Being prepared is the best way to be successful post bariatric surgery. Like everybody, bariatric post ops need to plan their meals and they can either not eat lunch, visit the local diner for lunch or eat something that they bring from home.
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Sometimes we don’t have an option and we skip our lunch due to difficult work deadlines or the inability to escape from our desks but we want to regularly make sure to fuel ourselves with the best nutritional options to keep our energy levels high and to stay in a good/ positive mood throughout the day. Poor lunch choices can lead to unhealthy snacking at caffeinated beverages mid-afternoon.
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Going out for lunch with co-workers is fine every once in a while but that routine can be very hard on your wallet and also on your figure. It’s hard to control what goes into your meal when it comes from somebody else’s kitchen. Eating out should be a “special event” and not an everyday routine.
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If you create healthy dinners in the evenings, you can always make some extra to pack for the next day and that enables you to free up some time and energy by recycling dinner for lunch. Take the leftover chicken and make a chicken wrap or a chicken salad or a chicken soup. Nobody likes to throw away food so this idea is a win/win. Get some pretty new tupperware to give your lunch a “face-lift”. Make your lunch a special time and love yourself enough to make beautiful and pretty creations.
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So what should go into that lunch bag ? Look for four factors to have a healthy lunch.
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Protein is the first factor for a healthy lunch. Think of 3 to 4 ounces of high quality protein such as turkey, fish, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork or eggs. Those are the right kinds of proteins to start to build your healthy lunch with.
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Next up is the carbohydrates and when adding carbs, make sure that they are the healthy kind of carbs such as quinoa, squash or sweet potatoes. You also want to add lots of low carb veggies such as cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and lettuce.
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Don’t be afraid of Fat. Add healthy fat to your lunch in the form of avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, olives, avocado oil. It will keep you feeling full and satisfied and it will also help your body better absorb all the nutrients from your low carb veggies !
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Spice things up by adding flavor to your meal through the use of spices and herbs. Try some chili powder or some fresh basil, garlic, onions etc. The same meal each day can get boring but by using different flavors, you will get completely different tastes.
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Love yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle !
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About the Author: Sheri Burke is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.
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