The Importance of Nutrients for Healing After Surgery

Countless studies have shown that a healthy diet correlates to longevity and well-being, while a lack of vitamins and nutrients contributes to poor health, cancer, and disease. A healthy diet matters even more when the body is temporarily weakened by injury, sickness, or surgery. Surgery can dramatically improve your quality of life, but it is a traumatic experience for the body. After surgery, the body needs all the help it can get for the best healing experience. If you consume a healthy diet both before and after surgery, your body will have the essential vitamins and nutrients it needs to promote smooth healing and recovery.

What Your Body Needs to Help It Heal

Your body needs protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals to function properly. After any surgery that Dr. Spies performs, these nutrients help the body to recover more quickly and easily. With his more extensive surgeries, such as the mommy makeover, tummy tuck, and breast lift, the body’s healing process is more aggressive and depends heavily on critical nutrients. Vitamin C promotes healing and helps maintain good tissue health, while vitamin K assists in healthy blood clotting. The antioxidant vitamin E fights free radicals that disrupt healthy cellular function. Potassium, fiber, vitamin A, and other nutrients help the rest of the body to function normally during recovery.

How to Give Your Body Essential Vitamins and Nutrients to Promote Healing and Health

To promote healing and health after surgery, give your body these essential vitamins and nutrients both before and after the procedure. That way, your body will already have these essential nutrients in its system when the healing process starts. A diet consisting of protein, healthy fats, vegetables, and some fruits will give you most of these nutrients. Before surgery, add high fiber, nutrient-filled vegetables and low-sugar fruits to your diet, such as avocado, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, carrots, blueberries, and strawberries. Include healthy protein such as chicken, fish, and grass-fed beef as well as healthy fats like almonds, walnuts, and unsweetened coconut. Avoid grains, sugar, and processed foods. After surgery, continue to fill your diet these same foods, particularly those with high water content and low starch. It is best to consume fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors, as each color signifies the presence of different essential phytonutrients. As these nutrients continue to provide your body with the tools it needs for a speedy, healthy recovery, they will also promote habits of healthy eating that will help you maintain your health for years to come. A healthy diet will also help you to maintain your weight so that the results of body contouring procedures such as liposuction and tummy tuck are even more long lasting.

With every patient, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Spies strives to ensure that the surgical experience goes smoothly and easily. By taking care to follow his recommendations and maintain a healthy diet before and especially after surgery, you will help your body to recover well and maintain the results of the procedure. To learn more about the various surgical and non-surgical procedures offered by Dr. Spies, contact us online or call (480) 359-1019 to schedule your private consultation with him today.