While any surgery that involves the human heart is considered very serious, bypass surgery is more common than ever before and is performed in several different ways. In a non-emergency situation, the surgeon will often opt for the surgical option that does not require an invasive procedure; however, there are situations when an open, more serious surgery is required. It is important to note that even when the least invasive bypass surgery options are planned, there are circumstances beyond the control of the surgeon that will force them into a more complicated procedure.
Whether your surgery is one that is planned for and expected or the result of a sudden worsening in your condition, it is important to concentrate on getting good nutrition after the surgery so that you recover as quickly and as fully as possible with few complications. To do this, you need a healthy diet that can help keep your immune system working well. You will need plenty of rest during those first few days, but you will have physical therapy, too.
What a Healthy Body Needs
Everyone knows that a healthy body needs a variety of foods from a range of food groups including vitamins, minerals, and the three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fats. There are good and bad items within every food group, so it is important to read labels of all foods, as well as learn all that you can about proper nutrition for your body and your health.
A healthy body and one that is recovering from surgery need very different nutrition. A body that is healthy and working in the right way will not need as many calories as an unhealthy one. After surgery there are increased needs for nutrition, including the need for more protein and more healthy calories.
Everyone needs a different number of calories, meaning there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all eating plan. You determine the number of calories by seeing how much your body takes in to maintain its current weight and then adjusting upward to gain weight or down to lose weight. No matter how many calories you need to take in overall, they should be split into complex carbohydrates (50-60% of the diet), proteins (15-35% of the diet) and healthy fats (10-20% of the diet.) Examples of healthy carbohydrates include whole grain breads, rice and pasta. Healthy fats include olive oils, nuts and nut butters and cold water fish. The latter is also a healthy source of protein. Other sources of healthy protein include turkey (especially lean, skinless roasted turkey breast) and other poultry, dairy foods and soy.
Eating to Regain Your Health
If you know that you are going to have bypass surgery, you should discuss additional nutrition with your doctor so that you can start working on your health and strength for the long recovery that you face. Even with a minimally invasive procedure, you might find that you are stiff and sore when your surgery is completed. Before the surgeon allows you to leave the hospital, you will be given your after care instructions which will include what you are allowed to do and not to do, what you can lift, whether you can drive or not and what warning signs to look for.
Additionally, you will also be given suggestions for what to eat which might be light, mostly liquid meals when you first come home, especially if you were incubated during your bypass surgery. (This is standard procedure in many types of surgery). You will still need to get the right amount of calories into your daily diet so that you are keeping your strength. You will also need additional protein to help with your recovery.
Protein plays a role in the immune system’s function, which is vitally important during recovery from bypass surgery or any other surgery for that matter. Protein also helps the body heal the scars from the surgery. In addition, protein is needed to provide the energy and strength that the body needs to heal itself and to face a life time of renewed health and vitality. In times when the body does not have enough protein, it will turn to burning lean muscle mass for fuel which can cause additional trouble.
Dealing with a Lack of Appetite and Other Special Needs
After your surgery is completed, there is a possibility that you will not feel up to eating a whole lot at a time, which means that you might have to consider supplementing your nutritional intake during this time, working your way back up to full meals. If you have been sick for a long time before the surgery was performed, you may have been neglecting your health and nutrition for a very long time and your body will need time to get used to solid and healthy foods.
Using a protein supplement can be one of the best ways to help get the nutrition that you need and can be found in a number of different varieties. Protica, a nutriceutical company, offers a number of protein supplements for both adults and children with many surprising benefits as well as flavors to choose from. In addition to Profect, a single shot protein supplement that is meant to be consumed in mere seconds, the company offers Fruitasia which is made from 100% fruits and vegetables from concentrates and other natural liquids. Each serving of Fruitasia supplies three full servings of vegetables, as well as two full servings of fruit and five grams of dietary fiber.
Fruitasia is 100% all natural, cold stable and preservative free. There are no harmful additives in this product, which is less than three ounces in size. In addition to Fruitasia and the other protein shots, Protica also offers a number of other products which can be beneficial to those recovering from bypass surgery, as well as those who simply want to take advantage of better health. Information about this and other products in the Protica line are available on the website at http://www.protica.com, which will list not only the products that are available but the benefits and flavors. For your own convenience, you can buy Fruitasia and other protein supplements online.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey liquid protein for bariatric surgery patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright