Food is one of the most important components of a healthy recovery, as you need to give the body the fuel it needs to recover from the trauma and damage to the cells. So, we are here to show you how with a few main food groups you should be eating to have a healthy recovery! You should always take advise from your surgeon as they will know most about your procedure, as the advise you will receive if you’ve had a mummy makeover will differ quite significantly to if you’ve had bowel surgery, for example. We are introducing some general advise but make sure to always ask your surgeon.
Lean Protein
Firslty, you need to make sure that you are eating plenty of lean protein. This is one of the most important things you can eat, as protein is essential to repair damaged body tissues, to help the body fight infections and also to create collagen which is essential to form scars and help wounds to heal.
So, you should aim to eat a handful of protein with every meal. Things like chicken, turkey, lean beef mince, some seafoods, legumes and tofu are all great sources of lean protein. Avoid very fatty sources like steaks, high fat beef mince and fatty fish like salmon, as these can really aggravate the stomach after surgery for some people.
Rainbow Coloured Fruits and Vegetables
Next up, we have rainbow coloured fruits and vegetables. Different coloured fruits and vegetables tend to contain different vitamins, for example yellow fruits and veg like bananas, lemons, corn and yellow peppers are high in vitamin C, green fruits and veg like green apples, spinach, kale and broccoli and high in potassium and folic acid and red vegetables and fruits like red peppers, strawberries and raspberries are filled with vitamin A. When you eat a range of coloured fruits and veg throughout the week, you will be helping to make sure your body is functioning healthily.
Soups and Smoothies
Carrying on with the topic of rainbow coloured fruits and vegetables, soups and smoothies are a great way to incorporate more of them into your diet and they are also really easy to make post surgery if you aren’t able to move much. For example, if you’ve had cosmetic surgery Manchester based you might be far more mobile than if you’ve had a hip replacement in London. So, let’s get into why soups and smoothies are so good.
Soups are a great way to get a variety of different vegetables in a meal that is easy to prepare and easy to swallow. Go for butternut squash, red pepper and kale, green goddess soup, curried root vegetable soup or minestrone to get a great boost of vitamins and minerals all in one bowl.
Smoothies are another way to eat lots of fruits all in one go. Berries are great antioxidants, so fill your smoothie cup half way with berries, add half a banana, a splash of apple juice and fill the rest with water. Finish with a tablespoon of chia seeds and blend until completely smoothe. Green smoothies with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, chia seeds, pineapple juice and water are also very good for you and taste delicious.