Nutrition to improve surgical outcomes

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Hello, my name is Olivia and I'm a dietitian. Today, I'll be covering why nutrition is important and how to improve your nutrition before and after surgery. So, why is nutrition important for surgery? During surgery, the demand put on the body causes changes in how it processes and uses different nutrients. The process of surgery causes the body to use a large amount of protein and energy. Our muscles are where we store protein. So when the body uses this up during surgery, we are left with reduced muscle protein stores, which can lead to muscle loss. Protein helps the body heal after surgery.

Not having enough can lead to delays and complications post surgery. That's why our goal is to identify if you have low muscle protein stores. We want to focus on building this up so that there's plenty of available protein for your healing and recovery. Some patients may have struggled with eating before surgery while others may not have large muscle stores in the first place. Having good muscle strength will help you do rehabilitation exercises and to start walking after surgery. So, how do we increase our protein stores? Firstly, exercising. Exercising builds up our muscles, increasing protein stores. Secondly, protein.

Exercise has to be combined with eating and drinking protein, as protein is the building block to build up muscles. Thirdly, calories. We need to make sure we take enough energy as calories so that the protein we eat isn't being burnt up. This can be done by eating foods that have plenty of healthy fats and carbohydrates, as well as protein. To ensure you are ready for surgery, you also need to maintain your weight. Whatever your weight is, even if it's over the healthy recommended weight, do not try to lose weight before surgery. The risk of losing weight quickly is that you are losing your muscle stores as well as your fat stores. That's why it is important to maintain your weight, whatever it is. If you are concerned about your weight, please speak with one of the dietitians. It is very important to follow the healthy eating guidelines, which means having foods from all the food groups. Also ensure you have enough vitamins and minerals and cut down or stop drinking alcohol. So what are good sources of protein? All animal based foods are very high in protein. Foods such as eggs, meat, chicken, fish, and all dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and custard are high in protein. Many plant foods also provide lots of protein such as nuts, seeds, lentils, and legumes.

You can get extra calories from eating foods that are high in energy such as olive oil, cheese, cream, avocado, and peanut butter. To help get enough nutrition, protein and calories into your diet, try to have two to three snacks in addition to your three main meals. Another recommendation is to have drinks that are nourishing rather than water or tea. For example, milk-based drinks or supplement drinks like SUSTAGEN or Ensure. You will be provided with carbohydrate drinks to have just before your surgery. These provide your body with extra fuel for the surgery. Most patients will have a high-energy,  high-protein diet soon after surgery to assist their recovery. Your medical team will determine what is suitable for you. It is recommended, even if you've had surgery to your bowel, to eat within a few hours of waking up from the anaesthetic. The sooner you can put food through the bowel and start moving, the sooner your system gets active again and starts working properly. There are only a few types of surgery where the gut needs to rest. Your doctor will tell you if this is you. You have now learned important strategies to help prepare for your surgery and a successful and speedy recovery. Please review this information and actively improve your nutrition before and after surgery.