A Post-Surgery Diet

Overview

Recovering after surgery is not just about getting adequate rest or taking care of a wound; a healthy diet is essential for post-surgery healing. A diet rich in nutrients can help with recovery time, help you regain your strength and help boost your immune system. Sometimes it can be difficult to eat enough after surgery due to loss of appetite, but not getting enough nutrients can slow healing and delay the closure of incisions. There are some foods, however, you can try to optimize your healing process.

Amino Acids

According to Dr. David L. Katz, certain amino acids seem to help wounds heal faster. The amino acid glutamine is particularly good for healing. A Harvard Medical School review of glutamine indicates that people who got the amino acid intravenously after surgery spent an average of four fewer days in the hospital. Glutamine also helps your immune system function and appears to be needed for normal brain function and digestion. Foods rich in amino acids are fish, chicken, eggs, brown rice, walnuts, raw spinach, almonds and sunflower seeds. Amino acid-rich foods also tend to be good sources of protein, which is essential for healing after surgery.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps maintain a healthy immune system, which is vital when recovering from any trauma, including surgery. Blood levels of vitamin C drop rapidly after surgery and a vitamin C deficiency makes wounds heal slower. Vitamin C helps produce collagen, which helps wounds heal faster. It also helps produce elastin, which helps wounds stretch without breaking. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits as well as strawberries, collard greens, cauliflower and cabbage.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is needed for protein utilization such as in tissue repair and is also a free radical scavenger. Vitamin A aids in the healing process, promotes growth of new skin and helps generate new tissue. Vitamin A also seems to activate the production of connective tissue and promotes the growth of new blood vessels. Retinol is the naturally occurring form of vitamin A and is found in liver, fish oil and cheese. Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A by our liver and is found in carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe.

Zinc

Zinc is important for tissue repair, thus, it dramatically speeds up the healing of surgical incisions. Zinc has also been shown to reduce hospital stay. This mineral is found in the following food sources: egg yolks, brewer's yeast, fish, legumes, meats, poultry, seafood and whole grains. Zinc is also available in supplement form, but be careful not to consume too much zinc, as it can cause loss of muscular movement, lethargy and copper deficiency. Consult your health care practitioner before taking any supplements.

See original article here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/345218-a-post-surgery-diet/