Hi guys! One of our fellow EatLove.Live readers has to go through an operation in just a few weeks. So, let’s send her as much virtual love as we can and cross our fingers for a fast recovery.

When your life is turned up-side-down and surgery has to happen, there are a few things you can do to strengthen your body and speed up healing. Even when it’s only a minor operation, the whole procedure will wear you out.

Preparing your body for it and giving it the best love after will make a huge difference to get you back on your feet. So, therefore, I thought we could all benefit from making this info available through a blog post. Because maybe you are having surgery too or know somebody who can benefit for this.

Important note: If you had surgery before and something worked out really well, please share these experiences and natural remedies with us in the comment box below. Much appreciated 😉

Nutrition For Better healing

To begin with, nutrition is vital before, but even more important after surgery. Nutrition is what provides us the building blocks to build up new tissues and heal wounds. Unfortunately, hospital food served after surgery is not the most nutrient dense food out there.

Depending on how long your stay will be, it may be a good idea to take high-quality supplements to provide your body with the essential nutrients.

When my hubby was in the hospital, I brought him a homemade green smoothie and light healthy meal nearly every day. But that will not always be possible. Hence, supplements may be the answer to meet your needs.

Before surgery: eat a clean, organic whole food diet. Avoid sugar, refined grains, alcohol, sugary drinks, and processed food. Moreover, drink loads of filtered water and try to incorporate one green smoothie or green juice into your daily menu to boost nutrient intake. Click here to download my free green smoothie eBook for some inspiration.

ALSO READ: What Is Clean Eating? 7 Simple Rules To Live A Healthy And Clean Lifestyle

After surgery: start with a light organic, whole food diet. Soups, smoothies, juices, fruit and veggie purees, broth, etc. and slowly make your way back to eating a clean, organic whole food diet.

Boost immune system

When you go through an operation, your nutrient levels get depleted, but that’s not the only thing that changes. Anesthesia lowers T-cell activity. A T-cell is a type of white blood cell that is of great importance to the immune system.

Certain drugs, such as antibiotics, can suppress the immune system as well and what’s more, all the pre- and post-surgery X-rays and CAT scans exhaust your antioxidant stores.

So when you are facing surgery, it is important to make sure you have your essential building blocks to repair the damage and boost the immune system to make sure no infections occur, and your body can fully concentrate on healing itself.

Essential nutrients to speed up recovery (and how to get more of them through your diet)

Vitamin C

Helps the body to repair itself and increases white blood cells, antibody formation, and interferon levels to fend off infections. It’s a fundamental component of collagen, and it helps the liver to break down anesthetics and may reduce post-surgical bleeding.

Foods high in vitamin C: citrus fruits, broccoli, papaya, bell peppers, strawberries, raspberries, kiwifruit, pineapple, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, and cauliflower.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is highly recommended for scar treatment.

Foods high in vitamin E: spinach (cooked), almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, avocados, fish, olive oil, shellfish, broccoli, squash, and pumpkin.

Vitamin A (or beta-carotene)

Vitamin A is an important antioxidant and helps prevent infections by boosting immune cell function.  It also plays a key role in tissue formation.

FYI: be careful when taking vitamin A supplements. Vitamin A can be toxic to the liver when taken in high doses, better is to take its precursor, beta-carotene which isn’t toxic in a higher dose.

Foods high in vitamin A: sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, squash, romaine lettuce, dried apricots, cantaloupe, sweet red peppers, mango, tuna, and papaya.

Glutamine and Arginine (amino acids)

Comparative studies show that people who supplement on glutamine had shorter hospital stays, and arginine improved the blood serum. Both aid post-surgical patients to boost the immune system to prevent infections.

Foods high in glutamine: fish, meat, beans, spinach, cabbage, parsley, milk, ricotta cheese, and cottage cheese.

Foods high in arginine: meat, nuts (peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and cashews), spinach, lentils, whole grains, seafood, and eggs.

Zinc

An important mineral needed in the repair process. Deficiencies in this mineral delays healing.

Good sources of zinc: seafood, meat, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, spinach, cashews, dark chocolate or cacao, beans, quinoa, and mushrooms.

Scroll down to learn more about natural healing after surgery!