy your craving for something sweet while being low in sugar. This makes them approved snacks for gastric sleeve surgery.

Be Creative With Your Diet

The combination of dieting and gastric sleeve surgery will positively impact your success with weight loss. Therefore, it is important to use the approved post-surgery foods to help you develop creative gastric sleeve recipes.

There are many cookbooks created for gastric sleeve patients. They can turn your favorite pre-surgery foods into gastric sleeve-approved creations. You will find the gastric sleeve nutrition information listed, highlighting the amount of protein, sugars, and carbohydrates in each recipe.

This health information takes the guesswork out of trying to figure out what to eat after gastric sleeve surgery. Thus, you have more time to focus on enjoying a tasty meal.

A Diet After Gastric Sleeve Surgery Works

American Dream Nut Butter can eliminate all the worries you have about what you will eat after sleeve surgery. We have shown you how to plan the perfect diet after gastric sleeve by eating tasty and enjoyable food.

Our delicious and fun flavored nut butters will help make it easier for you to eat healthier. This will aid in your recovery, help you avoid complications, and transform your body. All these things will put you one step closer to reaching your weight loss goals.

There is no time to wait! Contact us to place your order for one of our yummy nut butters. We will have it shipped right away so you can enjoy it after your gastric sleeve surgery.