What Is a Bariatric Diet?
After you undergo bariatric surgery, you'll need to adhere to a strict diet to maintain weight loss, recover after surgery and avoid potential health issues like dumping syndrome. Some people find the gastric bypass diet difficult to maintain, but eating specially made bariatric food can make the process a little easier.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to eat applesauce and cottage cheese for the next six months. With 1020 Wellness, you can jump right into the bariatric eating lifestyle. Here's everything you need to know about the bariatric surgery diet.
Why Is the Bariatric Diet So Important?
The bariatric diet has two components: helping you lose weight and preventing complications. Your doctor might have recommended healthy eating habits before your surgery. After your surgery, you'll have to maintain these habits and get used to eating smaller amounts of food. A bariatric diet consists of small, nutrient-rich meals that nourish your body without causing more weight gain.
If you go back to your regular eating habits, your stomach might stretch back to its original size, negating the effects of the surgery. You might also experience "dumping syndrome," a condition that causes digestive issues like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. After your surgery, your stomach can't handle large amounts of food like it used to. Going on a diet helps you get accustomed to a completely new relationship with food.
What Can I Eat After Bariatric Surgery?
Everyone's situation is different, so your doctor might recommend a specific diet for you. Generally, you'll have a liquid diet for the first week after your surgery. You'll gradually progress to pureed foods, then soft foods a few weeks later and, finally, solid foods. Even when you're back to eating solid foods again, you might not be able to consume hard, crunchy, fried or fatty foods as much as you used to. Some people also have trouble eating raw or cooked vegetables.
When you can only drink liquids or eat soft foods, it's much harder to get a balanced diet. Your doctor might recommend taking vitamins and health supplements to ensure that you get all the nutrients you need. 1020 Wellness sells health supplements as well as weight loss supplements that help you keep the weight off after your surgery.
Do You Have To Change Your Eating Habits?
When you undergo bariatric surgery, you'll have to accept a new diet as well as a completely new way of eating. Gastric bypass surgery isn't a magic cure-all — you can start gaining weight again if you go back to eating large amounts of food. It's important to eat small meals at specific times of the day. Make sure that you space out your meals so you give your system enough time to digest the food.
Now that your stomach has shrunk, you'll need to chew your food thoroughly and take small bites so nothing gets stuck in your digestive tract. Eat slowly and try to enjoy your food as much as possible. Instead of eating mindlessly, you'll learn to eat for nourishment and enjoy the food on your plate. You'll also have to drink plenty of water so you don't get dehydrated.
Which Foods Are Part of a Gastric Bypass Diet?
You'll eat different foods as you advance through the post-surgery stages. Your diet might vary, but here's some of the bariatric food and drinks that we sell at 1020 Wellness:
- Smoothies, shakes and coffee
- Soup, pasta, mashed potatoes, stew and chili
- Pancakes, cereal, oatmeal, omelettes and granola
- Chips, pretzels, cookies and dessert bars
- Starter kits and sampler bags
Your doctor might recommend that you supplement your diet with water, milk, vitamins, supplements and food that you puree at home. In addition to prepackaged foods, you might want to stock up on fruits, vegetables and other fresh ingredients.
How Does 1020 Wellness Work?
Once you undergo surgery, you'll need access to healthy, physician-approved meals on a regular basis. You can buy products individually from the 1020 Wellness online store or sign up for one of our weight loss meal plans. With our meal plans, you'll get a variety of diet-friendly foods shipped directly to your house. You can choose from 2-week, 4-week and 8-week plans with a variety of options.
In addition to our meal plans, we offer other resources like free weight loss tools, an online weight loss program, a health and wellness app, and more. If you live in Birmingham, Alabama, you can visit our office to speak with a physician. Our doctor will give you a full physical examination and educate you about the 1020 Wellness weight loss program. Once you get started, you can start living a healthy lifestyle again.
References
Mayo Clinic
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