How soon after surgery did you risk trying raw veggies?

[FutureSylph 377]

I'm at five weeks post-op, and the only craving I'm having so far is for green salad. I don't officially start regular foods until next week, but I'm perishing for crisp lettuce, cucumber, radishes, carrots . . . (oh man, I'm making myself hungry here, lol). I'm wondering how other folks tolerated small amounts (1/4 cup) of salad relatively early on.

[SleeverSk 617]

it was about 4 months before I was eating raw veggies and salad type foods. I work mate who had a sleeve also had told me that she couldn't digest lettuce so I stayed right away from it but I can eat it fine now.

[lizonaplane 1,604]

I had cooked veggies at two weeks (lightly sauteed), raw veggies around 3-4 weeks, and salad ... I have tried a number of times, and it's still hard for me at 6.5 months out. I eat it, but it feels uncomfortable every time. I will probably have it for lunch today, but I will focus mostly on the Protein and the veggies, not so much the lettuce - that's the hardest for me.

Try tomatoes, squash/zucchini, cucumbers, etc. Those are probably easiest at first

[idk4w 22]

I can only tell you what my nutritionist told me: your body will let you know. That means... take a little taste of a vegetable that you want. If nothing happens, HOORAY! You're good to go, bring on the cukes and tomatoes. Obviously don't try this with whipped cream and French fries 😜 LOL but with healthy options you can try and see if your body protests! If it does, give it a bit more time and try again. She told me that taking tastes of vegetables is not a matter of danger but about your stomach possibly not being ready. you'll know it if that's the case!

[Sleeve_Me_Alone 654]

Lots of great advice above. My plan allowed for introducing fresh fruits & veggies around the 8 week mark. I started with butter lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, etc. Softer veggies that seemed "safe" to me. Thankfully, I tolerated them well, and was able to move pretty quickly to salads and such. I am 6 months post-op now and have not had any issues with any of the fruits or veggies I've had, raw or cooked, with the exception of mashed potatoes which do NOT stay down, even when thinned and in very small amounts so I just skip them. It is very much trial & error, as every person is different. But always follow your plan, its there for a reason!

Edited April 5, 2022 by Sleeve_Me_Alone

[summerseeker 1,833]

At 8 weeks I could eat avocado's, tiny baby cucumbers, a few sweet cherry tomatoes and some beetroot. My restriction limits my eating so that If I eat salad it limits the amount of Protein I can stomach. So salad is a treat. lol. I don't eat much at once and eat it after my protein

[catwoman7 10,846]

I'm pretty sure I was four or five months out. Even at seven YEARS out, raw vegetables occasionally irritate my stomach. I think they would have really been tough to eat at just a month or two out, since you're still healing at that point.

[ardelia 41]

How funny to read this post because I was wondering the same. I'm a little past 3 months out and today I bought a bad of romaine lettuce. I am not a salad girl, but something compelled me to purchase it. I have not tried it yet, but I probably will tomorrow.

[DaisyAndSunshine 301]

4 months out and yet to try raw salads. I don't crave it nor am I huge fan of it. So haven't tried much.

My program allowed it after 3 months mark as long as we are able to tolerate it. Only thing raw I eat are onions with my curries, that too just a little.

[Arabesque 6,450]

I was eating cucumber pretty early out (smeared cream cheese on smoked salmon & wrapped it around a cucumber wedge yum!). Lettuce & other raw vegetables were much later. I preferred to focus on getting cooked vegetables in dishes from soft food & then as a side from solid foods. My tummy was fussy & I could only tolerate steamed green Beans, cabbage or cauliflower as a side for a few weeks but most vegetables when cooked in a dish.

Hard crunchy raw vegetables like carrot, radishes will take you a lot longer to tolerate because they are almost too scratchy on your throat & too fibrous so harder to digest. Softer high Water content vegetables like tomatoes, peeled cucumbers, lettuce will be easier to eat raw but watch the skins on tomatoes. I eat lots of ice berg lettuce but some other greens like rocket, romaine (baby is ok), etc are too coarse & can cause me problems except in tiny amounts even now.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Arabesque