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Does Your Protein Measure Up?

Protein, protein, protein! That’s the first nutrient we emphasize as you go through our program. Do you know if your protein is measuring up? Protein is important in preserving muscle mass, a healthy immune system and hundreds of other important functions in our bodies. Your protein goal is provided to you during your first visit with the dietitian. There are several ways to calculate your protein.

Foods that have a Nutrition Facts label are helpful. This label lists the number of nutrients in one serving of the food. If the package has two servings and you eat the entire package... Read More »

Looking for Lactose

A fair number of bariatric patients end up with lactose intolerance after surgery. Lactose is the sugar found in milk from cows and goats.

During the rapid weight loss phase, you do lose some muscle mass. The digestive system is a muscle. Think of the small intestine like a roll of shag carpet, with the carpet fibers inside. Healthy small intestines will have structures more like shag carpet on the inside. These structures are called villi. When you lose muscle mass in the small intestines, the villi will shrink. That means you have less surface area to produce lactase. Lactase is... Read More »

The Fats of Life

Once upon a time, fat was considered bad for you. The low fat craze of the 1990s ushered in countless food products low in fat, but high in carbohydrates. People started seeing blood sugars go up. People were also hungry! Fat helps you stay fuller longer because it takes longer to digest.

What we know is fat is an essential nutrient:

Fat is a source of energy A part of hormones Is needed for the coating over the nerve cells Makes up part of cell membranes Cushions internal organs Helps absorb the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) And is part of what makes up the... Read More »

The Great Sugar Hunt

We are born with a preference for sweet tastes. However, sugar carries calories without any fiber, protein, fat, vitamins or minerals. Sugar is basically empty calories.

Reading the Nutrition Facts Label can be confusing. Sugar can be found in a wide range of foods. In 2018, the Nutrition Facts Label was updated to include “added sugars.” This will appear below the carbohydrate listing. The label now has total sugars and added sugars.

Naturally occurring sugars come from fruit (fructose) and dairy (lactose). Vegetables and grain foods can also have a small amount of... Read More »

Water Nausea after Bariatric Surgery

How did it feel to sip that first ounce of water after surgery? For some of you, it was fine. For others, it may have felt like you were being tortured. Plain water can feel heavy in your stomach pouch.

If you aren’t tolerating water after surgery, that’s called water nausea. It’s not really clear why this happens. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, the difference in acidity in the stomach or part of the surgery process have been suggested as reasons why plain water isn’t tolerated.

Why is water important? Water plays many important roles within the body:

Water... Read More »

Oh, Nuts!

We are moving into the fall season with the promise of cooler weather and watching our landscape change from greens, oranges, reds and golds. Another fall happening is eagerly waiting for a fresh crop of pecans. During the low fat craze of the 1990s, nuts were vilified as being too high in fat. As it turns out, nuts are brimming with healthy fats, fiber, protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Many studies are showing that nuts can improve cholesterol numbers, assist with weight loss and trim your waistline. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 30 years of... Read More »

Do you need to eat or want to eat?

Mindful eating is paying attention to whether you eat because of physiological hunger or head hunger. Physiological hunger is the need to eat. It’s your body’s way to let you know it’s time to fuel up. Signals for physiological hunger include stomach grumbling or growling, feeling shaky, lack of focus, drop in energy, irritability, headaches or food becoming a dominant thought.

Head hunger is when you want to eat without physiological hunger. This is also called non-hunger eating. Triggers for head hunger include stress, emotions, aromas, coping, comfort, reward, mood, taste,... Read More »

Supplements Savvy

Supplements are needed throughout your life after bariatric surgery. You will not be able to eat the amount or variety of foods to get in all the essential vitamins and minerals. With a smaller stomach, you have less stomach acid to help iron get released from food. Also with a smaller stomach pouch, you are less able to activate B12 to help with absorption.

A complete multi-supplement, iron, calcium and B12 are the basic supplements recommended to maintain healthy nutrition status. Beyond these basics, many patients may take other supplements after bariatric surgery.

Keep... Read More »

Find Nutrition Information

Figuring out what is in our foods seems like a mystery at times. We emphasize food logs to help you discover whether you are meeting your protein goals and keeping carbohydrate intake in check.

If you are using an app for food logging, the database is there. You just have to type in your foods. The food logging app calculates everything for you. You’ll often get the amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugars and fat. You will need to be specific about the amount and type of food you are entering. If you just say cooked chicken breast, sometimes the default choice is much more... Read More »

Chew On This

Are you chewing to applesauce consistency? If you are, good for you! If you are not, why? Chewing to applesauce consistency is important for success before and after surgery. Come to think of it, everyone on planet Earth should be chewing to applesauce consistency.

Chewing to applesauce helps in many ways. Chewing well slows down your eating. Because your brain needs time to recognize fullness, taking more time will help you feel full on less food. Chewing well also gets your food into that applesauce texture. When you lose part of your stomach, you have less ability to get your... Read More »

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