Resilience
How to Optimize Recovery After Surgery
Resilience is the ability to withstand and recover quickly after difficulties. While surgery may not be avoidable to remedy a problem, your ability to recover quickly and completely, depend on how prepared you are. Recovery is dependent on multiple factors that are in your control; nutrition, hydration, inflammation, physical strength, sleep, fortitude, environmental factors, and support.
Nutrition: Most people are nutrient deficient if they have not spent at least a year carefully crafting their diet to holistic nutrition standards. That being said, there is a lot one can do to prepare the body for surgery by putting forth the effort to clean up the diet before surgery. This will rebuild nutrient stores that the body will need for the healing process. Recovery from surgery relies on these resources and will be much quicker if there is an abundance of vitamins and minerals to replace those that are utilized in the stabilization and rebuilding of tissues. This will also boost the immune system to protect you from infection. Getting all the macronutrients in a good balance per meal (approximately 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat) after surgery will support healthy healing. Protein is essential for tissue repair and rebuilding, maintenance of fluid balance, enzyme and metabolic reactions, immune response, transport and storage of nutrients throughout the body, and can act as an energy source. Fats are building blocks for cell membranes, hormones, they support cell function, provide energy stores, and assist the uptake of vitamins A,D,E, & K. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body’s cells, tissues, and organs. Healthy carbs contain fiber that feed our microbiome that regulates immune homeostasis. Fiber also ushers out toxins in the GI tract.
Eat organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. At the least, download the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen list from ewg.org to know what foods contain the most pesticides and herbicides (Dirty Dozen) and definitely avoid those, unless they are organic. This list is updated every year. Choose produce the color of the rainbow, local, fresh, and in season. Not only does this increase your phytonutrient value, it boosts the variety of healthy bacteria in your gut that helps your body respond to the infectious challenge both systemic and locally. The local farmers market is a great place to start when looking for the freshest produce.
When choosing meats, be sure it is grass fed and finished, humanely raised, and from reputable farmers (ideally using regenerative farming practices - good for the animal and the environment). Avoid feed lot and mass produced meats. For poultry, choose pasture and humanely raised chickens. For fish, only choose wild caught. Feed lot animals, factory chicken farms, and farmed fish are an environmental disaster and inhumane due to the filthy living conditions that often are riddled with disease that happens with tight living spaces. These conditions affect the quality of the meat. Cheap fodder does not produce quality meat.
Be sure to eat healthy fats. Good fats occur naturally and have not been damaged by high-heat, refining, or over-processing. These include avocados, olives and olive oil (first cold-pressed extra virgin), coconut and coconut oil (cold pressed and unrefined), nuts and seeds, butter, ghee, cold-water wild fish, grass-fed meats, tallow, lard, grass-fed raw whole milk dairy (if tolerated), and eggs. Unhealthy fats include partially hydrogenated fats (margarine, vegetable shortening, processed and packaged foods), fried foods, commercial animal products, meats cooked on high heat, refined vegetable oils, unrefined vegetable oil in clear containers (light destroys the beneficial properties), and any fat in excess.
Increase your intake of nutrient dense foods and decrease your intake of nutrient poor foods. Nutrient dense foods include seaweed, nuts and seeds, leafy greens, root vegetables, fermented foods, cruciferous vegetables, bone broth, eggs, salmon, beans, mushrooms, avocados, citrus fruits, berries, spirulina, oatmeal, dark chocolate, and extra virgin olive oil to name a few. Before surgery create a mixture of nutrient dense foods in a smoothie (which could include leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, nuts and/or seeds, high quality protein powder [no sugar or hydrogenated fats], healthy fat, spirulina, bee pollen, etc.). Find a mixture you like and have the ingredients ready before surgery. If you are hospitalized after surgery, have a family member or friend make your smoothie and bring it to you. You will not find this quality of nutrient dense food in the hospital and your body will heal faster if you feed it well. As soon as you move beyond a clear liquid diet, add the smoothie to your daily intake. Blended foods are easier to digest. It will be well worth the effort.
Avoid processed foods because they often contain high levels of fat, salt, sugar, and chemicals to keep them fresh and shelf stable. These are empty calories and lead to adverse health outcomes.
Avoid alcohol and smoking. Alcohol inhibits the absorption of vital nutrients, including glucose, amino acids, lipids, water, vitamins, and minerals in the small intestine. This is one of the reasons why regular consumption of alcohol leads to malnutrition. Smoking constricts vessels, decreasing the circulation to cells and organs which decreases the oxygen delivery to these vital tissues. This will raise the blood pressure and heart rate putting an additional load on a post surgical body. Smokers suffer from deficiencies more frequently in Vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, B1, B2, B12, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine, etc. according to Pub Med article #34323092.
In summary - choose your foods carefully. Think SOUL foods -Seasonal, Organic, Unrefined, and Local whole foods. This will minimize your toxic exposure and maximize your nutrient value for an optimal recovery.
Hydration: The human body is approximately 60% water, and it is essential for physiologic and cellular function. Proper hydration facilitates the delivery of nutrients to all cells, prevents infection, keeps organs functioning properly, facilitates the excretion of toxins through sweat and feces, lubricates joints, and regulates temperature. It also improves sleep quality, mental cognition, and mood. A general rule of thumb is to consume 1/2 your body weight in ounces of fresh clean water daily (e.g. 180# adult should consume 90 oz water daily). Get a strong jump on hydration before surgery. If you are not already consuming the recommended amount, get started. Soda, coffee, alcohol, caffeinated tea, and fruit juice do not count as these will either cause you to lose fluid or spike your sugar, which will also have a diuretic effect. Clean water, broth, and herbal tea are all acceptable forms of hydration.
Inflammation: Inflammation is a natural and necessary response to injury, infection, illness, and invaders like bacteria and viruses. Inflammation helps to bring healing fluids and nutrients to injured tissues for repair and to raise the temperature at the site to create a hostile environment for any potential unwanted bacteria. Sometimes inflammation occurs in response to irritating stimuli like food sensitivities, processed foods, animal products, and meats cooked on high-heat (AGEs). These can cause a low-grade inflammatory response often beginning in the intestinal tract. Foods that contribute to this low-grade inflammatory response are sugar, processed foods, animal products, refined flours, refined oils, alcohol, artificial sugars, colors, and flavors (which are all chemicals). It is wise to eliminate these foods from you diet as you prepare for surgery. For more information on inflammation and suggestions for an anti-inflammatory diet, read the blog on “Cooling the Flames of Inflammation” under Resources on this website.
Physical Strength: In addition to nutrition, optimizing function and strength prior to surgery can decrease the length of a hospital stay and shorten the recovery time according to the Yale School of Medicine. Surgery alters mobility temporarily. Preparing the body with moderate cardiovascular exercise, strength conditioning, and breathing exercises allows one to move around with more ease and finesse post-surgery. This increased mobility will increase circulation to healing tissues, decrease excess post-surgical swelling, stimulate deeper breathing bringing more oxygen to all tissues as well as minimizing the risk of pneumonia, and allow one to be more self-reliant which will contribute to one’s sense of well-being.
Sleep: Our bodies repair themselves during sleep. Physical repair occurs between the hours of 10pm-2am and mental and emotional repair between 2am-6am. It is important not to short yourself on sleep before or after surgery. You will likely find yourself tired enough to sleep more than normal after surgery. This is a protective physiological response to ensure an optimal recovery. Afternoon naps are a great way to support recovery.
Fortitude: Having strength in the face of adversity requires one to adopt a positive attitude and conviction that they can face whatever curveball they are thrown. Having this confidence will fortify the ability to recover successfully. Visualizing a positive result is a good practice for supporting a sound recovery. The ability to see the surgery as being on the trajectory to wellness will allow one to welcome the event and lessen the worry or fear that often accompanies the uncertainty around a surgical procedure. Avoid defeating thoughts. Stress releases cortisol which will put an extra load on the adrenal glands. We need our adrenal glands to respond to the physical stress from surgery. Emotional stress is an unnecessary load, and we all have control over this. Thoughts can become manifestations. Choose to have positive thoughts to manifest a desired outcome.
Environmental Factors and Support: Who we surround ourselves with and where we place ourselves can have a huge impact on our recovery time. Gather your support “team” before your surgery. If you need healthy meals, prepare them ahead of time, or have them delivered to you (even in the hospital). If you will have mobility issues, have someone close by that can assist you. Minimize your hospital stay, if one is necessary. Hospitals are not conducive to a quick recovery, like a peaceful home environment, due to the noise, 24 hour activity, procedures that wake you up, and the general stress felt in a hospital environment. Get outside in nature as soon as possible, even if it is with a friend that wheels you outside or brings you to a park. The sunshine and the natural environment are intrinsically healing on all levels, physical, emotional, and mental.
In summary, optimal healing is the result of intentional actions that support our amazing bodies. While the body is always striving for healing and homeostasis, the choices we make with nutrition and lifestyle can have a profound affect on our healing, both good and bad, depending on the choice. Be proactive in supporting the process rather than thinking you are a victim of circumstances. This allows you to stay in control and will support a positive attitude and outcome. Cheers to healthy healing!
