Eating a healthy and varied diet after surgery is really important to aid with healing. Every operation is different, so whether you are having a breast augmentation Manchester-based or a stomach operation in London, the most important thing you can do is listen carefully to the advice of your surgeon. However, on the most part, the following foods will aid your recovery so you can feel more like yourself sooner! Recovery from surgery should never be rushed, but with the following foods, you can help your body to recover naturally.
Berries – High In Antioxidants
The first food that you should be incorporating into your diet is berries, as they are high in antioxidants that help your body to repair after surgery. Plus, they contain vitamin C, which can also help to speed up the healing process.
A really simple way to eat more berries is to combine 100g of frozen berries into a blender, with half a banana, 100ml of apple juice and 100ml of water. Add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds for protein and then blend really well. This is a quick and healthy snack to help you consume the important antioxidants you need after surgery.
Colourful Vegetables
Next up, you should also be eating lots of colourful vegetables to make sure that you are consuming a wide variety of different vitamins. When you are choosing vegetables, try to choose as many different colours as you can, as different coloured veg tends to contain different vitamins. For example, yellow vegetables tend to contain vitamin C for inflammation, orange vegetables contain beta-carotene for immune function, red vegetables help to repair cell damage, green vegetables help to prevent heart disease and white vegetables help to reduce blood pressure.
So, aim to eat your 5 a day, containing as many different colours as possible and this should help your body to recover!
Lean Meat – Protein
Protein is also very important after surgery, as it helps to repair the body tissues following surgery, it synthesizes collagen which aids with scar formation and it forms antibodies to fight infections. Each meal you eat should contain protein to help your body as much as possible.
When it comes to lean meat, any kind of lean poultry, fish and seafood, tofu, nuts and seeds will provide the all important protein that the body needs. You can also buy protein powders that make consuming enough protein after surgery much easier, when you might not be able to be cooking lots.
Healthy Fats
After surgery, eating healthy fats can help your body to absorb the different vitamins that you are consuming! This really helps your immune system and decreases the chance of infection, so eating small amounts of foods like olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, nuts and seeds should be a priority.
Final Thoughts
All of these foods can be really good for your body after surgery, but your priority should be listening to the advice of your surgeon, as they know much more about you and your specific surgery than us! Whether you’ve had quite a big operation like a mummy makeover, or something less invasive like a rhinoplasty, eating healthily should be a priority.