Nutritious Super Foods For Your Bariatric Diet

June 18th, 2009

After your full recovery from surgery (about 4 to 6 weeks), your bariatric diet includes most regular foods. Which foods are the best picks for their nutrition value? Registered Dietitian Lynn Holmberg advises: “Protein-rich foods like lean chicken should be the primary source of your nutrition (aim for 60-80 grams of protein per day), with an addition of fruit, vegetables, and low-fat foods without added sugar.”

First things first – here are a few rules of eating after bariatric surgery:

• Eat just 3 meals a day, give yourself 20-30 minutes per meal, and choose small portions.
• Drink liquids between meals – 15-30 minutes before, or 30 minutes after a meal. Aim for 60-70 oz of fluid daily.
• Take your daily multivitamin with iron, calcium, and other supplements as directed by your healthcare team.

Because you will be eating a small amount of food at a time for the rest of your life, you’ll want to stick with “super,” protein-rich foods, fruit and vegetables. But there is no need to feel limited – there are plenty of great-tasting choices you can select from. You can also add seasoning, mustard, chilis, curry or hot sauce to your meals to spice them up. Here is our bariatric diet shopping list to help you out:

Protein

• Lean skinless chicken breast, leg meat,lean skinless turkey, lobster, pork tenderloin – not fried chicken, poultry skin, ground meat less than 90% lean, sausage, hot dogs, corned beef
• Fish, scallops, shrimp, crabmeat, canned fish in water – not fried fish, fish in batter, canned fish in oil
• Beans like chickpeas, lentils, black beans – not beans cooked with fatty meat
• Eggs, egg whites, Eggbeaters prepared without added fat – not fried eggs
• Cottage cheese 0 or 1% fat, reduced fat cheese, low fat or fat free ricotta – not 2-4% cottage cheese, full fat cheese and ricotta

Fruit and Veggies

• Cooked tender green beans, carrots, spinach, beets, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes – not corn, popcorn, tough broccoli stems, stringy green beans
• Peeled cooked potatoes, sweet potatoes – not chips, fries
• Canned, stewed or baked peeled fruit without added sugar (apples, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, pineapple) – not canned fruit in syrup
• Peeled fresh apple, peeled ripe pear, melon without seeds, banana – not orange or grapefruit membrane, cherry or apricot pits
• Try new salad vegetables and fresh fruit to see which ones you can tolerate and like best. To start, try grating or dicing raw veggies like carrots or cucumbers.

Beverages

• Calorie-free, non-carbonated beverages (water, coffee & tea without sugar) – not carbonated water & drinks, soda, diet soda, alcohol

Sauces and Dressing

Yes, you can have sauces and salad dressing, too! Use low-fat and fat-free mayo or dressing to moisten salads and meals. Lynn Holmberg also advises to check out lower-calorie – and delicious! – options like lemon, balsamic vinegar, or home-made salsa. Make a protein- and calcium-rich dip for veggies using nonfat yogurt or fat-free ricotta. “If you find grilled meats too dry,” Lynn says, “try baked or stewed meat with vegetables. Low-fat mushroom or red pepper soup make great cooking sauces. You can also add low-fat sauces like tomato sauce, or create your own using low-fat mayo or 0-2% fat Greek yogurt.”

This list should set you off to a great start on your nutritious journey after weight loss surgery. When in doubt, always check with your surgeon or dietitian – they can offer additional advice on meal planning, cooking, eating out, shopping, and meeting your protein and supplement goals.

Entry Filed under: Food, Lap Band, Obesity Today, Realize Band, gastric bypass