Pre & Post Surgery Nutrition

When you have surgery of any sort, your body has a heightened level of stress and inflammation. You want to minimize that to support your body’s recovery process. Oftentimes skin or tissue is torn and in need of repair. On top of that, when you have surgery, it's likely that you are not getting as much movement as you're used to. Considering all of these factors, here is what I recommend adding to your routine to help you recover better and faster.

• Daily collagen intake - for skin and tissue health. Bone broth, bone-in meat, or collagen peptides to add to a drink, yogurt, or soup!
  

• Higher fat and lower carb (or at least a paleo-ish template) - to decrease inflammation (by way of decrease in blood sugar spikes), to support bowel movements, and to support blood sugar when you're not getting in as much physical activity.
  

• Curcumin - inflammation support, amongst many other benefits (type and dosage matters, I recommend Thorne’s Mervia SF form - by Chris Kresser’s research and recommendations*).
  

• Hydration (water AND electrolytes), fiber (veggies, chia seeds, berries, and avocado), deep breathing, and some sort of movement as best you can - to support daily bowel movements.
  

• Other supplements to support tissue healing to consider are D3, zinc, and NAC.
  

• Other supplements/practices to support inflammation and pain that might be worth trying out are CBD oil, acupuncture, and Boswellia AKBA.
  

A higher fat and lower carb diet would likely be beneficial to do 15-30 days prior to surgery as well, to prime the tissues and stress responses. These tips can also be helpful when you experience an injury, as your body is trying to repair, and you might not be moving your body as much.

Comment below if you have a surgery coming up and you've found any of these to be helpful, or have any tips of your own!

Written By: Emily Rodela

* https://chriskresser.com/my-healing-regimen-for-injuries-and-surgery/