Home from hospital

Surgery was a success!! Removal of endometriosis and the ovarian cyst.

Headline: Calories, gut and hydration

After surgery, your body needs enough calories and nutrients to fully recover from the procedure. Eating the right foods after surgery can decrease risk of infection, speed healing of the incision and increase strength and energy. The best post-surgery foods to eat are packed full of vitamins and minerals. However I have been struggling to consume anything too strong in flavour or requiring too much effort to consume. So I have been eating hearty soups with bread rolls, yoghurt, oats, custard, beef cheeks with sweet potato mash and smoothies.

Also, especially due to the Pico-prep consumed, I am also very focused on reintroducing good bacterial and probiotics into my gut. Often in hospital you will be given antibiotic's which will kill both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria in our body. It is reported that 75-80% of natural immunity resides in our guts, so this can reduce our natural protective barrier. There are foods rich in probiotics you can eat to help keep your gut integrity strong and also guard against leaky gut. To combat this I have been drinking kombucha and kefir and eating sauerkraut. These fermented foods may improve digestion, boost immunity and—according to some preliminary studies—they may even help us get leaner. Research is still emerging on just how important these mighty microbes might be for our health, but the early results are promising. There’s plenty you can do now to encourage their growth. The most effective way is by eating foods packed with probiotics—good bacteria that live in your gut and show up in fermented foods.

Lastly hydration is SUPER important. The detoxification process relies on water to sweep away toxins and convert fat soluble nutrients to water soluble nutrients. And, since medications must be processed through the liver staying hydrated before and after surgery is essential to clearing these substances from the body.Blood contains cells that make up the solid part and plasma which is the liquid part, its function is to carry oxygen and elements that initiate healing processes to other organs of the body. If we want a good healing to have a good amount of water it would be essential.

My Diet Post Surgery. I found it was easier to consume more earlier in the day rather than later.....

Breakfast:

- Overnight Oats with kefir and blueberries

- Banana

- Herbal tea

- Water

Snack:

- Kombucha slightly warmed with honey

- Smoothie e.g. banana with macadamia milk, vanilla beans, ice and kefir.

- Water

Lunch:

- Beef cheeks or Beef casserole with sweet potato mash

- Custard

- Apple juice

Snack

- Soft fruits e.g. blueberries, strawberries

- Bliss ball (homemade)

- Water

Dinner:

- Hearty soup with breadroll e.g. minestrone, pea and ham soup

- bread roll with butter

- Icepole

- Water