Mediterranean Style Eating

[JupiterinVirgo 846]

I have long felt that Western medicine simply refuses to learn about food. My surgeons instructions to eat a lot of meat and then only eat vegetables, then fruits, "if there's room," had me feeling sickly within weeks.

I did tell my body was in desperate need of nutrients. Specifically, minimally and unprocessed foods that grow naturally and are not genetically modified. Foods that still had micro nutrients, foods that still had the sunshine living in them.

I started to follow my instincts, and I'm still learning how to listen to my body. I think a lot of our problems come from placing it's already outside of ourselves, on the "other. "

I am eating a lot of cheese, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and have cut back on eating dead animal flesh. Overall, I feel healthier. I'm Losing weight, but I also feel like I'm eating more, but everything I eat has general genuine nutritional value.

I didn't get fat eating fruits and nuts. I got fat eating cakes and Cookies. Eating candy and yodels. I got fat stuff and down my feelings with food like products that were poisonous to my body, and I feel so much better about the way I'm treating my body now-How i'm eating now.

But I don't see much support in forums for anything except high-Protein, very low-carb eating styles, which do not align with what I know about overall wellness and health for the long term. What I see is people reporting other health problems within the first year after surgery, that probably come from this radical in balance and shunning of real food and nutrition, in exchange for creating a chemical environment in which that burns fast, but at the expense of overall well-being. Kidney and gallbladder stones for instance, seem to be very common.

I guess I just wanted to express this, in the hopes that others are also finding what's right for their specific bodies. If you are blazing your own trail i'd love to hear about how you eat and why, and how it is working for you post surgery. I am especially interested in hearing from people who are familiar with this thing called the Mediterranean diet, which seems to be what my body wants.

I think you kindly for your eyes, for your time, and for your comments.

[Amelie2016 116]

I only had my VSG on Feb 1st.

But before, I had gotten into fermenting my own foods, and eating organic. I also love Mediterranean foods. So, once I can experiment, I certainly will.

I truly believe I got fat off the American Corporate food Industry. And I too find, all these "brands" on display in my nutritionists office. Noting but chemicals.

I do hope you get more replies, I'm curious too!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I have long felt that Western medicine simply refuses to learn about food. My surgeons instructions to eat a lot of meat and then only eat vegetables, then fruits, "if there's room," had me feeling sickly within weeks.

I did tell my body was in desperate need of nutrients. Specifically, minimally and unprocessed foods that grow naturally and are not genetically modified. Foods that still had micro nutrients, foods that still had the sunshine living in them.

I started to follow my instincts, and I'm still learning how to listen to my body. I think a lot of our problems come from placing it's already outside of ourselves, on the "other. "

I am eating a lot of cheese, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and have cut back on eating dead animal flesh. Overall, I feel healthier. I'm Losing weight, but I also feel like I'm eating more, but everything I eat has general genuine nutritional value.

I didn't get fat eating fruits and nuts. I got fat eating cakes and Cookies. Eating candy and yodels. I got fat stuff and down my feelings with food like products that were poisonous to my body, and I feel so much better about the way I'm treating my body now-How i'm eating now.

But I don't see much support in forums for anything except high-Protein, very low-carb eating styles, which do not align with what I know about overall wellness and health for the long term. What I see is people reporting other health problems within the first year after surgery, that probably come from this radical in balance and shunning of real food and nutrition, in exchange for creating a chemical environment in which that burns fast, but at the expense of overall well-being. Kidney and gallbladder stones for instance, seem to be very common.

I guess I just wanted to express this, in the hopes that others are also finding what's right for their specific bodies. If you are blazing your own trail i'd love to hear about how you eat and why, and how it is working for you post surgery. I am especially interested in hearing from people who are familiar with this thing called the Mediterranean diet, which seems to be what my body wants.

I think you kindly for your eyes, for your time, and for your comments.

Mmmmmmm....I love dead animal flesh.

I eat high Protein, high fat, real foods. Nuts, cheese, veggies, meat, eggs, seafood.

Most fruit disagrees with me as do rice and potatoes. Carbs are pretty limited to Beans and an occasional dessert.

But dead animal flesh is my favorite. If it's red meat, rare...

Oh! Edit to add. Almost three years out and healthy as a horse.

[JenniferP1 75]

Totally agree! We eat so little now, what we put in our bodies should be super-nutritious, healthy, chemical-free, GMO-free, etc. And we do not have to consume the dead bodies of helpless, slaughtered animals. Please search for "WLS Vegetarians" on Facebook to join a group of like-minded WLS'ers who are following (or interested in following) a plant-based diet.

Edited February 7, 2016 by JenniferP1

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

There are a few vegetarians who post here and there is a vegetarian forum.

Even those people, get their Protein in. Protein is a building block of the body and you can get it from things besides meat.

So what was your start weight? What is your height? What is your current weight? How many calories do you eat a day? What is your protein goal? Do you meet your protein goal? How many carbs do you have a day? What kind of fruit are you eating?

[Kathy812 794]

This is an interesting topic. I do find that I crave more veggies and fruit but based on what is recommended by my nutrionist, these food options comes last.

I won't lie, I do enjoy meat, seafood & fish but I want to try to eat less red meat. I've started researching the Paelo diet as well. I doubt I will ever be nor do I want to be a vegetarian, but I do want to find a happy balance.

As someone else posted, we each have to find what works best for us while keeping in mind the nutrients that we need to maintain a healthy body.

[Dub 9,922]

I have long felt that Western medicine simply refuses to learn about food. My surgeons instructions to eat a lot of meat and then only eat vegetables, then fruits, "if there's room," had me feeling sickly within weeks.

I did tell my body was in desperate need of nutrients. Specifically, minimally and unprocessed foods that grow naturally and are not genetically modified. Foods that still had micro nutrients, foods that still had the sunshine living in them.

I started to follow my instincts, and I'm still learning how to listen to my body. I think a lot of our problems come from placing it's already outside of ourselves, on the "other. "

I am eating a lot of cheese, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and have cut back on eating dead animal flesh. Overall, I feel healthier. I'm Losing weight, but I also feel like I'm eating more, but everything I eat has general genuine nutritional value.

I didn't get fat eating fruits and nuts. I got fat eating cakes and Cookies. Eating candy and yodels. I got fat stuff and down my feelings with food like products that were poisonous to my body, and I feel so much better about the way I'm treating my body now-How i'm eating now.

But I don't see much support in forums for anything except high-Protein, very low-carb eating styles, which do not align with what I know about overall wellness and health for the long term. What I see is people reporting other health problems within the first year after surgery, that probably come from this radical in balance and shunning of real food and nutrition, in exchange for creating a chemical environment in which that burns fast, but at the expense of overall well-being. Kidney and gallbladder stones for instance, seem to be very common.

I guess I just wanted to express this, in the hopes that others are also finding what's right for their specific bodies. If you are blazing your own trail i'd love to hear about how you eat and why, and how it is working for you post surgery. I am especially interested in hearing from people who are familiar with this thing called the Mediterranean diet, which seems to be what my body wants.

I think you kindly for your eyes, for your time, and for your comments.

Mmmmmmm....I love dead animal flesh.

I eat high Protein, high fat, real foods. Nuts, cheese, veggies, meat, eggs, seafood.

Most fruit disagrees with me as do rice and potatoes. Carbs are pretty limited to Beans and an occasional dessert.

But dead animal flesh is my favorite. If it's red meat, rare...

Oh! Edit to add. Almost three years out and healthy as a horse.

I'm pulling up a chair to your table.

chicken, fish, steak & etc for me as well.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

If you're going to not eat "dead animal flesh" then you have to be responsible for eating in a way that provides your body with sufficient Protein. And that means at least 60 grams of Protein to start -- and probably more later on. Lots of good plant foods have protein, but to eat complete Proteins you have to become a serious student of vegetarian nutrition. You can't just eat something that "still has the sunshine living in it" (I actually have no idea what that means).

As someone whose body does well with poultry, fish and a little meat, I've had zero health problems since WLS by eating those foods. In fact, as most people here will testify (counter to the OP theory that most WLS patients get sick from eating as their surgeons recommend they eat post-op) I am a heckuva lot healthier now than I was pre-op.

I do strive to eat 5 fruits and veggies each day and whole grains. Most days I also drink wine and have a little dark chocolate.

One thing that's definitely a switch is that since I hit maintenance (9 months ago) I now cook "from scratch" so much more than I used to. Hubby and I eat out and buy takeout so much less often than we used to.

Now, when food shopping, we seldom buy frozen or pre-packaged or deli food. We buy our veggies and fruits in the "fresh" department, get meat / poultry that's grass-fed and grown without hormones from a butcher's shop (not a big box store). We now make Pasta dishes with whole-wheat Pasta. We shop at farmers markets three seasons a year (but not very much in deep winter).

The food we eat now tastes so great! I am definitely not a WLS patient who doesn't like the taste of food anymore. I like it better, because the food we're eating now is better.

Oh -- and I drink a glass of skim milk daily and eat at least an ounce of full-fat cheese, sometimes two ounces. I don't eat a lot of nuts, although I made for dinner today some honey pecan pork cutlets. Mmmm-mmmm!

I cook with a lot more fat these days than I did pre-op -- was always a fat-avoider. Now I use a lot of olive oil AND butter.

When I eat breads or crackers they're always high-protein, high-Fiber ones. Most days I hit my minimum 21-25 grams of Fiber recommended for women.

And when I have treats, e.g., ice cream, Desserts -- I have the full-fat versions. I just don't eat nearly as much of everything that I used to eat.

So that's what I'm doing.

[Kathy812 794]

@@VSGAnn2014, I'm looking for a high Protein bread to eat on occasion, will you share which one you eat?

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I just eat the Sara Lee multigrain (45 cals/slide) bread. Two slices have 90 calories, 6 grams of Protein and 5 grams of fiber.

However, there's a monster Protein bread out there you will have to order online (I haven't had it, but @@bikrchk here swears it's great):

 https://www.p28foods.com

[LipstickLady 25,682]

@@VSGAnn2014

You forgot the "dead bodies of helpless, slaughtered animals". I, too, am healthier now than I ever was before. High fat, high Protein, high spice, fresh foods. I'm not sure what food that has sunshine in it is either, but I do prefer free range chickens and humanely raised beef and they lived out in the sunshine, so...

I totally get why some people are vegan or vegetarian. It's kind of like religion or sexuality, it's a personal choice. What I don't understand is the inflammatory and provocative language that some choose to use regarding other's choices.

[EP8 9]

Dr. Weiner advocates for a plant-based diet. I'm 3 weeks post-op so very new. But before surgery I ate no meat and dairy and still don't. I follow Dr. Weiners advice. I think those who choose a plant based life can meet every nutritional goal they need.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Apparently, meat's not a no-no on the Mediterranean Diet -- as long as it's low-fat:

meats are eaten in small portions by Mediterranean peoples, who prefer lean cuts.

Poultry is a good source of lean Protein without the high levels of saturated fat found in some cuts of red meat. With ground meats, 90 percent lean/10 percent fat is a sound choice.

Poultry and red meat common to the traditional Mediterranean Diet include: beef, chicken, duck, goat, guinea fowl, lamb, mutton, pork.

http://oldwayspt.org/resources/heritage-pyramids/mediterranean-diet-pyramid/traditional-med-diet

[sleevedinseptember 69]

I am only 5 months out from my surgery but I'm also interested in transitioning to a whole foods plant based diet. Two years ago I became a vegan for about a year and when I really focused on plant based cooking and eating, I felt great and did really well. But I definitely got lazy and started defaulting to eating simple carbs because that did not involve a lot of cooking or thinking.

I was having too many chips, popcorn and other heavy things. I also worsened my Iron deficiency and my doctor asked me to resume eating meat.

Now post surgery I am doing a lot of research on vegetarian and vegan eating and trying to move in that direction. I personally am convinced by the research out there showing that excess consumption of red meat is not good for our health. I've also been convinced by a couple of bariatric surgeons books who have suggested that a vegetarian if not vegan diet would assist in long terms success with weight loss.

So I'm starting to phase out meat and dairy relying more on fish, Beans, vegetables and nuts for my daily intake. I hope in a few months I will have mastered some go to recipes and foods.

Edited February 7, 2016 by sleevedinseptember

[BarrySue 602]

For as much as people complain about "chemicals" and "toxins" in their food, they are awfully quick to buy into another set of meaningless dietary buzzwords like "natural" and "clean," trading one ideology for another. People are also so quick to dismiss doctors who underwent 11-14 years of education/training/residency, and dieticians/scientists who devote their lives to the art and practice of nutrition as "Western Medicine" ignorants and corporate fatcats. You are free to make your own choices, but "instinct" and "intuition" doesn't mean you somehow possess secret, ancient knowledge beyond the scope of the medical profession.

Doctors advocate Protein, which comes in the form of Protein shakes (not dead animal flesh, I couldn't start feasting on adorable, defenseless animals until two months out). High Protein can be done on non-meats, however they often require a higher quantity of consumption (which puts stress/stretch on sleeves), and the cost/inconvenience/familiarity/cultural preference often has people going with a grilled chicken breast over a complicated veggie casserole that often contains more starch/carbs than it does protein. A meat-heavy diet is not doctors failing to understand the basic tenets of veganism; it is a matter of function and convenience, because those are the most effective ways of maintaining a long-term plan. In a range of studies, 75%-84% of vegans/vegetarians return to eating meat, so doctors are reluctant or resistant to advocating it to patients who are already experiencing extreme stress and an upheaval of life.

Wanna go vegetarian? Wanna go full vegan? Find that you function well deviating from the typical post-OP plan? Awesome. More power to you. But don't come in here peddling ideological beliefs and anecdotes in food/medicine as legitimate science or die-hard fact. "Healthy" food companies are just as quick to capitalize on your fears (and typically spend big money to put out misleading news articles and pseudo-science articles to take your money).

Next time you go to Whole Foods, check out the box of the next Natural Organic Non-GMO* product. Pay strict attention to the asterisk. It is usually accompanied by a disclaimer that there is no benefit to consumption as measurable/detectable by scientific study.

As a nurse with a strong background in nutrition, it's great that patients are empowered and invested in their own health. But fact isn't something you "believe" in. It exists regardless of what you think or not. So please think twice before you advocate for belief versus well-supported science and trash an entire profession as people that just don't understand your high and mighty, esoteric plane of consciousness.

And with that, I'm going to go eat some more salami.

Edited February 8, 2016 by BarrySue