Proper nutrition should be an important part of everyone's daily life. Both aesthetic and reconstructive surgery place an increased metabolic demand on the body. It is important both pre-operatively and post-operatively to ensure adequate protein intake before and after surgery. Frequently nutrition comes up in consultations, so I have included below a standard post-operative diet protocol as well as an easy method for patients to understand the amount of protein they will need post operatively.The post-operative diet below is for tissue expander/implant reconstruction. It is modified for TRAM, DIEP, and SIEA reconstructions.
Post-Operative Breast Reconstruction Diet Protocol Pathway
Post-Op Day 0
Clear Liquid Diet as Tolerated.
Post-Op Day 1
Advance to Regular Diet as tolerated. Ensure 1 can three times per day between meals.
Post-Op Day 2
Regular Diet. Ensure 1 can three times per day between meals.
Discharge Diet:
Breast reconstruction surgery is very energy consuming to the body. There is also protein loss from drain output. It is important to maintain a high protein diet for two to three weeks post-operatively to maximize healing.
Regular Diet high in protein + Ensure three times/day between meals.
Goal is to eat 1 gram of protein per kg of bodyweight:
For example, if your body weight is 140 lbs, then your weight in kg is 140/2.2 or 63 kg. Therefore, patient with normal renal and liver function should eat at least 63 grams of protein per day.
Ensure 1 can: 9 grams of protein
Glucerna 1 can : 10 grams of protein
Ensure 1 can: 9 grams of protein
Glucerna 1 can : 10 grams of protein
Therefore, three cans give you 30 grams of protein.
1 can of tunafish contains approximately 25 grams of protein.
or
1 chicken breast contains approximately 30 grams of protein.
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1 can of tunafish contains approximately 25 grams of protein.
or
1 chicken breast contains approximately 30 grams of protein.
www.drbriandickinson.com
