Is a Pre-Surgery Diet Helpful for Recovery?

 

Preparing for surgery? You might want to consider revamping your diet. Diet plays a major role in your overall health, including wound recovery from surgery. If your diet is lacking key nutrients, you might be setting yourself up for a slower recovery. 

 

Read below to learn how diet can affect wound healing and how key nutrients can help you recover from your surgery faster.

 

The Stages of Wound Healing

 

Wound healing has 3 phases. The first is blood clotting. When your body detects an injury, your cells immediately respond by forming a blood clot to stop the bleeding. 

 

The second phase is inflammation. Inflammation occurs around the wound site to clear any bacteria or debris, remove damaged tissue cells, and stimulate new tissue growth. Inflammation at the wound site looks like swelling and redness that can sometimes be painful or itchy. 

 

The third phase of wound healing is scarring. During this phase, your cells work to build new tissue over the injury. A scab or scar will form to protect the area while the rebuilding is in process. Once your wound is fully healed, the scab tissue will fall away. 

What Nutrients Aid in the Wound Healing Process?

Your body uses the nutrients from the foods you eat as energy for completing all bodily processes. The nutrients most effective for wound healing are as follows:

 

Vitamin C: Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning you can’t survive without it. Vitamin C is best known for improving the immune system and as an ingredient in skincare to brighten dull skin. 

 

Vitamin C aids in every phase of the wound healing process, but particularly during scar formation. The essential vitamin is necessary for collagen synthesis, which scar formation is dependent on. Without scar formation, your wound can’t close or heal properly. 

 

Zinc: Zinc is another nutrient known best for its benefits for your immune system. The powerful mineral helps strengthen the immune system, helping your body fight off infection at the wound site. It also aids in relieving chronic inflammation associated with infection or injury. 

 

Vitamin A: Vitamin A, also known as beta-carotene, is necessary for tissue repair at the wound site. The fat-soluble vitamin activates the tissue repair process by releasing skin cells to repair your wound. 

 

Turmeric: Turmeric is an East Asian spice with a bright yellow-orange hue. Turmeric contains the powerful compound curcumin, which is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 

 

Turmeric assists in the rebuilding and repairing process of skin tissue repair by stimulating growth factors. It can also help ease chronic inflammation. 

 

Bromelain: Bromelain is an enzyme that comes from the stem of pineapples. Some studies have shown that bromelain can decrease wound recovery time, reduce inflammation and swelling, and help remove damaged skin cells from the wound site. However, more research is needed to understand bromelain’s full benefits on the healing process. 

 

If you are unable to get enough nutrients through your diet alone, dietary supplements can be greatly beneficial. Nutritional supplements are formulated to be more easily absorbed by your body. An all-in-one supplement like WoundVite co-formulated by Devan Patel can simplify your pre- and post-surgery dietary needs by providing key nutrients in two daily capsules. Dietary supplements may be especially important if you suffer gastrointestinal upset post-surgery and find it difficult to consume solid foods. 

What Other Nutrients Help Wound Recovery?

In addition to getting plenty of vitamins and minerals, you should also aim to eat a balanced diet with plenty of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The recovery process is taxing on your whole body and requires a lot of energy. 

 

Ensuring you are getting adequate calorie and nutrient intake will make your recovery a much smoother process. Protein is especially important during your recovery downtime because it maintains muscle tissue. During periods of inactivity, muscle tissue breaks down. Consuming more protein will help reduce muscle breakdown and help you maintain your muscle strength. 

 

Adequate hydration and fiber are also important in a wound recovery diet. Water and fiber help your body absorb the nutrients from your food. Unless you are properly absorbing nutrients, your body can’t use them as well to help you heal. Make sure to drink plenty of water and fill up on fiber-rich foods like whole grains. 

The Takeaway

Eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of key nutrients will make your surgery and post-surgery recovery process smoother. To speed up your recovery process, make sure you are consuming these key nutrients in adequate amounts. Dietary supplements like WoundVite can make getting these nutrients much easier, thus helping you decrease your recovery time.