Gastric Bypass Surgery and Protein
After a gastric bypass, protein becomes an extremely important part of the diet. You won’t absorb protein as well as you used to, so you’ll to take in more protein than you did before the surgery. Recommended amount of protein varies slightly from doctor to doctor and dietitian to dietitian, but seems to be between 60 grams and 75 grams.
There are serious consequences to not getting enough protein. Protein deficiency can cause nausea, weakness, fatigue, and hair loss. It damages the muscles, including the heart.
Gastric bypass patients are advised to eat protein with every meal and to consider high-protein foods for snacks. It’s important to spread protein intake throughout the course of the day, because the body does not store protein. Only 30 – 40 grams of protein can be absorbed at one time, so making a protein shake containing more than that is useless.
You can add protein to various foods by using unflavored protein powder. It can be stirred into soups, stews, chili, and other dishes. If you’re adding it to hot dishes, make sure it’s heat stable (it should say so on the package).
Protein drink mixes come in a variety of flavors. Most common are chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. You can buy ready-to-use products or purchase powders that are mixed with milk or water. Some that are mixed with milk are rather like milkshakes, while others that are mixed with water are more like Koolaide or Crystal Lite.
You can buy samples of a number of protein drink mixes at www.vitalady.com. That way you don’t spend $20 or $30 on a tub of protein powder you may not end up liking. By the way, beware of stocking up on protein powders before having gastric bypass surgery. Tastes often change following the surgery, so what you like before the operation may not taste good afterward.
Many people have difficulty getting enough protein in because they don’t like the taste of protein drinks. Fortunately, there are many tasty ways to get protein in. You can add things to your protein powder to make it taste better and to give you variety. You can make a smoothie with milk or yogurt and fruit. You can use Crystal Lite or sugar-free pudding mix to flavor protein shakes. You can add instant coffee to your protein shakes to make a mocha drink.
Here are some of my favorite protein drink recipes:
Orange Julius
- one cup skim milk
- one packet of sugar free instant breakfast
- one packet of orange Crystal Lite on the go
- one scoop of vanilla protein powder
- three or four ice cubes
Put everything but the ice in the blender and blend for 30 seconds. Then add the ice and blend for one minute.
Vanilla Latte Shake
- one cup skim milk
- one packet of General Foods International vanilla latte on the go
- one scoop of vanilla protein powder
Put everything but the ice in the blender and blend for 30 seconds. Then add the ice and blend for one minute.
Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
- one cup plain or vanilla yogurt
- ┬╜ of a banana
- ┬╜ cup frozen strawberries
- one scoop of vanilla protein powder
Put yogurt and protein powder in the blender and blend for 30 seconds. Then add banana and strawberries and blend for one minute.
Pina Colada Smoothie
- ┬╜ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
- ┬╜ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- ┬╜ cup frozen pineapple
one scoop of vanilla protein powder
Put yogurt, coconut milk, and protein powder in the blender and blend for 30 seconds. Then add frozen pineapple and blend for one minute.
Additionally, before the surgery, you should do some research first. For example, if you are having a rhonoplasty, it is better to search for non-surgical rhinoplasty before and after photos so you’ll have an idea what to expect.