Diet After Cardiac Surgeries

During your recovery from cardiac surgery, both in the hospital and after your discharge, a special diet promotes healing and heart health. Your doctor will prescribe your dietary restrictions. As your body heals, sticking to a heart-healthy diet and getting moderate exercise when you are able to prevents future cardiac disease.

Post-Operative Recovery

After cardiac surgery, your digestive system may need to rest a bit. Patients commonly feel nauseated after major surgery, including heart surgery. Right after cardiac surgery, your doctor may prescribe a clear liquid diet to help your digestive system recover and to combat nausea. On a clear liquid diet, you will be able to drink water, clear soda, tea and diluted juice and eat broth and gelatin. Avoid dairy products such as ice cream and cheese, which can aggravate nausea. If you are not keeping down liquids or find the nausea too uncomfortable, the doctor can prescribe medication.

After your surgery, it'll be important to move your bowels. When you are eating solid foods, eat plenty of whole-grain carbohydrates, vegetables and fruit to make sure you are getting enough fiber. If you can't move your bowels each day, talk to your doctor about taking a stool softener or laxative.

Cardiac Diet

Once you are able to start eating solid foods, the doctor will want you to eat a heart-healthy diet low in sodium and saturated fat. You may be asked to decrease your calories if you are overweight, or increase your calories if you are not eating enough to have energy for rehabilitation. Losing weight if you are overweight will help your heart in the long run, but do not try to lose too much weight all at once or severely restrict your calories. Your body needs protein to heal wounds and carbohydrates for energy to recover.

In general, cardiac patients need to eat foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol, low in sodium and high in dietary fiber and nutrients. Diabetic cardiac patients should also control blood glucose by eating foods with a low glycemic index. Increase your intake of whole-grain carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and whole-grain bread. Eat more servings of fruit and vegetables. Limit your meat intake to lean cuts like white meat chicken and turkey, trimmed pork loin and sirloin. Add fresh fish, poached, steamed, grilled or broiled, to your diet at least twice weekly. Avoid cured meat like ham and bacon, processed foods and fried foods.