Gastrectomy, the surgical removal of part or all of the stomach, necessitates significant changes in dietary habits. This article provides a detailed guide to gastrectomy diet recipes, offering insights into the phases of post-operative eating, nutritional needs, and practical meal ideas to support recovery and long-term health goals. Whether you've undergone a total or partial gastrectomy, understanding these dietary guidelines is crucial for managing symptoms, preventing complications, and ensuring optimal nutrient absorption.
Understanding the Post-Gastrectomy Diet
After gastrectomy, the way you digest food will change. You may digest your food too fast and not absorb nutrients as well as before. If you have a subtotal gastrectomy, some of your stomach will be removed. If you have a total gastrectomy, your whole stomach will be removed.
The initial focus is on recovery and adapting to a new way of eating. Your new diet helps you progress with weight loss in a nutritionally sound manner to reach your health goals. This involves a phased approach to reintroducing foods, focusing on portion control, food consistency, and nutrient density. Success with weight loss will depend on your adherence to nutritious food choices and avoiding snacking or “grazing” between meals. The stomach pouch created by your surgery is a tool you will need to become accustomed to in order to meet your weight loss goals.
Key Principles of the Post-Gastrectomy Diet
- Small, Frequent Meals: After your surgery, your stomach will not be able to hold as much as it did before surgery. You will need to have 6 or more small meals a day instead of 3 main meals. This will help you eat the right amount of food. Have a half-sized meal every 2 to 3 hours. Try to eat 6 to 8 small meals a day instead of 3 large meals.
- Protein Prioritization: Because your body cannot store protein, it needs a constant supply to repair and replace tissues that become worn out or damaged. Therefore, you need to eat protein every day to refresh your body’s basic protein needs. Aim for a minimum of 60 grams of protein each day. The gastric bypass or other bariatric surgery procedure reduces the capacity of the stomach to a very small volume. Therefore, protein-rich foods must be eaten with each meal to be sure the body gets enough to preserve lean muscle mass. We recommend eating high protein-containing foods at the beginning of each meal.
- Hydration Management: Initially avoid fluids with meals. This prevents the rapid movement to foods through the upper GI tract and allows for adequate absorption of nutrients. Drink most of your liquids at least 1 hour before or 1 hour after your meals.
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation: After gastric bypass or other bariatric surgery, you will not be able to eat the amount or variety of foods needed to meet recommended vitamin and mineral requirements through your diet alone. A high-potency multivitamin/mineral supplement with iron must be taken every day. Daily calcium and vitamin B12 supplements are also recommended to maintain adequate vitamin and mineral stores and prevent anemia and osteoporosis. Some patients require additional supplements after surgery.
- Avoiding Problematic Foods: After gastric bypass or other bariatric surgery, a condition called dumping syndrome will occur if you eat foods high in sugar and fat (greater than 10 grams per serving). Symptoms of dumping syndrome include profound sleepiness, light-headedness, profuse sweating, rapid heart rate, cramping abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea. Avoiding foods or liquids with high sugar and fat content will help prevent dumping syndrome. Avoid very hot/cold foods.
Phases of the Post-Gastrectomy Diet
On this page, we’ve broken down a recommended timeline for how and when to reintroduce certain foods and food groups into your diet after a total gastrectomy. This plan is broken down into two main phases. Your dietitian will tell you when to begin introducing foods from phase 2 into your diet.
Phase 1: Recovery and Initial Healing (6-8 Weeks)
This is your body’s recovery period. Your body needs foods that are high protein to help you heal and to slow weight loss. Eat often. You need at least 6-8 small meals each day. Remember that you will not feel hungry like you used to, but you need to eat often anyway. Choose high-calorie, high-protein foods and fluids for these meals to meet your nutritional needs.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
- Food Consistency: Chew foods completely, into puree form, before swallowing.
- Foods to Avoid: Avoid foods high in insoluble fiber and gas-producing foods. Avoid foods and drinks with added sugars. Added sugar is different from natural sugar. Avoid sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol and xylitol. They cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. Other artificial sweeteners do not cause dumping syndrome.
Phase 2: Reintroduction and Diversification
Once your weight loss slows and you are tolerating phase 1 foods well, you can begin phase 2. You must eat these foods with a protein. Note: Fats & oils are high in calories. Baked goods made without added sugars. Eat these foods with protein or at the end of a meal containing protein. Any condiment that is sugar sweetened.
Sample Meal Plan (Phase 1)
Below is a sample meal plan for a day in the first 6-8 weeks after total gastrectomy (phase 1). This example has at least 1500 calories and 100 grams of protein.
- Breakfast: 2 eggs/1tsp.
- Lunch: 2 oz.
- Dinner: 2 oz.
High-Calorie, High-Protein Foods
It’s important to get enough nutrition before and after surgery. Prevent nutrition deficiencies, which means you do not have some things you need. High-calorie, high-protein foodsEat foods listed in this table to add more calories and protein to your diet.
Liquid Nutritional Supplements
Your care team may suggest taking nutritional supplements high in calories or protein. If they do, take the supplements between meals. If you take them with a meal, they can be filling. That keeps you from eating more of your food. We list some examples of liquid nutritional supplements in the table below. You can buy most of them at any supermarket or pharmacy. If the store does not have a product, ask a pharmacist or store manager to order it for you. You can also order these products online. Some supplements may cause diarrhea (loose bowel movements), gas, or bloating. Try supplements in small amounts to see how they affect you. If you have any of these side effects, try a low sugar supplement.
Nutritional Shakes
You can also make your own nutritional shakes that are high in calories and protein.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Gastric Sleeve Recipe Ideas
If you have just gone through a gastric sleeve surgery, you’re now set on track for a completely new way of eating and thinking about food. Calory count, protein amount and other nutritious properties, portion size, even texture, and, of course, flavor, are all factors to consider when eating after a weight loss surgery. Let us make all this easier for you with these 10 gastric sleeve recipe ideas. These are ideal for eating during your recovery period after surgery.
Recipe Examples
- Sauté the onion and the carrot for roughly 5 minutes. Reduce the flame and add the broccoli. Stir constantly to avoid the milk or cheese to get stuck to the pan.
- Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth and the water.
- Add the peanut butter and chili garlic sauce and blend again.
- Before serving, add seasonings as needed. Go easy on the chili garlic sauce of this gastric sleeve recipe at first.
- Lower the flame and add the salmon. Once cooked, blend the mix. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Fill half a pot with water, add the potato and bring to boil. Add the avocado and the salt. As you might have already noticed, this gastric sleeve recipe is a crazy spin for mashed potatoes.
- Add the chicken thigh to the hot pan with the olive oil. Cover and cook for 8 minutes on each side or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Add the turkey ham and egg whites to the hot pan with the olive oil. In another bowl, mix the crab with the red onion. Add this to the bowl of dressing and stir evenly.
- Add chicken to the hot pan with the olive oil. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes more.
Use these gastric sleeve recipe ideas as inspiration to create your own too! You can add them some spins in flavor or change some ingredients for another. Just don’t go overboard!
Managing Common Problems After Surgery
This section explains common problems after a gastrectomy. Keep a food log and write down any symptoms or problems you have. This can help you learn why the problems are happening.
- Eat slowly. Chew your foods well.
- Avoid activity right after meals. Do not lie flat after meals.
- Do not eat or drink too much at one time.
- Make a schedule with times for eating and drinking. This can help if you’re having trouble having 6 smaller meals instead of 3 large meals. Setting alarms throughout the day can be helpful reminders. You may find yourself going back to the larger portions you had before your surgery.
- Drink most of your liquids before or after meals. Eat slowly. Try putting your fork down between bites.
- Avoid vegetables that may make you gassy.
- First, try eating less sugar. Then, try less dairy. Finally, try less fat. Pay attention to see if the diarrhea gets better.
- Avoid sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol and mannitol. These are often used in gum, hard candies, cough drops, dairy desserts, frosting, cakes, and cookies. You can see if a product has these things by checking the ingredients list.
- Make sure you’re storing foods safely. Put leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer right away. Throw away refrigerated leftovers after 2 days. Throw away frozen leftovers after 6 months. Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator or microwave, not on the kitchen counter.
Reflux Management
Reflux is when foods or liquids that you swallow come back up your throat into your mouth. Always keep the head of your bed at a 30-degree angle or higher. Use a wedge to keep your upper body and head raised up.
Eating at Restaurants and Social Events
Food is the focus of many social events. Remember that portions served at events and restaurants tend to be large. If you skip the appetizer, try eating half of your entrée and taking the rest home. You may have to choose between having a small soup or a drink.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Tracking Your Progress
After your gastrectomy, you may feel full quickly or have other changes that affect your eating. Keep a food and drink log. This will help you see what foods and portion sizes are easiest for you to eat. Keep track of all of the foods you eat and liquids you drink.
It’s important to track your weight. Weigh yourself about every 3 to 5 days. It’s best to weigh yourself around the same time of day each time. Make sure you’re wearing the same amount of clothing when you weigh yourself. If you’re losing weight, make a follow-up appointment with a clinical dietitian nutritionist.
To measure foods, use measuring spoons, measuring cups, or a food scale.
Shopping List After Surgery
For about 2 to 4 weeks after your surgery, eat smaller meals more often. Have foods high in calories and protein. You will not be eating large portions of foods. Instead, you will need to eat foods that give you the most nutrition in just a few bites. The foods listed in this section will help you get the nutrients you need.
Kitchen Items That Can Help
Here are some kitchen items that can help you make foods at home. You do not need to blend your food after surgery.
- Blender: Use a blender to make soups and shakes. You can put meats, vegetables, and fruits in a blender.
- Food processor: Use a food processor for shredding, slicing, chopping, or blending foods. It comes in different sizes.
Additional Resources
- MSK Support Services: Integrative Medicine Service www.msk.org/integrativemedicine. Our Integrative Medicine Service offers many services to complement (go along with) traditional medical care. For example, we offer music therapy, mind/body therapies, dance and movement therapy, yoga, and touch therapy. Call 646-449-1010 to make an appointment for these services. You can also schedule a consultation with a healthcare provider in the Integrative Medicine Service. They’ll work with you to make a plan for creating a healthy lifestyle and managing side effects. Call 646-608-8550 to make an appointment for a consultation.
- Resources for Life After Cancer (RLAC) Program: 646-888-8016. At MSK, care does not end after your treatment. The RLAC Program is for patients and their families who have finished treatment. This program has many services. We offer seminars, workshops, support groups, and counseling on life after treatment. We can also help with insurance and employment issues.
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND): www.eatright.org/ AND is a professional organization for registered dietitians.
- 6-Meal diet sample menus: The sample menus in this section show a soft diet in 6 small meals. They include 4 ounces of liquid with each meal. This is to keep you from feeling too full during meals. They also include 8 ounces of liquid between meals, to keep you hydrated. Not all of the menu items are sugar-free. Menu items with an asterisk (*) have lactose. You may have had a large part or all of your stomach removed. If so, you may need to start with even smaller portion sizes than we list on the sample menus.
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