Dietary Fiber Intake after Bariatric Surgery
With so much attention being paid to protein intake (combined with smaller portions) after bariatric surgery, some patients may find that their diet is not as balanced as it should be. If your diet does not contain the right balance of foods you might not be getting enough fiber, which can lead to constipation and weight plateaus. Read on to learn the benefits of dietary fiber and how to increase this nutrient in your diet after weight loss surgery. What is fiber? Fiber is found in plant foods – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Refined grains, such as white rice or white flour, are missing one or more of the three parts of the grain that make it “whole” (the bran, endosperm, and germ). This process leaves these foods with a quarter of the nutrients (like fiber) that they contained before. For this reason, the recommendation is to eat make half your grains whole (1). Fruit also contains fiber, but when fruit is made into juice it loses most of the fiber. There are two types... Read More