Today was my first time eating salad with chicken after the surgery (Wich was a month and two weeks ago) and I was surprised with how much salad I was able to eat

So at my program we can't have fruits or vegetables until week 8 and then the veg has to cooked only for a couple of weeks and we have a list of which fruits we can start out with. Our NUT has told us as well that, when we start fresh veg to avoid lettuce as it has little nutritional value (especially for the amount you can eat) and that it can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea in a lot of people. As for lettuce expanding, lettuce has a gas producing starch called raffinose that some people lack the enzyme to process, making their stomachs feel stretched and bloated. That surgeon may find I it easier to just say it expands than explain all that. I hate it on here when people make fun of other people's programs (such as saying your surgeon needs to take a chill pill) simply because their program is different. The first thing I've found on this site is how different programs can be and that is because there is research out there that will support almost any opinion that a med professional out there can have. My opinion is that you chose your provider for a reason, so listen to them and adhere to their guidelines as much as possible, but as our NUT stresses to us, it is ultimately your choice as to what you choose to take away from it and your choice as to what you decide to follow.

Edited May 8, 201610 yr by snokb04

I have a real problem with anyone on the surgical team, be they surgeon, RD, or anyone else, who doesn't grant patients the respect of telling them the truth rather than dumbing it down and making draconian pronoucements.

Lettuce is far lower in raffinose than, for instance Beans, broccoli, or cabbage. I don't know about your program, but refried beans were recommended to me as soon as I was on purees, as they're a good source of Fiber.

That is why I like my program. It is presented as this is what we recommend, here is why we recommend it and it's up to you to make your own choices. By no means is it presented as you must follow all our rules or the surgery won't work. I'm an oncology nurse who works for 2 surgeons and a rad med doctor in an office with 47 different physicians and before that I was a surgical nurse in this same large university hospital that is heavy on research. So I do know that if you take 2 surgeons of the same specialty, performing the same surgery, they will sometimes have some different ideas on how things are to be done and they will have research to back up both of their different opinions. It pretty apparent from all the posts on here that plans widely vary. Where I live, I went to the seminars for both programs that are available. The one I didn't choose had a much more "flexible" eating rec than the one I chose so that was pretty obvious before I had the surgery that different programs will say different things. However, in my case, if I say I am not permitted to eat something until this time , it's because I've chosen to put my trust into this provider and this program and, at this point, I've chosen to follow their recs. It's all about choices. This surgery and what you do afterwards is definitely not a cookie cutter program like, say, ear tubes.

Edited May 8, 201610 yr by snokb04

The reason my doctor said I can not eat salad or anything too

fiberous is that my new stomach can't handle it. Same with a lot of fruit like apples or watermelon. Also, No nuts or popcorm for a long time. He says while the outside skin looks healed, the inside of my stomach takes up to 6 months to completely heal.

I'm 10 weeks post op and I've been eating lettuce and greens since I was allowed to add veggies, lettuce is a GREAT substitute for bread if you like a sandwich or wrap. Greens are high in Fiber and good for your GI regularity. BUT, you should always defer to your surgeon & surgical team.

I was told no raw veggies including lettuce for at least 6 months. Fruit out of a can rather then raw.

I love salads, but I can't tolerate any raw veggies, or some cooked. The gas pressure is just too much for me.

I'm not allowed to have lettuce either and it's driving me insane! my surgeon said that when lettuce gets wet, it expands, and he doesn't want it to stretch my new stomach. All I'm craving is a chicken Caesar salad!! my surgery was 3/7/16

Lettuce doesn't expand when wet, sleeves don't stretch and the reason you can't have it right now is because it's empty food. Not much nutritional value in many lettuces, too much fiber in others and too little Protein for the space it takes up. Your goal when you are newly post op is high protein, not high roughage.

For me, different varieties of lettuce are a treat for me.

I will eat the yucky chicken just so I can crunch into the escarole! YUM!

If I'm a good girl and drink my sickly sweet shake in the morning, I can look forward to some endive with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and balsamic vinegar on it later in the day.

When your program allows varieties of lettuce, just PLAN for it. Work it into your requirements --then ENJOY THE CRUNCH!

When I told my NP I really wanted salad, she asked me what I missed about it and my answer was, like many, the crunch. What she told me made so much sense. She said that (once I was allowed), I should make a "salad" of toppings. The peppers, onions, seeds, cheese, dressing, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, etc. held all the nutritional value and flavor without the filler of the lesser nutritious lettuce.

I regularly go to salad bars now and make a "salad" of toppings including veggies, nuts, cheese and dressing. It's just as delicious, if not more, and much more satisfying.

Good stuff!

Weird. I'm 6 weeks po sleeve and I tried a bit of salad today, about half a cup. My tummy did not like it at all! I LOVE salad and have been missing it but it didn't really work out for me. There were some little crunchy noodles in it, maybe that's why, but I was a bit disappointed. I'll try again with just veggies, but I didn't tolerate spinach too well BEFORE the op, so not sure how that would go now. I really like lettuce salads but band for buck I mean, better to have your protein right?