If you’ve recently been told that you will need to have a significant surgical procedure, there are many ways you will need to prepare. For example, you should read up about the procedure as much as possible, arrange childcare for your recovery period, book time off work, and much more. However, a little-discussed aspect of preparing for surgery is the diet you should follow. Adding certain foods to your diet can improve your health and improve the chances of your surgery going well, and recovering better from the procedure. Here are the best foods you should add to your diet if you’re preparing for surgery.
Fruits
Eating plenty of fruit is one of the best things you can do in order to prepare for surgery. Fruits such as citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits and limes have a high content of Vitamin C, which is essential for improving your immune system. During a surgical procedure, you will be at high risk of infection, so it’s important that you work to improve your immune system, to better protect your body. Vitamin C also includes collagen, which is essential for promoting your body’s recovery after surgery.
Vegetables
Vegetables are also a fantastic addition to a pre-surgery diet. They are easily digestible, which will help you maintain your weight before surgery. Many vegetables are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals which can help stave off inflammation, which is incredibly important after surgery. Just like fruit, vegetables also have a high amount of Vitamin C, to strengthen your immune system and fight against potential infection. The best vegetables with the highest amount of beneficial nutrients pre-surgery include broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes and leafy greens. If you want to support your heart and blood flow, which is essential for healing, you should eat more avocados as well.
Unsaturated Fats
You may have been told that you will need to avoid fats in order to prepare for surgery, however, this isn’t the full picture. Certainly, you will need to avoid unhealthy and processed fats, as these can clog up your body and impact your heart, which isn’t great pre-surgery.However, eating unsaturated fats is a good idea pre-surgery – foods such as avocado, olive oil, oily fish, nuts, and dried fruits are fantastic for your body pre-surgery. Unsaturated fats improve blood cholesterol levels, fight inflammation, and stabilize the heart which are all useful for preparing for surgery.
Slow Carbohydrates
Slow carbohydrates, sometimes known as complex carbohydrates, include foods such as brown rice and pasta, leafy vegetables, and nuts. These foods are great as part of a pre-surgery diet, as the nutrients are absorbed more slowly into the body. This means that they don’t cause a rapid insulin spike, making them better for maintaining blood sugar levels and overall health. Complex carbohydrates are great for slowly releasing energy throughout the day and keeping you full, making you less likely to gorge on simple carbohydrates and sugar. Eat complex carbohydrates with protein for the best results.
Proteins
Protein is without a doubt the number one best food you need to eat in a pre-surgery diet. This includes red and white meat, fish, eggs, and seafood. Protein helps your muscles strengthen and is the best food to eat if you want to build up your muscles. When you have strong muscles, your body can recover better from trauma, such as incisions (surgery.) If you want your recovery period to be amazing, you should definitely start incorporating protein into your diet. Researchers on breast enlargement in Manchester found that patients who had more protein in their diet had better recovery over all.
Optimizing your diet for surgery is one of the best things you can do to improve your chances of a smooth surgery, and a great recovery period. If you’ve got a surgery coming up, make sure to add these food groups into your diet – you won’t regret it!