Beverage Guidelines

Recommended After Surgery

Follow this nutrition therapy, blending everything to the consistency of applesauce, until your dietitian gives you new instructions. This will usually happen at your first doctor’s visit after surgery.

Goals

  • To help you lose enough weight after gastric lap-band or Roux-en-Y surgery
  • To provide enough protein, fluid, vitamins, and minerals to keep you healthy
  • To decrease side effects of surgery

Beverage Guidelines

  • Drink 48 ounces or more of low-fat, low-sugar liquids every day. To drink this much, try sipping 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) every 15 minutes.
  • About half of what you drink (24 ounces per day) should be high-protein drinks or strained cream soups. These should have at least 15 grams protein, less than 20 grams carbohydrate, and less than 5 grams fat per cup (8 ounces).
  • At least half of what you drink (24 ounces or more per day) should be sugar-free liquids.
    Good choices include the following:

    • Water
    • Decaffeinated coffee or caffeine-free tea without sugar (you may use sugar substitute)
    • Sugar-free, noncarbonated drinks, like Crystal Lite or sugar-free Kool-Aid, or “flat” sugar-free soda pop
    • Diet V-8 Splash
    • Low-calorie cranberry juice
    • Sugar-free Jell-O (¼ cup = 2 ounces)
    • Sugar-free Popsicles
    • Broth
  • Do not drink liquids with a meal or for 30 minutes after a meal. This can cause the pouch to stretch, and you will not lose all the weight that you can. You are also more likely to regain weight later.
  • Do not drink alcohol. It is dehydrating and has no nutrients.
  • Do not drink carbonated (bubbly) drinks. The bubbles may give you gas, cause bloating, and stretch the stomach pouch.

 

Liquid Pureed Sample Menu

Suggested After Surgery for 2 Weeks

  • Get enough protein. At meals, always eat protein first.
  • Do not drink while eating. Wait at least 30 minutes after a meal before having fluids. When you do drink, sip. Don’t gulp, use straws, or drink alcohol.
  • Take 15 minutes to eat each meal. Stop eating when you feel full. If you keep eating, you may vomit. Overeating also stretches the pouch and may keep you from losing weight.
8 am 4 to 6 tablespoons cooked cream of wheat, mixed with 2 tablespoons of skim milk to thin cereal, 1 chewable multivitamin
9 am 1 cup skim milk—Sip slowly (¼ cup every 15 minutes).
10 am 1 cup low-calorie cranberry juice—Sip slowly (¼ cup every 15 minutes).
11 am 3 tablespoons cottage cheese and 1 tablespoon strained peaches
12 noon 1 cup sugar-free lemonade—Sip slowly (¼ cup every 15 minutes).
1 pm 2 to 3 tablespoons strained beef, 2 tablespoons mashed potatoes,
2 tablespoons pureed green beans, 1 chewable calcium tablet
2 pm 1 cup decaffeinated tea with sugar substitute—Sip slowly
(¼ cup every 15 minutes).
3 pm 1 cup liquid protein supplement—Sip slowly (¼ cup every 15 minutes).
5 pm 6 tablespoons sugar-free instant pudding with 1 scoop protein powder
6 pm 2 to 3 tablespoons strained turkey, 2 tablespoons mashed potato,
2 tablespoons pureed carrots, 1 chewable multivitamin tablet
7 pm 1 cup skim milk—Sip slowly (¼ cup every 15 minutes).
8 pm 3 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese, 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, 1 chewable calcium tablet
9 pm 1 cup cream of chicken soup (see recipe)
10 pm 1 cup decaffeinated coffee—Sip slowly (¼ cup every 15 minutes).

High-Protein Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe

  • Mix 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
  • 3 tablespoons proterin powder
  • Add enough hot water to equal 1 cup
  • Serve lukewarm