January 2021
Jacqui Lewis - BHSc Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine
What Will Keep You Feeling Satisfied and Healthy?
Overeating can cause weight regain among bariatric surgery patients. Aside from the food they eat, their daily food habits could also affect their nutrition and the feeling of satisfaction when eating.
But how can you feel satisfied with the food you eat and avoid the adverse effect of eating more than you need? Here are tips to stay full longer and achieve a healthier lifestyle.
1. Include a HIGH PROTEIN FOOD at every meal & snack
WHY?
High protein foods help keeps you stay full
longer, and regulate your blood sugars to ward of hunger and cravings.
Help you maintain muscle
and lose fat!
2. Take your time to eat (NO TV, NO Screens)
Eating slowly and savouring your food
without distractions increases satiety at
meal times.
WHY?
This gives your brain time to process
that you are eating (satiety) and lets you
get the flavour fix you’re looking for. It's said to increase how much
nutrition is absorbed from your
food.
3. Ask yourself if liquid protein snacks (aka ‘slider foods’) keep you stay full long enough (Ex. milk, yogurt, soft cheeses, cereal).
While these foods are nutritious and
provide good quality protein, they
may not help you feel as full as you
felt in the first few months after
surgery.
WHY?
These liquid foods spend less time in
your stomach which is why you
maybe feel hungry soon after
eating.
4. Always delay your fluids from your solid foods
Stop drinking 30 minutes before your
meals/snacks and wait at least 30
minutes after eating to start drinking
again.
WHY?
Drinking and eating at the
same time dilutes your
precious stomach acid
(heavily reduced after surgery) and it
takes up precious space for quality
food and nutrients. Stomach acid is
responsible for breaking down food
and also plays a part in your ability to
absorb those all important nutrients
too.
Jacqui Lewis
BHSc Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine
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