How Your Diet Can Help You Recover from Surgery

Everyone knows about the importance of eating a balanced diet on an everyday basis for optimal health. But what about when you’re not in optimal health? What foods should you go for when you’re sick or recovering from an illness? And what foods should you eat when you’re recovering from a surgery?

Eating the right foods after your surgery can help you recover thoroughly. Here’s a few reasons why you’ll want to consider eating the right stuff.

Rebuilding Tissue

Eating a balanced diet post-surgery can help your body rebuild organ and muscle tissue. A balanced diet that has healthy amounts of nutrients in it provides your body with the building blocks it needs to rebuild bodily tissues.

Your body uses the protein, vitamins, and minerals in your food to rebuild all your various tissue types. Eating a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, and lean proteins as well as supplementing with a multivitamin can help you get the right amounts of the nutrition you need. Also, don’t forget to consider organ meats. They’re a bit untraditional, but they’re been shown to aid in the recovery process post-surgery.

Reducing Inflammation

While inflammation is a normal part of the healing process, it can be painful and too much of it can hinder the healing process. Medications are often prescribed to help with inflammation after a surgery, but there are natural sources of anti-inflammatories you can consume in your diet as well.

Often prescribed post-surgery, corticosteroids can help reduce inflammation, but they aren’t the only anti-inflammatory at your disposal. According to the Harvard Medical School, foods such as tomatoes, olive oil, and green leafy vegetables can help fight inflammation, as well as the spice turmeric.

Recovering Energy

Diet can also be an important factor in energizing your body. Your energy levels may hit an all-time low after surgery as your body is busy rebuilding your tissues. Things such as not getting enough fluids or eating hard-to-digest meals can often detract from your energy levels and your recovery process as a whole.

While there are many specific foods out there that can help give you an energy boost, they’re generally the same categories as you would think: fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, and lean proteins. And yes, in case you’re wondering, coffee is on the list.

Recovering from a surgery can be a painful process, but with a combination of prescribed medicines and the right food, you’ll be well on your way to a thorough recovery.

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