Surgery is just no fun. It’s painful, it can wreak havoc on your body, make you depressed emotionally, and disrupt your life in varying degrees.
The thing is, though, most of the time, if we need surgery, it’s absolutely necessary to heal us or even save our lives. The option to refrain may not be an option at all.
The best thing to do after surgery is to set yourself up for speedy, comfortable healing. We’ve posted advice before on how to create a haven where you can relax and let the body do its recovering thing. Still, just as importantly, you need to feed yourself nourishing foods that support your body’s ability to heal.
So what’s the best approach to selecting foods that get you back on the road to recovery faster? Opt for the most nutrient-dense foods you can.
Foods packed with nutrition are the right choice at any time but are particularly useful when recovering from surgery. Here are some examples of essential nutrients and some of the foods that love them…
Vitamins and Minerals
Foods high in vitamins and minerals help rebuild our bodies, repairing tissue, bone, muscle, ligaments, and cell structure. These include:
-Vitamin D: Leafy greens, eggs, butter, fishes like salmon and tuna, mushrooms.
-The B Vitamins: Leafy greens (seeing a pattern?), lentils, bell peppers, whole grains.
-Vitamin C: Leafy greens (!), citrus fruits, brussels sprouts, broccoli
-Beta-Carotene: Yep. Leafy greens, squash, sweet potato, carrots,
pumpkin
-Zinc: Nuts, seeds, ginger, eggs
-Selenium: Nuts, fish, turkey, chicken, eggs, lamb
-Coenzyme Q10: Fish, liver, quinoa, rice, millet
Fats and proteins
Another food category you’ll want to focus on for recovery, these foods help increase energy, repair muscle and other tissue and restore nutrients to promote speedy healing. Eat clean sources of protein like:
-chicken
-turkey
-nuts
-seeds
-beans
-eggs
-extra- virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and flax oil.
Calcium
Most of us know that calcium is very important for maintaining strong bones, but the body doesn’t make its own, and we lose small amounts continually. This is why it’s imperative to replenish with our diet. Examples of foods chock full of calcium include:
- milk
- cheese
- yogurt
- spinach
- kale
- chia seeds
In addition to relaxing fully and eating right, don’t hesitate to reach out to family and friends as needed. Taking the time to take care of yourself sometimes means giving up some control and letting someone else help. Your primary goal should be getting back to your usual self!
Here’s to paving the way to a healthy, speedy recovery…
*NOTE- The materials above are for informational purposes ONLY and aren’t intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a physician for any questions regarding diet, exercise, or other forms of patient support.