5 Healthy Lunch Ideas After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Here are 5 healthy lunch Ideas for patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery.

These recipes are specially formulated for these patients to overcome the stress of the surgery as well as avoid developing a deficiency of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Nutrition for Bariatric Surgery Patients:

Bariatric surgery, especially gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass are very effective methods for the long-term treatment of obesity.

These procedures are increasingly becoming popular because they lower obesity-associated complications such as sleep apnea, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases).

However several nutritional deficiencies after surgery are frequent and have a variety of reasons.

Nutritional deficiencies are common in obese patients and individuals who are on a weight loss diet, especially the crash weight loss diet.

Following surgery, the risk of insufficiency is increased by decreased food intake, inadequate diet quality, altered digestion and absorption, and noncompliance with supplementation schedules.

To overcome these deficiencies that are common in post-bariatric surgery patients, it is recommended to add a certain amount of micronutrients and macronutrients to their daily meals.

Lunch is one of the vital options to add a good amount of calories to fulfill the basic needs of individuals after such an invasive surgery.

How to Plan Your Diet Postoperatively?

 The first 8 weeks after a bariatric surgery are very crucial. It is recommended to plan post-operative meals according to the following table:

In the postoperative period, it is beneficial for the health of individuals to shift diet type in each phase according to recommendation as it might be helpful for the recovery of patients and to overcome different deficiencies.

Here are 5 Healthy Gastric Bypass Lunch Ideas and Recipes:

Here are some fascinating and delicious lunch ideas and recipes that will be helpful to maintain your health and give you a feeling of fullness at the same time.

1. Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 small tomato diced
• 2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• 8 leaves butter leaf lettuce

Recipe:

• Take the chicken breast and season it in the oven with ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Bake it for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.
• When the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool, then dice it finely. Add Greek yogurt, tomato, diced chicken, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl and mix it well.
• Take a scoop of chicken mixture add it into lettuce leaf and wrap it tightly to eat with a fork.

2. Tomato, Lentil, and Mint soup:

Ingredients:

• 1 onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove chopped
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• Vegetable stock, 2.5 cups
• 2 cup canned Lentils
• Mint leaves

Recipe:

• Take a large pan with low-fat cooking spray. Heat it and add the onion, garlic, tomatoes chopped and cook until softened for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add canned lentils, vegetable stock, and mint with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and bring it to a boil, cover it, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Blend it in a blender to make a smooth puree.

3. Baked Chicken and beans:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of cooked beans
• 1 cup fresh green beans
• 2 tsp chopped fresh herbs, like basil or oregano
• 1 tsp minced fresh garlic
• ½ tsp of salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 skinless chicken breasts

Recipe:

• Rinse and drain the chopped herbs, beans, and minced garlic.
• Mix all the ingredients like beans, herbs, and minced garlic, and add salt, black pepper, and red pepper to taste.
• Add chicken breast on top drizzle it with olive oil and add salt and pepper.
• Bake it for 45 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees.

4. Avocado chicken salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast cooked and diced
• 1 small avocado diced
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 lime, juiced

Recipe:

• Boil the chicken breast let it cool and cut it into pieces
• Sliced the avocado. Add the chicken and avocado in a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, and lime juice.
• Toss all the ingredients together. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it.

5. Vanilla Egg Custards:

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 container – Light evaporated milk
• Granulated no-calorie sweetener
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup 1% low-fat milk

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Beat the eggs with the evaporated milk, sweetener, vanilla extract, and low-fat milk.
• Put it inside a heat-proof baking dish and sprinkle a little grounded nutmeg if you like.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove from the baking dish and refrigerate it to cool before serving.

Post-Meal Discomfort After Gastric Bypass:

Postmeal abdominal discomfort is common after gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery.

These include nausea, bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, tachycardia, and hypotension.

Most symptoms develop as a result of the rapid carbohydrate influx into the intestine resulting in fluid shifts. This leads to hypotension after meals.

In addition, the rapid absorption of carbohydrates leads to insulin production causing hypoglycemia.

Collectively, these symptoms are called the “Dumping Syndrome”

Certain eating habits e.g.; fast eating and consumption of large amounts of foods, result in an increased postprandial satiety signal production and therefore false signals being sent to the brain.

Also, postprandial discomfort often occurs due to the consumption of fatty meals.

It is recommended that the use of a high-fiber diet and a diet with balanced amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats would be helpful postprandially to recover the health and multiple deficiencies.

A balanced and fiber-rich meal may also reduce some of the symptoms of abdominal discomfort after meals.

Foods to Avoid After Gastric Bypass Surgery:

To enhance your health post-gastric bypass, opt for foods that promote easy digestion and satiety, while also helping to prevent weight gain and diabetes.

Avoid these foods for maximum benefits:

Liquids:

• Carbonated beverages,
• Caffeinated beverages,
• Sugary beverages, and
• Alcohol.

Proteins:

• Dry, tough meat.

Carbohydrates:

• Rice,
• Pasta,
• Doughy bread products (untoasted bread),
• The skin on fruits,
• Dried fruits, and
• Dry fibrous cereals such as granola and bran cereal.

Fats:

• Raw nuts and seeds,
• Fried foods,
• Greasy foods (skin-on poultry, fat on meat), and
• Butter

Other foods:

• Sugar,
• Sweetened sauces,
• Candies,
• Cookies, and
• Raw celery.