Diet after bypass surgery

Bypass surgery is a chance to live a full and long life. After the operation, pain in the heart disappears, the risk of a heart attack decreases, and the need for taking medications decreases. It is important to understand that surgery is only the beginning of a long journey to health. To properly take advantage of the chance given by medicine, you need to adhere to certain rules. It's about dieting.

The rehabilitation process

The rehabilitation program offers compliance with strict lifestyle changes. The first thing the patient should change is nutrition. What you can eat after bypassing the vessels of the heart, the patient should first be told by the doctor. Patients after AOS should forever forget about such bad habits as smoking, drinking alcohol and breaking the daily routine.

After heart surgery, it is imperative to lose weight. This should be done gradually, without loading the body with physical activity, therapeutic methods and dietary supplements. Controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels is a must for maintaining heart health.

In the recovery process after bypass surgery, you need to regularly measure blood pressure and make significant changes to your diet. Nutrition after bypass surgery on the heart must be correct.

The need for a diet

For most people, a diet after coronary artery bypass surgery is associated with a sharp dietary restriction. Many patients who once wanted to lose weight have gone through this before. The methods they used were not entirely correct: a complete dietary restriction, a complete rejection of fats and carbohydrates, a categorical reduction in calories. In no case should this be done, because with this approach, the body does not receive fuel, getting it from muscle mass.

Statistics say that patients often reappear on the operating table, whose vessels are clogged as much as possible. The reason for this situation is malnutrition after shunting. Eating fatty foods, fried and salty in large quantities, smoking and alcohol - all this leads to the formation of plaques, clogging of blood vessels and getting on the operating table.

The work of the cardiovascular system begins to fail. If you return to your previous lifestyle after coronary artery bypass surgery, the disease may return with renewed vigor. The risk of formation of new plaques increases significantly. The shunts can become clogged, and it will be impossible to restore health.

The only way to keep the result of the operation for many years is to follow a diet. Throughout life, you should adhere to certain rules in nutrition. The main one is the exclusion from the diet of foods rich in fats and cholesterol:

• oil;
• margarine;
• mayonnaise;
• pork;
• cheeses;
• fat sour cream;
• flour products.

With the constant use of meat, it is better to choose low-fat types. Preferably the rest - chicken fillet, all parts of the turkey, lean beef. The method of cooking meat is boiling or steaming. Nutrition after heart bypass surgery should be as beneficial as possible.

Basic Rules

For patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting, special rules have been developed, which must be followed not only during the rehabilitation period, but also after it. The post-bypass diet should follow these rules:

• the percentage of fat - no more than 7% of all calories;
• transgenic and fatty foods are prohibited;
• fish consumption - no more than 6 times a month;
• Drinks containing sugar are not recommended.
• sodium intake should be reduced to 2.3 grams per day;
• monitor the balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the body.

Separately, it should be said about the use of table salt. It has long been a necessity for most people. Patients after CABG will have to severely limit themselves. Salt leads to fluid retention, which, in turn, adversely affects the work of the cardiovascular system.

Salt should not be 100% eliminated from the diet. Such a diet after CABG will only hurt. Small amounts of sodium must be supplied or the body will borrow it from the tissues. This will lead to a deterioration in the health of the patient. The daily salt intake during the recovery period after bypass surgery is no more than 4-5 grams per day.

Controlling salt intake is difficult. The only option is separate cooked dishes. Salt for them should be poured daily into a jar. So you can be sure that the weight of the eaten does not exceed the allowable size.

A teaspoon holds 10 grams of salt. The daily norm of a cardiologist patient is from one third to half a spoon. Another tip for those who have difficulty controlling their salt intake is not to use it during the cooking process, but to add salt just before eating.

The benefits of proteins and carbohydrates

Recently, the benefits of protein diets have been talked about a lot and often. The virtues prescribed by it allow patients after bypass surgery to lead a healthy lifestyle without experiencing serious difficulties.

The essence of such a diet is that the patient should eat mainly protein foods. This will not only maintain health, but also get rid of excess weight. The body spends a lot of energy on the absorption of protein, so the feeling of hunger does not arise for a long time. Women are recommended to consume protein in an amount of at least 120 grams per day, men - at least 180.

An excellent source of protein is fish. After giving up many familiar products, many patients pay special attention to it. Some other types of products will also be useful:

• seafood;
• oatmeal, buckwheat and millet porridge;
• olive and linseed oil;
• low-fructose vegetables and fruits;
• low-fat cottage cheese;
• boiled turkey, rabbit, veal.

These foods are extremely beneficial for a heart that has undergone surgery.

Increased protein intake should not be abused. It is impossible to completely exclude fat and carbohydrates from the diet, because the opposite effect is likely to occur.

Not all carbohydrates are the same. Their nutritional value can also be different. Carbohydrates found in foods with a high glycemic index can be consumed. They are found in foods such as cereals, rice, durum wheat.

Another type of carbohydrate is not recommended for patients after AOS. Very quickly absorbed, they contribute to the constant feeling of hunger and overeating. Foods containing such “fast”, animal carbohydrates include cakes, pastries, sodas, fast food, juices and sugary nectars.

If the rejection of sweet and starchy foods is difficult to tolerate, you can find a replacement for harmful foods. So, instead of sweets, you can eat fruits, cookies can be replaced with dried fruits, for example, prunes. Fiber, vitamins present in the composition of vegetable sweets will have a beneficial effect on the health of not only the cardiovascular system, but the whole organism as a whole.

Drinking water used after shunting should only be used after filtration. The heart is an organ that supports our life and requires a careful attitude towards itself. In the event of any failure, a person must take all measures to restore and consolidate the effect obtained during treatment.

How to cook food

Diet after coronary artery bypass surgery requires not only a competent choice of products. But their quality preparation. It is extremely irrational to buy healthy red fish and cook it in a “harmful” way - fry it in oil. Such a dish is completely unsuitable for eating the core. During the preparation process, the following rules should be followed:

1. Dishes should not be fried, but baked. During frying, the chemical composition of food changes, accompanied by the formation of harmful substances such as carcinogens and trans fats. They harm not only the heart, but the whole body as a whole. If you can’t do without fried, you can use the grill and cook food without using oil.
2. For convenience and correct cooking, a double boiler is useful. The steam method is the most convenient and useful, although, I must admit, it is not always loved by many patients. However, if you show imagination, steam cooking can deliver many pleasant gastronomic sensations.
3. Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting should avoid condiments such as ketchup and mayonnaise.

After heart surgery, the patient must follow the principles of a healthy diet. The list of acceptable products is quite wide. This allows you to make the table varied, but not harmful. The most important thing when following any diet is comfort and a feeling of satiety. This can be achieved by choosing foods rich in proteins and healthy carbohydrates. Patience should be exercised, and such a diet will become a lifelong one, and following a diet to prevent re-occlusion of blood vessels will become an easy and interesting thing.

Diet after bypass surgery - Video