How To Make Sure You’re Eating Enough Protein After Surgery
One of the most common things I see after almost all kinds of surgery, especially major surgery, is that people simply aren’t eating enough protein in the days following their procedure, as they don’t realise quite how important it is to healing — yet without enough protein your recovery can be slower, wounds may take longer to heal, and your energy levels can be significantly affected.
This is because protein plays a central role in almost every aspect of recovery. It provides the building blocks your body needs to repair damaged tissues, supports the immune system, helps maintain muscle mass, and ensures that oxygen and nutrients can be delivered efficiently to healing cells.
However, the problem most people face is that the anaesthetics and pain medications that almost always accompany surgery can make you feel very tired and nauseous, especially in the first few days, and not at all like eating the foods that we most commonly associate with protein e.g. heavier meats like steak. Even if you normally have a good appetite it often feels so much easier to pick at lighter foods — especially those on your hospital tray — and stick to things like toast, cereal, crackers, or a few biscuits.
However there are so many easy ways that protein intake can be increased, even when you don’t feel like eating much at all. Let’s take a look:
Eggs
Pasture-raised eggs are one of the most convenient, nutrient-dense, and versatile ingredients that you can keep in your kitchen. Not only is the protein that they contain very easily digestible, but they are perfect for when your appetite is a little smaller than usual, and you just feel like something soft to eat. Many egg dishes are also surprisingly portable, so are very useful if you are taking food in to someone already in hospital. Here are some of our favourites:
· Lightly scrambled eggs, which can be served with sliced avocado, sautéed mushrooms, grated cheese, grilled tomatoes, steamed greens or vegetables.
· Omelettes, especially filled omelettes with fresh herbs, cheese, salmon, asparagus, mushrooms or chopped chicken.
· Hard boiled eggs, mashed with home-made mayonnaise and fresh herbs.
· Soft boiled, poached eggs, or eggs baked in the oven; either singly in little ‘cocottes’ or nested into a cooked red pepper and tomato sauce.
· Frittatas.
· Egg custards, either runny to serve with stewed fruit, or cooked slowly in the oven like a ‘flan’.
· Added to smoothies, or stirred through yoghurt / kefir to boost the nutrient content, provided you are using fresh, high-quality eggs and feel comfortable doing so.
Full-fat, plain yoghurt or kefir, cheese and milk
Although not always thought of as ‘high-protein’ foods, a standard serving size of full-fat yoghurt or kefir (either dairy or coconut based), is very easy to eat, and provides around 8-10g of high-quality, easily digestible protein. Both yoghurt and kefir are also cultured dairy products, which means that they contain beneficial bacteria that help support both your digestion and your gut microbiome — something that is particularly important after surgery.
However not all yoghurts or kefirs are the same. For the greatest recovery benefits, choose full-fat, unsweetened varieties made with live cultures, and avoid those with added sugar or ‘low-fat’ versions made with skimmed milk powder—an ultra-processed ingredient that will undermine your gut health. In practice this may mean bringing your own yoghurt or kefir into hospital, where low-fat, fruit varieties seem to be the norm.
Full fat cottage cheese is another very useful option during recovery, as it’s soft, mild flavoured, and requires no preparation — just scoop it straight from the pottle. Add a spoonful of kimchi; or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, some chopped fresh herbs and a crushed garlic clove for a savoury option. If you feel like something sweet, try pairing it with stewed or fresh fruit, a drizzle of honey or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Slices or little cubes of your favourite cheese are another possibility, either as they are, or accompanied by slices of apple or pear, celery sticks or red peppers. You can also try sautéing haloumi slices and serving them with a small seasonal salad, or a variation on my grandson’s mozzarella sticks — cutting the halloumi into ‘chips’, tossing them in a couple of tablespoons of the Flourish coating in the recipe section, and air frying them at 200C for around 8 minutes, turning them over half way through. Serve these with a dip made from Greek yoghurt, garlic and fresh herbs.
Note: It seems that full-fat cottage cheese is quite hard to find now, as all of the popular supermarket brands are made with highly processed skimmed milk. However it is incredibly fast and easy to make with just milk, vinegar, salt and cream — see the recipe section for details.
And don’t forget that a glass of full-fat, plain milk, either on its own, or blended into a smoothie with a scoop of high-quality protein powder is another great way to meet your protein needs. Although I’m not usually a fan of protein powders, high quality ones really do have their place in post-surgical nutrition, as they’re just so easy to prepare and can be combined with other ingredients like blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, kiwifruit, yoghurt, kefir, nut butters, organic silken tofu, cottage cheese, coconut, cocoa powder, flax and bananas (to name just a few!), which add extra fibre, vitamins and minerals.
My favourite brand by far is the Organic Natural Whey Protein Powder from Inca Organics which only has one ingredient — Organic New Zealand Whey Protein Concentrate, and although Australian-based, they ship to New Zealand. Other brands you might like to try are Go Good Organic Whey Protein or NZProtein.
Flourish Tip
For an extra protein boost, try stirring a scoop of collagen powder into drinks, smoothies, yoghurt, kefir, broths and soups, as although not a complete protein, it’s a great source of certain amino acids that help the skin and the gut.
Other easy ways to include protein
If you really don’t feel like eggs or dairy, or you’d simply like a little more variety to your meals, there are plenty of other soft, protein-rich options that are easy to manage for most people in the early days after their surgery.
Soft, slow-cooked meats such as shredded chicken, tender beef, or lamb that has been cooked for several hours are almost always much easier to eat than a whole piece of meat such as a steak. These can be served on their own, stirred through soups, or added to broths for a more nourishing meal. After the first 24 hours you can also consider dishes made with legumes, especially lentils, which make beautiful dhals or soups.
Fish is another excellent option, particularly softer varieties such as salmon or white fish, which require very little chewing and are almost always well tolerated even when your appetite is low. If you’re no longer nauseous, tinned fish such as tuna or sardines can be handy to have on hand, especially when you need something quick and easy, but if you’re in a shared room you may want to be mindful of any strong smell. If someone is bringing your meals in to you, you could also try fishcakes, or even an old-fashioned salmon mousse — see the recipe section for details.
The most important thing to remember is that even small amounts of protein, eaten regularly throughout the day, can make a noticeable difference to how quickly your body heals.
In the early days, keep things simple, eat what feels manageable, and aim to include protein at every meal. As your appetite returns this will become easier, and is, in fact, one of the healthiest ways to eat long-term.