Many of our patients ask us how important nutrition is in the healing process following cosmetic surgery. The answer is that it is extremely important. Here’s why.
Why It’s Important to Eat Nutritious Foods After Surgery
Eating healthy, well-balanced meals after plastic surgery — or any surgical procedure, for that matter — helps support your body’s healing mechanisms and other physiological functions, including digestion, nutrient absorption, cell repair and others.
For instance, certain foods such as fatty fish and dark leafy greens fight inflammation, while foods that are high in sugar and saturated fat can spur inflammation. Other foods such as oranges, ginger root and garlic encourage good blood circulation, which is integral in delivering life-giving oxygen and nutrients to the healing tissues. The bottom line is that proper nutrition is crucial to the healing process, and eating junk food can counteract your body’s ability to heal.
What Constitutes a Nutritious Diet
A nutritious diet consists of as many whole, unprocessed foods as possible. This means eating an orange instead of drinking orange juice or eating whole grains instead of overly processed white bread.
In general, eating plenty of whole grains, lots of vegetables, some fruit, some lean proteins and a bit of low-fat dairy and omega-3 fatty acids each day constitutes a well-balanced diet. Also, a good rule of thumb is to try to eat vegetables and fruits in every color of the rainbow to make sure you are getting a good mix of the unique vitamins and nutrients present in fruits and veggies of different colors.
You should try to avoid eating foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt and those that are processed.
Following a well-balanced, nutritious diet will help your body heal, optimize your surgical results and get you back to your normal activities as quickly as possible.
To learn more about recovering from plastic surgery or to schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Krau, please contact his office by calling (305) 861-6881.