How should nutrition be after sleeve gastrectomy? Sleeve gastrectomy (sleeve gastrectomy) is a surgical method used in the treatment of obesity. It is the process of reducing the stomach volume by removing 85-90% of the stomach. The patient's food intake is limited and early satiety is ensured. Postoperative nutrition is an important step in this process.
With adequate and balanced nutrition after surgery, it is aimed to ensure tissue healing, controlled weight loss, preservation of lean tissue, early saturation and minimisation of complications that may occur. In this process, a diet method consisting of 5 stages and gradually increasing under the follow-up of the doctor and dietician is applied.
Stage 1: Clear Liquid (Clear) Diet
In the first 24-48 hours after the operation, foods that do not require any digestion process in the gastrointestinal tract and that allow bowel movements to start are preferred. The clear liquid diet meets the fluid and electrolyte requirement with limited energy. The patient should consume 30-60 ml of food per hour. The foods that can be consumed on this diet consist of caffeine-free, sugar-free, cholar-free liquids, water, broth, clear soups.
Phase 2: Full Liquid Diet
This diet starts on the 3rd postoperative day and lasts for 10-14 days depending on the patient's condition. It is recommended that the patient receives 500-600 kcal of energy daily and the diet should contain 60-80 g of protein. This diet includes clear liquids, milk and milk products, protein mixtures. For example, skimmed/low-fat milk, soups without grains, thick fruit juices (orange, apricot, peach juice, etc.), buttermilk, protein powder support can be used.
Phase 3: Puree Diet
This diet consists of blenderised pureed foods. It is applied for 10-14 days after the liquid diet. Low-fat, high-protein foods are added to the diet to meet the nutrient requirement. In addition to the liquid diet, red meat, chicken, fish, soft low-fat cheeses, especially eggs, which are sample protein, can be consumed by pureeing.
Stage 4: Soft Diet
This diet includes foods that require little chewing and are well cooked to a soft consistency. In addition to the puree diet, low-carbohydrate cereals, pasta, oatmeal, rice pilaf, freshly cooked vegetables, peeled low-sugar fruits can be added to this diet. In this phase, clear fluid intake should be increased.
Phase 5: Strict Diet
This diet is the regular diet phase starting from the 8th week after the operation. Patients can meet their energy requirements with 3 meals a day, 1-1.5 cups of food. High quality protein sources should be preferred at meals and solid-liquid separation should be observed. A balanced and adequate diet that does not cause gas and distension complaints in the gastrointestinal tract, does not contain saturated fat and simple sugar, and includes all kinds of food groups is switched to a balanced and adequate diet.
