The key to recovering from surgery stronger—and getting back to life faster—often lies in the steps you take before your procedure. One major player in this regard? Your presurgery nutrition plan. Today, we’re talking all you need to know about presurgery nutrition plans: what they are, why they matter, and how they can help you recover faster. Read on for a complete breakdown.
What is a presurgery nutrition plan?
A presurgery nutrition plan is simply modifications you make to your meals leading up to your procedure. Making changes to your diet—whether it be cutting out certain items or adding in extra nutrients before surgery—can play a major role in how well and how fast you recover. As with all of your presurgery efforts, just be sure to consult your physician before making any major changes.
Why does a presurgery nutrition plan matter?
If there’s one thing we repeat often here at ClearFast, it’s the idea that the stronger you enter surgery, the stronger you recover. Think of surgery like a major athletic event—it puts a ton of stress on your body, and a better performance often revolves around better preparation. While the old-school mentality tells us all we need to do to prepare for surgery is fast from midnight and lock down a day-of ride home, we’re now learning that a presurgery nutrition plan (along with replacing the old-school instructions to fast from midnight with a complex-carb-rich liquid fast instead) actually leads to safer surgeries and stronger recoveries. The truth is that many patients need to change or supplement their diets in the weeks leading up to surgery in order to best prepare their bodies for surgery—just as someone would need to make specific modifications to prepare for a marathon.
What are the requirements of a presurgery nutrition plan?
The specific requirements of a presurgery nutrition plan will vary from patient to patient, which is why it’s important to always consult your doctor. Sometimes, this may mean making major changes to your diet (to lose or gain weight, for example). Other times, you may simply need to make minor changes to optimize your nutrition levels. To help you on your quest for a healthy, balanced presurgery diet, our in-house nutritionist has designed a handful of presurgery nutrition plans for patients based around specific activity and mobility levels. You can download the one that best applies to you below:
- Preop sample menu: Limited Mobility or Low Activity
- Preop sample menu: Moderate Mobility & Average Activity
- Preop sample menu: Full Mobility & Highly Active
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Overall, a better bounce back often starts with a tailored presurgery nutrition plan. Learn more about how it can improve your surgery experience and recovery—or reach out to the ClearFast team at support@drinkcf.com if you have any questions at all!