Our Nutrients

Our Main Nutrients are Water, protein and carbohydrates

Water

Water is the most abundant nutrient in your body. Approximately 70% of your body is comprised of water. Your blood is 90% of water. You muscles are about 70% water. Your bones are 20% water. Without adequate water, nothing in your body can function properly. Every physiological process in your body either takes place in or depend on water!

Water contains no calories or carbohydrates and will assist the body to flush out toxins. The minimum fluid intake requirement is one liters of water per day (30-22 ounces). Sip slowly. Do not force fluids. Drinking too fast or gulping will create pain, discomfort and possibly vomiting. Most patients find that warm water goes down easier than cold water. This will be a new concept and it will take time to adjust to it. If water does not taste good to you after surgery, add lemon or lime it to add flavor.

Protein

Proteins are the most plentiful substance in the body next to water. Protein breaksdown into aminoacids that are necessary for the construction of body proteins, which are vital for the growth and maintenance of muscles, blood, internal organs, skin, hair and nails. Protein is also vital for the formation of hormones, enzymes and antibodies. Protein increases your metabolism and slows down your appetite. Lean protein has twice the thermal effect of either fats or carbohydrates….it will speed up your metabolism. With the metabolic increases that protein will cause, your body will in turn burn more calories than if you eat an equal serving of fats or carbohydrates. Protein also  has a higher satiety (satisfying) value than carbohydrates. In summary, protein promotes good health, lowers appetite and assists with weight loss. Common sources of protein are lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheeses, beans and nuts.

EAT YOUR PROTEIN FIRST!!

It is necessary to take in 80 gms of protein a day. Space out the intake of protein in the entire day.

Remember that the first few weeks after surgery, protein will be difficult to ingest through your foods. That is why we recommend protein supplements. If you do not take in enough protein, you will begin to breakdown your lean muscle mass for fuel and you may feel nauseated and weak. Please make sure that you pay close attention to your protein intake.

Protein is one of the most important nutrients that you must take in everyday for the rest of your life. Remember that protein in general costs more than carbohydrates. Think about how much a bag of potatoes costs and compare that to a lean piece of chicken. Opting for potatoes is not a choice after surgery; you must choose protein, as it is vital to your health.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are not all created equal. Some are good for us; some are bad-promoting weight-gain, ill health and disease. Carbohydrates come in two forms: those containing a low glycemic index (the good) also known as complex carbohydrates and those containing a high glycemic index (the bad) also known as simple carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates will cause a minimal rise in the blood glucose (sugar) level. It is the high glycemic index or simple carbohydrates that cause a rapid and large rise in the blood glucose. High glycemic index carbohydrates have been implicated in many chronic diseases – type II diabetes (adult onset), high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease just to name a few. The carbohydrates you should avoid are as follows:-

• All processed foods – ALL WHITE FOODS ! Starches and sugars have a high glycemic index and will cause large, rapid swings in blood sugar levels.
• Bread
• Starchy vegetables (potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes)
• Fruit juices, soft drinks
• Sweets, desserts

The carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index and are encouraged are:

• All fresh fruits
• All fresh vegetables (except starches)
• Whole grains – wheat, oats and brown rice etc.

Low glycemic index / complex carbohydrates are necessary in the diet to prevent nutritional deficiencies, energy loss, depression and lose of body protein. Eat complex carbohydrates to maintain proper nutrition.

Remember that simple carbohydrates and starches can slow down weight lose and may cause weight gain!! Avoid processed carbohydrates and starches such as rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, snack crackers, pretzels, and chips. Do not snack on soft calories and do not drink liquid calories.

At approximately one year from surgery , your calorie intake usually averages out to 1,200-1,500 calories per day – remember to maintain that caloric intake.

Sugar

You will still be able to absorb sugar. Sugar will cause weight gain! You much moderate your sugar intake. If you eat simple sugar it will slow down your weight loss. Filling up on concentrated sweets will prevent weight lose and decrease your ability to take in the required amount of protein necessary. Read foods labels for the sugar content. Avoid those foods that have high sugar contents.

How To Read A Food Label?

It is important to learn how to read labels so you can compare products and make the best choice for your health.

First point is the portion or serving size, for example, the portion size on the label gives you the nutrition information for that size only. In this example, the serving size is 1 slice or 47 grams. If you eat double the serving size listed, you need to double the nutrient and calorie values. If you eat half of the serving size shown here, cut the nutrient and calorie values to half.

Figure

Calories – Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food. Remember : the number of servings you consume determines the number of calories you actually eat (your portion amount) in the example, there are 160 calories in one serving or one slice. How many calories from fat are there in ONE serving? Answer : 90 calories, which means more than half the calories in a single serving, come from fat. What if you ate the whole package content?

General Guide to Calories

• 40 Calories is low
• 100 Calories is moderate
• 400 Calories or more is high

Nutrients to be limited

Fat & Sodium are the nutrients you need to watch out for. Eating too much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure. Food that has less than 5% daily value of fat is low fat. This example is high fat because it has 15% daily value of fat, whereas your total daily value of calories from fat should not be more than 20%.

General Guide to Fat

• Fat Free less than 0.5 gms of fat per serving
• Low fat – 3gms of fat (or less) per serving
• Lean – less thatn 10 gms of fat, 4.5 gms of saturated fat, and no more than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving
• Light (Lite) – 1/3 less calories or no more than 1.4 the fat of the higher-calorie, higher-fat version; or no more than ½ the sodium of the higher-sodium version
• Cholesterol Free less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 gms (or less) of saturated fat per serving.

Proteins – is the most  important nutrient you need. You need a minimum of 60 gm of proteins on daily basis, so opt for foods that provide you more proteins and less calories.

In the above example a single serving provides us only 3 gms of protein which is less so try to combine this with some other rick source of protein like milk or chicken etc.

Carbohydrates – They are a very important source of energy and fiber in our daily diet. We must check out the calories by total carbohydrates and also keep an account of the calories coming from sugars. Post the surgery a diet rich in fiber is advised, so keeping an account of the fiber content of the food item will be very vital. In the above example only 5% of your daily value is coming from Carbs and the amount of sugar is also less, it has only 1 gm of sugar.

Healthy Cooking Techniques

The foods that make up a healthy diet are usually simple to prepare. The most difficult part of healthy cooking is breaking bad habits!. Here are some tips to assist you in getting started:

• Use non-stick cookware to sauté or brown foods or non stick cooking spray so that you do not need to add fat and oils. This can save you about 120 calories and 14 gms of fat just by using this technique.
• Grill, poach, roast or stir-fry (using low-fat oils, olive oil) instead of frying foods.
• Saute onion, mushrooms, celery, peppers in small amounts of low-sodium broth or water instead of oils or butter.
• In recipes, when using dairy products, substitute reduced fat varieties
• Add flavor to vegetables with herbs, butter flakes and spices
• Substitute sugar in all your recipes, partially with cinnamon, sugar substitute, vanilla and fruits to enhance flavor.
• Enhance foods flavors with lemon or lime juice, garlic, flavored vinegar, ginger and small amounts of reduced sodium soy-sauce.

Herbs, Spices and Seasoning to Stock in the Pantry

Use this list to stock your kitchen. Keeping the pantry full of basics will again assist you with ensuring healthy food preparation.

Get in the kitchen and begin to experiment with these spices. Go online and research new recipes and ideas. This will soon become a way of life for you; however, you must stick to the plan. You will soon learn that foods taste great without excess fat and calories.

Shopping in the market and your restaurant surgical guide

The first steps:

• Clean out your refrigerator.
• Clean out your cabinets