Putting together a meal

Putting a meal together

Important to know:

• Eat frequently. Choose either three small meals and two to three snacks, or four to six mini-meals. • Do not skip meals. • Eat protein first. Aim for 60 – 80 grams per day. • Next add vegetables and /or fruit. • Add starches last. • Consume water and other non-caloric, non-carbonated, decaffeinated fluids in between meals and snacks. Aim for 64 oz. per day. • Avoid added sugars (i.e sugar sweetened drinks, candy, desserts, sugary cereals and snack foods.) • Limit added fats and avoid fried, greasy and other high fat foods (i.e cheese, ice cream, chocolate, baked goods.)

But how exactly should you put together a meal? Start with protein

Protein foods are essential to help your body heal after bariatric surgery. Protein also helps you feel full longer in between meals. Aim for at 60 – 80 grams of protein per day. For example, 3 oz of meat contains approximately 21 grams of protein. Check labels to determine the protein content of foods. Below are some protein rich foods. • Skinless chicken or turkey • Seafood (baked, grilled or boiled) • Beef (loin, and round cuts) • Pork (loin and round cuts, lean ham) • Eggs or egg substitutes • Nuts and Natural nut butters • Beans (black beans, kidney beans, chick peas, navy beans, lentils, split peas) • Reduced fat dairy (yogurt, Greek yogurt, skim or 1% milk, reduced fat cheese) • Soy products such as tofu, edamame or unsweetened soy milk.

Cover half your plate with veggies

Vegetables are low in calories, high in fiber and contain tons of vitamins and minerals. Aim to have a vegetable with two to three meals and one to two snacks daily. Choose colorful non starchy vegetables such as: • Artichokes • Asparagus • Beans (green, wax, Italian) • Bean sprouts • Beets • Brussel sprouts • Broccoli • Cabbage (green, bok choy, Chinese) • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celery

• Chayote • Cucumber • Eggplant • Hearts of palm • Jicama • Kohlrabi • Leeks • Mushrooms • Okra • Onions • Pea pods • Peppers • Radishes • Rutabaga • Salad greens (lettuces, spinach, arugula, chicory, endive, escarole, radicchio, watercress) • Sprouts • Squash (cushaw, summer, crookneck, spaghetti, zucchini) • Sugar snap peas • Swiss chard • Tomato • Turnips • Water chestnuts

A word about fruit

Fruits are higher in calories and carbohydrates than non-starchy vegetables. Choose up to two to three servings of fruit per day. When choosing fruit, choose fresh, frozen or canned in water fruit in a variety of colors.Limit or avoid dried fruit and fruit juice. One serving of fruit is equal to about: • 1 tennis ball size fruit • 1 4-inch banana • ½ cup canned fruit (unsweetened or in water or natural juice) • 1 cup fresh berries or chopped fruit

Choose high fiber starches

Some starchy foods are not well tolerated after bariatric surgery, so keep your portions small (¼–½ cup). But starches can be a great source of fiber, energy and other nutrients so do include a small amount with meals. High fiber starches include both starchy vegetables and whole grains.

Whole grains

• Whole-wheat flour (whole wheat breads, cereals, and crackers, whole wheat or multigrain pastas, etc), • Oatmeal and oats • Barley • Brown and wild rice • Bulgur (cracked wheat or kasha) • Buckwheat • Whole cornmeal • Whole rye • Wheat berries • Quinoa • Millet

Starchy vegetables

• Potatoes (sweet and white) • Corn (including popcorn) • Peas • Winter squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti) • Plantain

What about fats?

Fats in food can help your body absorb some nutrients better, as well as enhance the flavor and texture of your meal. Too much fat however can contribute to weight gain and may not be well tolerated after bariatric surgery. Choose plant fats over animal fats most of the time (i.e. olive oil rather than butter). Examples of healthy plant fats and serving sizes include: • 1 tbsp. olive oil, canola oil and other vegetable oils (excluding coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil) • 2 tbsp. light or oil based salad dressing • 1 tbsp. light tub margarines (also known as soft spreads) • ¼ avocado or ¼ cup guacomole • 1 tbsp. seeds such as ground flax seeds, sunflower seeds and chia seeds • 1 tbsp. nut butter (also contains protein) • ¼ cup nuts (also contains protein)