I want salad please!

[ggvan 18]

I am 3 months post op. At what point have some of you ate salad? I miss it so bad but I have heard to wait for 4 months. I have stuck by the guidelines as directed but really haven't gotten a straight answer about salad. Thank you.

[CanyonBaby 1,852]

What has your dietician suggested? You should be able to, I would think, start any time on it, as your sleeve allows. However, don't be surprised at your sleeve's reaction to it, fresh veggies are harder to digest. The problem I have with salad is how much room it takes up, not allowing for Protein. And then it is gone in a flash, leaving me feeling like I need to eat again, which I DON'T want to do. I miss it, or what it was like to eat it, but I'll get over it. I just need to remember PROTIEN FIRST.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

When I told my NP I wanted salad, she asked me exactly what I missed about it. It was the crunch, the variety, the texture. She suggested (BRILLIANT!!) that I go to the salad bar at the grocery and make a container of just the toppings. As she said -- that's the yummy part and lettuce is simply non-nutritious filler.

So I did. Red onions, red peppers, olives, grape tomatoes, scallions, bacon bits, shredded cheese, etc. She did tell me to avoid seeds, croutons and broccoli for the first 6 months, but other than that...

I added a bit of my favorite dressing, stirred it and YUMMMMMMM!

[donnag53 72]

LipstickLady that spounds like such a great idea. Never would of thought of that. Thanks for sharing.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I am 3 months post op. At what point have some of you ate salad? I miss it so bad but I have heard to wait for 4 months. I have stuck by the guidelines as directed but really haven't gotten a straight answer about salad. Thank you.

What are the eating guidelines your program recommends? I've been eating salad since I was 6 weeks post op. Not a very large one. Usually maybe ½ cup of lettuce with a chopped up or sunny side up egg and 1 or 2 chopped up grape tomatoes. If you eat meat a bit of tuna/chicken salad or Protein of choice would be fine. I never had an issue with raw veg of any kind and it was the veg I miss. I now have them regularly using romaine, raw spinach, arugula or mixed baby greens. I will even have a lettuce wrap with butter lettuce and Protein of choice.

[MrsSugarbabe 727]

@@ggvan

What has your NUT told you at this point? Follow his/her recommendations.

Once I was told I could transition to regular foods "as tolerated," I began experimenting with different raw and cooked veggies. Fortunately, my new tummy has been very tolerate of everything I've eaten. My favorite salads are, and always have been, the kinds of things @@LipstickLady suggested, and my favorite dressing is Wishbone's Red Wine Vinaigrette. It's only been in the past couple of weeks that I've ventured further into eating salads again as my main meal, and these salads are very small. Whatever type of Protein I put on my salad is eaten first, then I eat the veggies until my tummy tells me to stop (which isn't long). Always remember - Protein FIRST.

As you venture forward.....do so mindfully, and CHEW CHEW CHEW

[CTDEE 58]

My NUT said salad was fine once I moved to solids at 4 weeks. I've had it a few times with no issues but of course stick to what your team recommends.

[Miss Mac 6,262]

It was about four months before I coud tolerate raw veggies. I agree with lipsticklady that lettuce is a useless filler. What I do now is make my salad from diced grilled chicken, chopped tomatos and cukes, a few garbanzo or black Beans, and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. I make up a batch of this stuff and eat on it for three or four days. About a cup fills me up for a while. I don't do well with vinegar-based dressings (gag factor), so I take lite ranch and put a couple tablespoons into 1/2 cup salsa and use that for my dressing all week. It taste similar to the Paul Newman Southwestern dressing that I used to get at McDonalds. It is a specialty conract and not available in stores, but I don't want to lurk around McDonalds just for that.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Depends on your definition of useless filler. Most dark, leafy greens provide Vitamin A, K and Protein as well as providing nice Fiber, which helps you poo. The exception to that is iceburg. However, a salad doesn't have to contain lettuce. It can be any assortment of raw veg you like. As for dressings, I never buy bottled or premade dressings. Too many chemicals in most of them. I make my own. It's pretty much any acid + a fat then add seasonings to taste. Than means I can use a bit of avocado, olive oil, greek yogurt, a cooked egg yolk combined with say a good balsamic vinegar, lemon/lime/orange juice, apple cider vinegar or my favorite, Pickle Juice and emulsify my own concoction. Mt favorite summer salad is fresh spinach, black Beans, hard boiled egg with a few orange slices and an orange vinaigrette. Sometimes I even crumble a few walnut pieces over it for added crunch.

[CTDEE 58]

Right. I never eat iceburg. I try to use the most nutrient rich greens I can find. I don't use much as I'm focused on Protein but I've been adding a bit every other day. That little bit of Fiber is making a difference!

@@BLERDgirl that dressing sounds awesome!

[roundisashape 712]

As soon as I was transitioned to "regular" food, I was told I could try it - but like everything else, to try one component at a time and don't eat it again for a while if it doesn't work the first time. I've had no issues with it, and eat salad almost every day...mostly out of laziness, because I live alone and dirtying a pot to cook enough veggies for just me seems pointless

[leximik 1]

I'm 3 going on 4 months. Eat salad all the time. No problems at all.

I am 3 months post op. At what point have some of you ate salad? I miss it so bad but I have heard to wait for 4 months. I have stuck by the guidelines as directed but really haven't gotten a straight answer about salad. Thank you.