Post-surgical recovery
Surgery could be a scary word for any of us. When a person goes through a medical procedure there are many things a person could expect from it. From presurgical anxiety to post-surgical recovery, it is not less than a roller coaster ride. Food plays an important role in healing.
Post-surgical recovery is one of the many questions a patient is curious about. Though the extent of post-surgical recovery, as well as its duration, varies from person to person, all surgeries, even the minimally invasive ones require some time to healing.
Why is post-surgical recovery important?
Understandably, a person wants to immediately go to work or resume their workout, but you just can’t undermine the effects of the surgical procedure you have gone through. If a post-surgical process doesn’t go well, it can stretch your wound healing time or the recovery phase in general.
One of my uncles, who immediately resumed his work after going through gastric surgery, end up causing severe damage to the wounds. Even after his surgery, he went for a year-long online doctor consultation just to attain the full recovery phase.
After the surgical procedure, there is an increased risk of post-surgical infection as well as pneumonia and unintended weight loss or weight gain. So, you should give the healing time to your body.
Foods to boost post-surgical recovery
Food is one of the best ways to improve your post-surgery healing process. Food not only provides the necessary nutrition and energy but also accounts for a person’s ability to fight off infections. Here are the foods that can help to boost post-surgical recovery, including;
1- Berries
Berries are rich in antioxidants and can help to counter the oxidative stress in the body. Antioxidants can help your body to repair after surgery. Depending upon your taste and choice, you can consume grapes, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries etc.
2- Vegetables
Vegetables are generally good for your health. Nutritionally speaking, vegetables are a good source of carbohydrates that can help to combat the energy your body needs. All this energy can stop the breakdown of muscles and provide the energy needed. Other than carbohydrates, vegetables provide your body with some necessary minerals and vitamins that can boost the healing process and make your body immune to combat infections.
3- Health fats
Fats, only healthy ones if added to the diet can assist your body to heal after a surgical procedure. There are many different roles played by fats that can affect the healing progress of your body. One of the very first things fats do for your body is to add to the strength of your immune system which is responsible for fighting off infections. Other than that, the vitamins you intake via food need fat for their absorption.
4- Protein-rich foods
Foods that are rich in protein can help your body and muscles to recover fast after a surgical procedure. Some of the protein-rich foods include beans, nuts, eggs, red and white meat sources. Though your body may find it difficult to digest it after surgery, you can go for easy ground meat sources to provide your body with the necessary protein sources. Protein can help to gain lean muscle mass which is responsible for the healing process mainly.
5- Giving up on bad habits
Your poor health habits can be a cause of delayed post-surgical recovery. If you are into a habit of smoking, you are more likely to intoxicate your body with the cigarette smoke toxins that could slow down your healing process. So, one of the best things that can help you with post-surgical recovery is to give up on your bad habits.
6- Probiotics
The benefits of probiotics are not new for us. Probiotics are good bacteria that can be present in your diet and help you to have a better responsive immune system. Probiotics-rich foods including yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, etc. are the ones that can help you to have better immunity and fight off post-surgical infections.
Takeaway!
Post-surgical recovery is as important as the whole surgical procedure in itself. Mild physical activity, nutritionally adequate food, timely intake of medication and regular follow-up with your physician are one of the few things that can help to boost your surgical recoveries.
