For a quality lifestyle, proper nutrition is crucial, but analyzing your preoperative nutrition and making the right adjustments is a necessity.
Preparing for surgery requires planning. Think of preoperative nutrition like preparing for a marathon or a major match. You need to prepare yourself for a procedure that can cause stress to your body. Proper nutrition can help you navigate this stressful situation more easily.
During the perioperative period, primary nutritional goals include assessing the patient’s pre-existing nutritional status, treating any inadequate nutrition to optimize surgical preparation, minimizing fasting, preventing postoperative malnutrition, and supporting anabolism for recovery.
Although additional nutritional considerations may be necessary to provide surgical subspecialties and personalized patient care, these fundamental nutritional principles apply to all cases.
Preoperative Nutrition Rules
Make sure you consume enough protein. Ensure that you consume enough protein every day at least 1-2 weeks before the surgery. Protein requirements depend on the amount of muscle you have, but research has shown that 65-100 grams per day is optimal. Protein provides the building blocks for our muscles, bones, and immune system. You want to be as strong as possible when entering surgery.
Stock up on fruits and vegetables. Add fruits and vegetables to most meals and snacks. Green vegetables are great for your skin and repair muscles, bones, and cartilage, containing many vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C, K, and magnesium.
Include whole grains. Make sure you include good whole grain sources to provide your body with all the B vitamins it needs to cope with stress.
Eat less of these. Consider reducing or eliminating added sugar, caffeine, and alcohol from your diet. These create more stress on the body and actually deplete the body of nutrients needed for proper metabolism.
Postoperative Nutrition Guidelines
Postoperative nutrition goals facilitate faster recovery and help you return to doing the things you love as soon as possible. Maintaining an appropriate postoperative diet is crucial.
Some individuals may experience a decreased appetite after surgery and while taking pain medications. However, surgery increases the body’s calorie requirements, and you need more calories to heal.
If your appetite is reduced, eat smaller meals more frequently.
Add fiber. Include fiber in every meal and snack on fruits, vegetables, cooked beans, and whole grains. Fiber helps maintain regular bowel movements.
Consume enough protein. Get protein at every meal for your muscles and bones. Protein sources include meat, fish, eggs, poultry, nuts, dairy products, soy products, and cooked dry beans.
Calcium is an essential component of bones. Consume milk or calcium-fortified fruit juices, and eat yogurt or cheese. If you don’t get enough from your diet, your doctor may recommend a calcium supplement and vitamin D.
Vitamin C aids in healing wounds and bone formation. Get vitamin C from citrus fruits, green and red bell peppers, kale, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and potatoes.
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. To prevent constipation, aim to consume at least six to eight glasses of fluids per day.
Before aesthetic surgery, there isn’t much difference in terms of the process compared to what we just discussed. Start by avoiding processed foods and refined carbohydrates that can increase inflammation. The best foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, eggs, beans, avocados, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Fruits are great for starting the day as they contain antioxidants and easily absorbed nutrients. Also, consider eating non-starchy vegetables throughout the day. Before surgery, remember to reduce caffeinated beverages, carbonated drinks, and alcohol. Stop taking all food and herbal supplements (vitamins, herbs, minerals, etc.), and your preoperative surgeon will advise you on which supplements to continue.
