Post-Op/Major Surgery Nutrition
Smoothie bowls were an easy way to pack in a ton of nutrition in a small volume that she could snack on throughout the day.
Surgery is taxing on the body. The unfortunate truth is that many athletes are going to have one, if not more, serious surgeries as a result of their training and competition. While we do our best to keep our bodies as strong as possible to prevent injuries, we have to be ready to deal with them when they come our way. My mom just went through this. An athlete all her life, collegiate gymnast, triathlete, and all around strong and fit human who unfortunately had a nagging pain/injury that turned into a need for an intensive back surgery. Surgery took hours, she had to spend 2 nights in the hospital after, and then it was back home for her new reality. She went from training daily, being active around the house, and playing at the lake, to being immobile for many weeks—only allowed short walks (although the term “short” has been stretched as the weeks have gone on). So… let’s talk about how we can utilize nutrition to help heal and begin the road to recovery.
*Recovery is going to look different for each individual athlete depending on their surgery, timeline, lifestyle, etc—this is general nutrition advice through the experience of my mom. Speak with your doctor and registered dietitian to determine your specific needs.
Amazing friends and family brought over meals throughout the week. Tons of great color, good protein, and even a sweet treat, which are still totally allowed!
The reality of what most her meals looked like. Nutritionally well balanced. Visually, it was more appetizing to have smaller portions than a full plate, she could always ask for more!
Sleep: My husband and I drove out to help with the recovery process when she was released to go home. Still a bit “groggy” from medications and such the main priority is rest. Sleep allows the body to heal—we don’t want to interrupt that, so allow them that time to rest.
Liquid Nutrition: It’s not uncommon to not have much of an appetite after a major surgery. The combination of medications, antibiotics, and the stress of the whole situation contributes to this. BUT it is still extremely important to get some sort of nutrition in as much as possible. Some sips of juice, a smoothie, even a milkshake in the initial days may be the best approach. This was crucial for my mom when she first went to get out of bed. The first couple of days she kept reporting getting very light headed and dizzy when she had to stand for just a few minutes, we quickly realized it’s because she had nothing in her system. From then on we made sure she drank a glass of apple or orange juice before getting out of bed. This provides simple sugars that her body can use to help her do the most simple of activities, like stand up and brush her teeth.
Adequate Calories: This is the most common obstacle I observe for athletes. They want to maintain their body composition as much as possible, and since they aren’t moving as much and therefore not expending as much energy (in their eyes) they drastically reduce their fuel intake. While there does need to be an adjustment, what we have to remember is that especially for a surgery as major as this, you body NEEDS that fuel to repair itself. So while your energy factor is reduced, the stress factor on the body is heightened, increasing your need for energy aka calories. Will this alter your body composition? Probably. But it will also allow you to heal quicker, allowing you to get back training ASAP. It’s a balancing act that will continue to ebb and flow.
Adequate Protein: Along the same lines as adequate calories, protein especially plays a huge role in wound healing. My mom’s incision is about 6 inches long down the center of her back, she needs all the help she can get. I have her starting at about 1.4 grams of protein/ kg of body weight. Spreading protein intake throughout the day works best, and we’ve also used a protein powder mixed into smoothies since her appetite hasn’t been great. We’ll adjust this as time goes on.
Small, Frequent Meals: For mom—her appetite remained minimal for many many days. To combat that as well as try to ensure she was getting in enough fuel, small frequent meals tend to work best. Rather than feeling like they have to eat a full meal, it’s more doable to do so in smaller pieces. Every couple of hours we would bring her a handful of trail mix, a yogurt, crackers and cheese, apple and peanut butter, etc.
Good, Healthy, Fats: Once again, many athletes we tend to be hyperaware of fat intake, even more so in the recovery process, but healthy fats are essential for healing, recovery, and decreasing inflammation. Try to include small nuts, nut butters, seeds, avocados, oily fish, flaxseed, or olive oil when you are cooking or with snacks.
Keep Eating the Rainbow: This is always a good practice, but even more important post-op. Antioxidants like Vitamin C and A (citrus, peppers, cantaloupe, berries, spinach, tomatoes) and Zinc (chicken, lean beef, cashews, chickpeas/beans/lentils) play an essential role in immune function. My mom’s surgery left her very prone to infections, so making sure she’s getting in enough antioxidants, as well as her other vitamins and mineral was necessary.
Hydration: You may not be sweating as much, but hydration is still important to help facilitate nutrient delivery to injured areas, support immune defenses, and continue to help with body temperature regulation. Certain medications can also contribute to dehydration. One perk of an overnight hospital stay is they usually provide you with a fancy water bottle/cup, making hydration easier—always keep it nearby.
Just because the physical training has to take a pause, doesn’t mean that all the work has to stop. Nutrition continues to play a key role in your return to play. It’s easy to dismiss, but if you choose to use it as a recovery tool, it truly can be a game changer.