Diet- Post Cardiac Surgery

CTVS.IN  WEBSITE  TRY TO MAKE SOME UNDERSTAING ABOUT DIET PLAN AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY.GENERALLY PATIENTS ARE ALWAYS CONFUSE TO CHOOSE PROPER AN RIGHT FOOD.

These are the most frequent and common questions asked by cardiac patients and their care givers. Eating right is an art. Eating right after a surgery is extremely important to the healing process.

Dietary management after cardiac surgery

 You may notice that your appetite is poor and that the food has lost its flavour in the early post operative period. This can be caused by the operation or your medications and can take some time to fully recover. Eating small amounts of food at frequent intervals is a good way to gradually build your digestive abilities.

1. What is the best diet after bypass surgery?

Many studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds can reduce your risk of heart disease and help you heal better post surgery. A healthy balanced diet (2 serves of fruit, 5 serves of vegetables and 4 or more serves of whole grains per day, lean proteins and legumes, nuts and oil seeds, low fat dairy products) will help the body to heal, reduce the risk of complications and enable speedy recovery. Maintaining a well-balanced diet plays an integral part in reducing surgical complications and promoting heart disease reversal

2.What foods should I avoid after my bypass surgery?

Foods with high saturated fat content like liver and organ meats, egg yolk, whole milk, ghee, butter, cream and whole-milk cheese should be limited to once or twice a week. Fried foods packaged and processed foods and pastries should be avoided completely as they are high in trans fat that is extremely unhealthy for the recovering body tissues.

3.How much protein should I consume on a daily basis?

You need a good proportion of protein and enough calories to heal after a cardiac surgery. The normal protein intake for a healthy individual is 1 gram per kilogram body weight where as 1.2-1.5 grams per kilogram body weight are required per day if you have undergone a bypass surgery.

4.What are the recommended levels of sugar and salt intake?

Sugar – sugary foods are often consumed instead of healthy foods and can contribute to poor blood sugar control and weight gain. Keep your blood sugars under control; high blood sugar also makes it hard for your body to heal. Added sugar in any form like white sugar, brown sugar, jaggery or honey is harmful and is best avoided or kept to a minimum.

Salt – Cardiac patients are regularly advised to consume less than 5 g of salt per day (less than 1 tablespoon per day) which means that you need to follow low-salt cooking and avoid packaged foods, pickles, ‘papads’, crisps and other snacks which are high in hidden salt.

5.How can I eat better to improve my good cholesterol or HDL ?

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the good kind of cholesterol that will keep your arteries healthy. Mixed nuts and seeds, lean meat, fish and beans are the dietary sources to increase HDL level. Several medical and environmental factors such as sedentary lifestyle, uncontrolled blood sugar, inflammation, smoking and obesity are also responsible for low HDL cholesterol and should be aggressively modified.

6.How much of dietary fiber do I need?

The normal requirement of fiber for an individual is 25-30 grams per day. Constipation is the biggest enemy for heart health and should be completely avoided in heart patients. Post surgery, you may have constipation due to improper food intake, less fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet, less fluid intake, medications and physical inactivity. Consuming adequate fiber will help to prevent constipation and keep your heart as well as gut healthy.

                        Keep intake healthy and balance food as well as maintain proper body weight is principle rule for long life.