Vitamin and mineral supplementation after bariatric surgery is a very important part of staying healthy and losing weight safely. After surgery, your body will be going through many changes precipitated by the surgery itself as well as significantly reduced caloric intake and absorption. As a result many patients will find that their body needs a nutritional boost. Proper nutrition can help or avoid:

• Anemia caused by lack of iron
• Muscle tissue breakdown from a lack of protein
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Hair loss

Nutritional supplementation may include vitamins B12, C and D as well as iron calcium and protein. Each of these vitamins and minerals can cause minor or major problems if not in equilibrium within the body

The decision on which brand of vitamins and supplements to choose can be a difficult one, especially because the industry is not regulated in the same way as pharmaceuticals. This is where we, or your bariatric practice, can become a great resource. In all likelihood your surgical practice, like ours, has taken the time to evaluate the different nutritional offerings from the wide variety of vendors out there. So consult with your surgical practice and dietician to understand the various offerings and which ones may be right for you.

There’s a lot of information out there about fat. Good fat, bad fat, low-fat, and trans fat are buzz words that are frequently thrown around by nutrition experts. What do you need to know about fat that will help you with your surgical weight loss and keep you healthy?

Five Fat Facts

1. You need fat. Our bodies use fat to grow cells and protect our vital organs. Fat is also essential for absorbing vitamins, storing energy, and keeping our bodies warm.

2. Moderation is key. Dietary fat should only make up about 20 to 35 percent of your total calories.

3. There are good fats and bad fats. Good fats include monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and omega-3 fatty acids. Bad fats include saturated and trans fats.

4. Good fats can reduce your risk for disease. Unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids can help lower your “bad” cholesterol and improve your cardiovascular health.

5. Reading labels can help you find the bad fats. The FDA requires that food manufacturers disclose the amount of total fat content, including saturated and trans fats. Stay away from products with saturated and trans fats.

A healthy diet will be comprised of mainly good fats and very few bad fats. Good fats can be found in olive oil, safflower oil, seeds, nuts, vegetables oils, salmon, canola oil, flax seeds, and walnuts. Damaging fats are often found in fatty meats, butter, fried foods, full-fat dairy products, and some baked goods.

While it’s important for both men and women to eat a healthy, balanced diet, women have unique health needs that change as they age. Learn about special nutritional guidelines for women’s health.

3 Diet Tips for Better Women’s Health

• Eat Plenty of Iron-Rich Foods. Women can be more susceptible to low iron levels because of their menstrual cycles or other problems with iron absorption. Getting plenty of iron is key to good health and high energy levels. Good sources of iron include red meat, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, kale, spinach, beans, lentils, and fortified breads and cereals. Whenever possible, combine plant-based iron sources (such as spinach, breads, and cereals) with Vitamin C for better absorption. For example, put strawberries on top of your fortified cereal or add orange slices to your spinach salad.
• Load Up on Folic Acid During the Reproductive Years. Folic acid helps decrease the risk of birth defects. Experts recommend getting at least 400 micrograms of folic acid a day if you’re pregnant or may become pregnant. Citrus fruits, leafy greens, dry beans, and peas naturally contain folate. In addition, you can find folic-acid fortified foods like cereals, rice, breads, and pizza crust.
• Calcium, Calcium, Calcium. Calcium is vital for strong bones and preventing osteoporosis in women. Ideally, you should get your calcium from a variety of food sources every day. Calcium-rich foods include low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, sardines, tofu (if made with calcium sulfate), and calcium-fortified foods like juices and cereals.

If you’re trying to lower your cholesterol, you may need to rethink your breakfast choices.

The yolk in a regular egg contains 213 mg of cholesterol. It’s recommended that a healthy person limit their daily intake of dietary cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams. That means that if you decide to have one egg for breakfast, you’ll want to carefully monitor your cholesterol intake for the rest of the day.

If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or high cholesterol, you may need to eliminate the egg yolk completely. People who have high cholesterol or are at risk for developing high cholesterol should limit their dietary cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg a day. Instead of eating a whole egg, you can try eating egg whites, which contain no cholesterol. You may also try cholesterol-free egg substitutes that are made from egg whites.

Monitoring your dietary cholesterol is an important step toward maintaining good health. High cholesterol can lead to heart attacks and strokes. To avoid these risks, aim for an LDL (or “bad cholesterol”) level of 100 mg/dL. If you already have heart disease, your doctor may recommend you reach an LDL level of 70 mg/dL. Your total cholesterol level, which is a combination of LDL and HDL (or “good” cholesterol), should be less than 200.