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I’m having eye surgery soon. I hate surgery. I mean, I’m okay with the idea that it needs to happen to improve my well-being and quality of life, but I hate the idea of being put under anesthesia and not being in control. I’m such a control freak.
This is the first surgery I’ve had since I started my paleo journey in 2013. This time around I am trying to focus on things I have control over. I have control over the foods I put into my body to improve my nutrition profile both before and after surgery. I have control over how I choose to manage my stress. I have control over how I can prep beforehand to make life easier and how I actively choose to rest after, my surgery.
Let me start out by saying that I am not a licensed medical professional. My notes below are from my own research for my own use. Do your own research and consult with a qualified medical professional for advice specific to your own needs. Every person is different and what worked for me may not work for you.
The Research
I did a little research. Okay, maybe more than a little. I am a control freak who is anxious about her eyeballs getting operated on. Eye surgery is a little more anxiety producing than my foot surgeries were. I like being able to see. I’m sure I would adjust if I had to. For now, I plan to do all I can to support my body’s healing process.
Back to the research. I started with some website searching, which, of course, yielded some conflicting results. Mainstream medicine is not yet up-to-speed with modern nutrition research. I decided to stick with foods that fit within my paleo lifestyle.
In addition to research on websites, I searched some of my favorite podcasts as well as utilized that nifty search feature on my Kindle for many of the books I have that were written by noted nutritionists and doctors.
Why Pay Attention to Nutrition?
Per an article on Today’s Dietician as well as a study cited by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (see Reference list below), malnutrition is an important pre-operative indicator. It can lead to increased complications and higher costs after surgery including longer hospital stays. Paying attention to nutrition intake before surgery is one way patients can improve outcomes after surgery.
Now, I’ve been eating a nutrient-rich diet for several years now, but I’m still going to pay attention to my nutrition before and after my surgery to do what I can to improve my outcome. Having something to focus on that I can control is mitigating the anxiety surrounding my upcoming surgeries. It’s up to the surgeons to do what they do best. It’s up to me to do what I can to improve my outcome.
How About the Specifics?
Almost all of the research I did regarding nutrition before and after surgery points to adequate protein, including gelatin and collagen. Liz Wolfe and Diane Sanfilippo both discuss this in several of their Balanced Bites podcast episodes as well as their books (see Reference list below). Protein is important for the amino acids needed to form and rebuild tissues, including the formation of scars at an incision site. Both gelatin and collagen are particularly useful for tissue formation. Organ meat, bone broth and fatty fish both before and after surgery can be instrumental in recovery as well.
A wide variety of fruits and vegetables seems to be a good choice, too. Your body doesn’t need nutrients in isolation. There are so many nutrients that work together that it is important to eat a wide variety of foods to maximize your intake of vitamins and minerals. Put that one tiny bit of broccoli on your salad, even if you really don’t like it. One piece isn’t going to kill you. That one tiny piece of broccoli has more nutrients than no piece of broccoli. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
What About the Eyes?
Lutein and zeaxanthin are both important nutrients for the eyes. Adding leafy green veggies to your plate will give you a good source along with broccoli, yellow squash and honeydew melon.
Do you have dry eyes like me? Omega-3s can help with that. Salmon, sardines, and mackerel are all good seafood sources of omega-3s. In addition to seafood, you can add a few walnuts to your snack rotation for omega-3s.
During World War II, the British propaganda spread the rumor that their pilots had extraordinary vision due to their high intake of carrots. While carrots are a good source of beta carotene, which can be converted to vitamin A in the body, the truth was that the British didn’t want the Germans to learn about their new radar technology. Yet, vitamin A is important to eye health. While beta carotene can be found in carrots, butternut squash, and dark leafy greens, vitamin A can be found in liver and eggs. Sources of vitamin A will be more efficient than beta carotene due to the body’s need to convert beta carotene to vitamin A.
Vitamin C is well-known to be important for health. As an antioxidant, it helps protect against free radicals that can lead to lower immunity and compromise health. Foods like leafy green vegetables, berries, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and citrus are all good sources of vitamin C.
In my next post on my upcoming eye surgeries, I'll go through what I've been doing specifically to prepare. It's not all about the food either.
References
www.balancedbites.com, Podcast episodes 9, 36, 57 and 255
Eat the Yolks by Liz Wolfe
www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/preventing-illness/5-top-foods-for-eye-health
www.eatright.org/resource/fitness/training-and-recovery/endurance-and-cardio/eating-for-strength-and-recovery
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15018479
Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011315p10.shtml
