Monday, June 15, 2009

Lap Band Diet and Nutrition

Lap Band Diet and Nutrition
 Dr. Jim Green

During your consultations before your Lap-Band surgery, your surgeon already has advised you about the proper diet guidelines after the procedure. You must strictly follow these guidelines to avoid any risks and complications that may occur. If you can't remember any of the guidelines discussed by your doctor, this article should be very helpful for you. These dietary guidelines are very critical to your fast recovery and weight loss success.

You can take a sip of water or suck on an ice cube right after surgery but you shouldn't drink more than this. This is because of the fact that you shouldn't stretch the small stomach pouch being held by the Lap-Band. Drinking too much will cause you to vomit or even increase the chances of the stomach tissue to slip through the band. If slipping happens, an emergency procedure may be required. You can drink a little more fluid the day after your surgery but it is important to drink small amount of fluids at a time. Aside from water, you can also choose to drink clear liquids that have a sufficient amount of calories but as mentioned, don't drink too much to avoid vomiting and nausea.

The next phase of the Lap-Band diet is the liquid diet during the first couple of weeks after the procedure. Thin liquids can be tolerated during this time which can include clear broth or soup, skim milk, fruit juice, and no-sugar added popsicles. You should drink water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated.
The next couple of weeks, exactly three to four weeks after the procedure, will enable you to consume pureed foods. Pureed foods are slightly textured foods comparable to the consistency of baby foods.

Protein-rich pureed foods are recommended to be eaten first then followed by some pureed fruits and vegetables. This will give you an ample supply of vitamins and minerals needed by your system. You can have pureed skinless fish or chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, and low-fat yogurt or pudding.

Soft foods can be eaten five weeks after the Lap-Band procedure. Soft foods are actually solid foods which are tender cooked like fish and ground turkey. You will be eating small quantities of soft foods but it is extremely important to chew the foods well before swallowing. Otherwise, you may experience vomiting, stomach irritation, swelling, and even a possible stoma or the stomach opening obstruction.

During the sixth week after the operation, you can now move on to regular solid foods. The most important thing to remember is to eat only small quantities of food, to chew the foods well, to choose foods appropriate for proper nutrition, and to drink lots of liquid throughout the day. You should only eat three meals a day, strictly avoiding in-between meal snacks. Also, make sure that these three meals contain adequate nutrients. Your new stomach can only hold about ¼ cup of food or two ounces every meal so you should stop eating once you feel a sense of fullness.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Jim_Greene

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Meat Nutrition- Your Ultimate Guide

Meat Nutrition- Your Ultimate Guide

How many times have we been told to avoid meat as often as we can to be able to maintain a healthy body? It has been proven in various studies that people who eat meat often have shorter life span than those who don’t. Health books will probably tell you to go easy on your red meat intake.

This is because it is high in saturated fats that can increase risk factors of developing heart disease. Processed meats are as bad since they contain nitrates that can turn to N-nitroso compounds, which are cancer causing agents. Are you ready to give up your meat yet? Delving into meat nutrition can help you decide how much and how often you should eat meat and what exactly it can do to your body.

Meat consumption has been a part of human diet for as long as history can tell us. This is because it is easily available and it provides nourishment without having to sacrifice our taste buds. The importance of meat in filling a space in our body’s nutritional balance cannot be disregarded. Meat nutrition cannot be obtained from any other form besides meat consumption.

An extensive range of nutrients can be found in meat. Protein, Zinc, Iron and Vitamin B12 are just some of the important minerals we can derive from meat. Although, there has been suggestions to reconstruct dietary needs by turning to plants that contain the same amount of nutrients. The fact is certain nutrients in meat are higher than those in plants and they are better absorbed by the body. Lean red meat, especially, has a good concentration of high quality protein.


Eating meat is actually good for you. Trimming the meatoff with its visible fats reduces its number of saturated fats and trans-fatty acid. Cutting off meat completely and finding substitute for it that offers the same health benefits takes great effort and dedication. We don’t have to stop preparing our favourite meat dish and eating a good part as long as we are complementing it with other food groups that can provide our body with a balanced diet. There’s no known kind of food that is wrong as long as we only consume what is considered a healthy portion. To maintain good health, a fair consumption of meat along with a generous amount of vegetables and fruits is recommended. In fact, meat nutrition is much more important than most of our everyday food sources like bread, which only contain nonessential carbohydrates.

Meat nutrition in middle-aged women is very important since it plays key factor in their health as they aged. Contrary to popular belief, meat consumption among middle-aged women does not make them fat and it doesn’t affect bone density at all. Recent studies show that protein and calcium work together as a woman’s body ages,d so a good amount of protein is still needed in the body even later in life. In fact, even younger women can benefit from eating a good portion of red meat. Because meat has high iron content it is good armour against anaemia. Many young women suffer from anaemia. and a A diet rich in iron will help them overcome it.

These facts about meat nutrition are not go signals to overindulge on your meat cravings. Like most things, moderation is the key and supplementing your body with a balanced diet coupled with physical exercise will keep you brisk and energetic even during bad days.


By: J. Brownn
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