The most important nutrient for you to take in after surgery is protein. Protein helps you build and keep lean muscle tissue, repairs and heals your tissue and is necessary to help avoid hair loss and infection. If you’re not careful about eating enough protein, you can become malnourished and lose hair or muscle mass. Protein deficiency may also increase your risk of infection.
Gastric Band: After gastric band you’ll be able to eat 500 to 600 calories each day. 280 of those calories should be made up of protein (this is equal to about 70 grams).
Duodenal Switch: Duodenal switch patients can expect to eat 800 to 1000 calories each day with 320 to 400 calories coming from protein (80 to 100 grams).
Roux-en-Y: After gastric bypass surgery, you’ll be able to eat 500 to 600 calories each day. 280 of those calories should be made up of protein (this is equal to about 70 grams).
Gastric Sleeve: If you have the gastric sleeve procedure, then you will also need 800 to 1000 calories each day, but you only need to shoot for 280 calories’ worth of protein (70 grams).
You may not be able to meet this quota immediately after surgery, but you should be able to within about three weeks.
As with gastric band and gastric bypass, you may not be able to eat this amount of calories or protein in the first three weeks post-surgery, but you should soon after.
If you’re concerned about the limitations of protein sources in your diet, don’t be. There are many sources of protein that can help give your diet some variety and that can suit every palate and digestion issue. Sources of protein include:
- Soy products: You can try many soy products like tofu, soy milk, soy shakes, soy burgers, soy flour, soy nuts, edamame, tempeh, soy pasta, and more.
- Beans: Try kidney beans and chick peas.
- Dairy products: Enjoy cottage cheese, milk, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt.
- Meat: You can eat chicken (the thigh), egg, ham, hamburger, turkey, and veal.
- Seafood: How about cod, steamed crab and lobster, flounder, halibut, salmon, swordfish, and canned tuna?
No matter which sources of protein you enjoy each day, be sure to check the package to find out what serving sizes you need to meet your daily protein goals.