Raw vegetables - which ones and when?

[rjan 164]

I'm 3 weeks post op, gastric sleeve.

The diet my doctor gave me was on the more restrictive side at the beginning - clear fluids for a whole week and full fluids for another week, whereas I've seen other diets that have you on fluids for only 7 days. But it seems less restrictive at the end - graduate to a full diet after 4 weeks. It says nothing about raw vegetables after this point, while I notice that other diets may have restrictions on raw vegetables for 2-6 months. (By the way, I had my surgery in Mexico, so there will be no followup appointments with my surgeon, nor do I have appointments with a nutritionist to ask questions.)

I really, really love raw vegetables. Salads of course, but my favorite pre-surgery was cucumber - I usually ate 1-2 a day, as well as others like carrots, peas, green Beans, and broccoli. I'm wondering if I should give any a try at 4 weeks, or if I should wait.

I'm curious to ask when people found they were able to tolerate raw vegetables, and if certain ones were better than others? For instance, I imagine peeled cucumber would go over much better than carrot since it is softer.

[NovaLuna 710]

My doctor said no to lettuce for three months because it won't sit well in your stomach. Though cooked spinach is apparently okay (I have stomach issues due to my surgery so I've yet to try it, but it's on the approved list). No peas for... six months, I think? I'm eating carrots, green Beans, and broccoli, but none of them are raw so I don't know how my stomach would handle them. I'm 9 weeks out btw. The only raw veggies I've eaten are Tomato and bell pepper, and I'm fine with those so maybe you'd be fine with the rest as well when you hit your 4 week mark. Though I had to wait until day 31 following my surgery to go to general diet lol. All these doctors are SO different! x'D

Oh, and part of my surgery is a sleeved stomach btw.

Edited March 30, 2020 by NovaLuna

[AZhiker 2,252]

I could not have any vegetables until 8 weeks, and then they had to be steamed, cooked, and soft. I was gradually able to add raw veggies, but it wasn't until nearly a year post op that I could eat a lot of raw veggies. This has been hard, since I also love veggies and have a large organic garden. I found that the raw ones were just too rough and didn't sit well for quite a long time. Raw broccoli was particularly difficult, although it was fine if cooked.

[AJ Tylo 1,399]

2 months before salad, however i did make some very creative Blender salads.

I actually make a Cobb salad - eggs Ham greens cheese and run it thru a food processor. Salad smoothie

Only veggies i can not currently eat is Corn, Not sure why

[catwoman7 11,214]

I can't remember when we were *allowed* to have them, but it was awhile after surgery. That said, some STILL occasionally irritate my stomach. For example, baby carrots. Sometimes I can eat them with no problem - other times they bother my stomach. And I'm almost five years out. I've been able to eat salads since about six months post-op.

[GreenTealael 25,377]

6 hours ago, rjan said:

I'm 3 weeks post op, gastric sleeve.

The diet my doctor gave me was on the more restrictive side at the beginning - clear fluids for a whole week and full fluids for another week, whereas I've seen other diets that have you on fluids for only 7 days. But it seems less restrictive at the end - graduate to a full diet after 4 weeks. It says nothing about raw vegetables after this point, while I notice that other diets may have restrictions on raw vegetables for 2-6 months. (By the way, I had my surgery in Mexico, so there will be no followup appointments with my surgeon, nor do I have appointments with a nutritionist to ask questions.)

I really, really love raw vegetables. Salads of course, but my favorite pre-surgery was cucumber - I usually ate 1-2 a day, as well as others like carrots, peas, green Beans, and broccoli. I'm wondering if I should give any a try at 4 weeks, or if I should wait.

I'm curious to ask when people found they were able to tolerate raw vegetables, and if certain ones were better than others? For instance, I imagine peeled cucumber would go over much better than carrot since it is softer.

Wait a bit on raw hard vegetables but spinach might be ok, but please check with your surgeon first ❤

[Sammi_Katt 303]

I eat spinach and cabbage a lot, but it's super well cooked.

I *can* eat PEELED cucumber, and I enjoy it with laughing cow cheese from time to time, but that's the only raw veggie I eat at the moment.

Carrots and green Beans are okay with me cooked, but I have to make sure I super chew them, especially the carrots, otherwise it makes me a bit uncomfortable later. Broccoli can make you a bit gassy, so try not to overdo it on that?

But Protein first, and always protein first. Veggies are nice and all, but it's a 2:1 ratio of protein to veggies.

[Arabesque 7,313]

Everyone seems to be given different plans & everyone seems to tolerate different foods at different times. My plan was two weeks liquids, two wks puréed, two wks soft then slowly introduce solids. I could only barely get in Protein for the next month or so then I slowly introduced very small amounts of shredded cooked cabbage & steamed cauliflower. My taste buds changed & all my previously favourite vegetables tasted awful. I ate small pieces of cucumber wrapped in smoked salmon & cream cheese at about 4 months.

Most importantly, go slowly & listen to your body. It will soon tell you what you can’t & can tolerate.

[biginjapan 647]

I'm officially 4 weeks post-op today, and in theory cleared for all food (was not given any directives on raw vegetables). I started introducing well-cooked vegetables (not pureed) into some of my meals a couple days ago and have been doing fine with that (zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions). I'm eager for some proper salads, but I want to wait until my stomach gets more comfortable with the cooked veggies for a while before I even try that. I'm going to try some cooked spinach this week and see how that goes.

I was at the supermarket today and had to remind myself of what I could and could not eat (in terms of veggies) - this thread actually kept me on track!

[rjan 164]

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. It's very helpful to hear what others have experienced; that's why I love this forum.

I did low carb often before my surgery, and I don't know how I would be able to do that long term without vegetables. They add such a variety of texture and flavor. I like eggs and cottage cheese and found an unflavored Protein Powder that worked for me, so I've been having no trouble getting my Protein in, but it's been getting a bit boring.

I tried a little mashed sweet potato yesterday. It was an enjoyable experience, but probably too much carbs to eat regularly. Next I'm going to try a riced cooked cauliflower dish with garlic sauce I always loved when doing low carb before. If that goes well, I'll probably try peeled cucumber sliced thinly at 4 weeks.

I hope those of you still in the months after surgery will continue to update this thread with vegetable experiences.

[NovaLuna 710]

I had carrots and dip yesterday because they have a high amount of potassium and since I'm deficient I decided to eat things with potassium to help boost mine back up and I had no problems with the raw carrots. You just have to make sure you chew them well.

[summerset 5,265]

4 weeks after surgery it was allowed. I could tolerate raw vegetables without problems. Sometimes better than cooked.

[rjan 164]

As an update, I tried pickle on my 4 week anniversary, and a raw cucumber about 4 days later. I cut them both into tiny slices and took my time and chewed well. I'm happy to report no issues! Now I'm having one mini-cucumber per day as an afternoon snack. It's a nice crunchy addition to my diet.

[NovaLuna 710]

As an update for myself... my surgeons office and my nutritionist suggested I wait until 3 months to have salad because my stomach wouldn't be able to handle it... but I couldn't wait any longer lol and I had salad and tolerated it fine. Romaine lettuce was the lettuce in the salad. This was last week that I started eating it btw. Three weeks before the suggested time...

Edited April 13, 2020 by NovaLuna

[AcidArmor 3]

I was just warned about raw veggies during a video appointment with my dietician about waiting a while after surgery, and to enjoy them as much as I can leading up to it. When you guys say stuff doesn’t “sit well” could you possibly give any more description? Is it just like, nausea or indigestion? Or stomach cramps and the works? Just wanted to get an idea of what that may be like