Corn tortillas

[baeza73 0]

Its been a month since my gastric sleeve. Is it ok to eat corn tortilla?

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[Sleeve_Me_Alone 657]

What stage of your plan are you on? Are bread products/simple carbs allowed at this stage? Are you hitting your Protein & Water goals consistently and have "room" for simple carbs?

Personally, at one month out, I was still on soft foods and was not getting all of my protein from food (still supplementing with shakes) so I was definitely not eating any simple carbs yet. But most folks will tell you to follow YOUR plan. Each plan is different so do what your doctor/dietitian recommends.

[SpartanMaker 1,258]

I eat them and have no issues. Typically I heat them on a cast Iron pan first if I'm doing something like tacos or making enchiladas. One taco or enchilada is all I can eat right now. I also try to limit how often I eat higher carb options like this just to make sure I'm getting my Protein in.

What I have not done yet is whole corn, or tortilla chips. Those just seemed like a bad idea until i'm a little further out from surgery.

Edited to add: I made posole recently and had no problems with the hominy, just FYI.

Edited October 31, 2022 by SpartanMaker

[Arabesque 7,572]

I’d think no at four weeks. First you’re still healing. Secondly, your focus should be in getting in your Protein & not filling up or restricting how much protein you can eat. Thirdly, they contain quite a few carbs which we’re often advised to keep low. Fourthly, are they on your allowed food list?

But best to do is contact your surgeon &/or your dietician.

[catwoman7 11,273]

I eat corn tortillas now that I'm in maintenance, but early out, no. I agree with what others have said. Plus, corn tortillas don't have much in the way of nutrition, and now is the time to really focus on highly nutritious foods since your stomach can't hold all that much. You need Protein, Vitamins, minerals - tortillas just don't have much of those.

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

I am guessing you are too early out to eat them safely which is the most important thing but they also are not the most nutritious option. That early out your focus should be on Protein and if you have room maybe a veggie or two. If you eat a corn tortilla you probably wouldn’t have much room for anything else. Maybe not even the toppings, lol. You will eventually be able to have corn tortillas again in moderation but for now I am thinking they are not your best option.

[SpartanMaker 1,258]

Well, obviously I'm in the minority here, and that's fine.

I do feel like corn tortillas may be getting a bad rap?

While they certainly aren't the most nutritious food in the world, they are a whole grain complex carbohydrate that contains Fiber, as well as several Vitamins and minerals. They are typically low in calories (roughly 50 per tortilla), low in fat and are especially high in zinc.

Compared to plain flour tortillas, corn tortillas are definitely the better choice.

Note that some of the most Protein rich dinners I'm eating right now are tacos and enchiladas, so I don't see a problem with them at all as long as you eat them with protein.

I also don't get the safety concern. They are made from ground hominy (typically finely ground), and are pretty homogeneous. They are also easy to chew. Also, unlike wheat flour products, they don't tend to "gum up" in the guts. Maybe I'm missing something there, but these should be fine?

For the record, at 4 weeks, my plan said to: "focus on low-fat solid foods". A corn tortilla is certainly a low-fat solid food. I was also supposed to eat "protein first, then vegetables and fruit, and limit grains and starchy foods". No foods were specifically off limits at 4 weeks or later. Tortillas definitely fall into the "grains and starchy foods" part, but I probably only eat a few tortillas a week. I'm pretty sure that qualifies as "limiting them".

As far as I'm concerned, it's all about balance and these work for me.

[RickM 1,753]

As far as whether its too early or not, that's up to your program, as they vary widely on such things. At this point, Protein is king, and then whatever else that goes along with it. Corn tortillas aren't a high density nutrition food, either for protein or anything else, but they aren't particularly bad, either. I used them during the loss phase mostly as a faux Pizza Crust - crisp up a thin corn tortilla and add mean, cheese and token veg, seasoned appropriately, and some pizza or Pasta Sauce - and that fit my needs of protein vs. calories for a meal. I always strived to maintain at least an homage to a normal healthy balanced human diet within the confines of our protein requirements and minimal intake, and that would be a part of that.