Post-Surgery Nutrition for Seniors: Recovery Stages, Myths & Herbal Support

For elderly patients who have undergone surgery, scientific food supplements are the key to “eating” health and “tonifying” vitality. However, in life, many elderly people still have misunderstandings about food supplements. For example, blindly buying high-end ingredients, believing “the more expensive the ingredients, the better”; firmly believing “the more you supplement, the better, and it doesn’t hurt to supplement too much”, resulting in eating far more than you need on a daily basis; thinking “it’s effective for others to eat, it must be good for me too”, blindly following the trend and taking supplements. Experts point out that postoperative dietary supplementation is a science about progressive stages, individual differences and nutritional balance. Today, we’ll take you through.

Common misunderstandings to stay away from

Massive protein breakdown, delayed wound healing, and reduced digestive function are common problems in elderly patients after surgery. Dr. David Miller, chief physician at Johns Hopkins Geriatric Center, said that scientific and reasonable dietary nutritional support can promote tissue repair, reduce the risk of complications such as infection, and shorten the recovery cycle. Postoperative dietary supplements should follow the principle of individualization, and elderly patients should stay away from three major misunderstandings.

One is blind tonic. Take thick soup and greasy and thick flavors such as turtle soup and ginseng immediately after surgery. Doing so will increase the burden of digestion, damage the spleen and stomach, and may cause abdominal distension and diarrhea, which is not conducive to wound recovery.

Second, excessive taboos, strictly controlling diet due to fear “hair matter”, resulting in severe lack of protein and energy, delaying recovery.

Third, think “soup is more expensive than meat,” discard meat, vegetables, etc. “essence”. In fact, the soup contains little nutrients and high fat, purine and salt.

Postoperative dietary supplement staging

Food supplements for elderly patients after surgery should follow the principle of phasing, and the diet should be scientifically adjusted according to the recovery of gastrointestinal function and the wound healing process, and should never be rushed or blindly supplemented.

Early postoperative period (1 to 3 days): Gentle start, stomach protection first. Gastrointestinal function has not been restored at this stage, and the core of the diet is to protect stomach qi. Clear fluids such as warm water, thin rice soup, filtered clear soup, diluted fruit juice, etc. are preferred after the doctor allows them to eat. Small amount several times, 50 to 100 ml each time, 1 to 2 hours apart, closely observe the presence or absence of nausea, abdominal distension and other symptoms. Avoid eating gas-prone foods such as milk, soy milk, and beans and their greasy and thick taste. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, when the human stomach qi is weak, it should choose foods that are peaceful in nature and easy to transport and transform, so as to avoid cold and cold damage to the spleen and stomach. You can add a little peeled ginger slices or tangerine peel to the soup to help warm and neutralize the stomach.

Mid postoperative period (within 3 days to several weeks): Protein first, energy follow-up. Appetite improves with progressive “resuscitation” of gastrointestinal function, this stage being the golden period of nutritional supplementation. It is recommended to supplement with sufficient energy and good quality protein, which is the “building material” for wound healing and tissue repair. The diet should transition from liquid, semi-liquid thick porridge and rotten noodles to soft rice and steamed buns. Patients can choose easily digestible things such as steamed custard, boiled eggs, low-fat milk, tender fish, minced chicken, lean minced meat porridge, and soft tofu. With a small amount of vegetables that are easy to digest and have less residue, such as carrot puree, pumpkin, winter melon and fruit. Adhere to the “eat less and eat more” pattern of 5 to 6 meals a day. The food should be soft and rotten, and avoid fried, spicy, high-fat, and high-salt foods.

Recovery period (after several weeks): Balanced and consolidated, comprehensive nutrition. When the patient returns to a normal diet and the wound heals well, the food supplement enters the consolidation and lifting phase, in which the goal is to construct a comprehensive and balanced dietary structure. It is best to have more than 12 types of daily food. The staple food should be thick and thin, add oats, millet, and potatoes, ensure a sufficient supply of high-quality protein such as fish, poultry, eggs, lean meat, milk, and beans, and consume a variety of colors. 300 to 500 grams of fresh vegetables and 200 to 350 grams of fruits. To ensure bone health, patients need to consume sufficient amounts of dairy products, soy products, and dark green vegetables, supplemented by sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation. Prevent anemia, ensure the intake of foods such as red meat, and can be combined with fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C to promote iron absorption. Supplementation with B vitamins, preferably whole grains, lean meats and leafy greens.

Syndrome differentiation and meal administration promote recovery

For elderly patients with postoperative physical weakness and slow recovery, Dr. David Miller suggested that patients should use medicinal and food products of the same origin to assist in conditioning under the guidance of a professional herbal medicine practitioner.

For example:

• People with weak spleen and stomach and loss of appetite: yam, lotus seeds, coix seed (Job’s tears), tangerine peel, hawthorn, millet cooked as porridge to strengthen the spleen and aid digestion.
• Deficiency of Qi and blood: red dates, goji berries (wolfberry), and peanut skins to replenish blood.
• Qi deficiency: chicken stew with a small amount of astragalus, codonopsis root, and yam.
• Blood deficiency with pale complexion: angelica root, red dates, and pork liver.
• Yin deficiency with dry mouth: lily bulb, white fungus, and duck.
• Yang deficiency with fear of cold: stew ginger and mutton in moderation.
• Weakness of the spleen and stomach: poria mushroom, lentils, and a small amount of amomum seed cooked as porridge.

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