FEEDING AFTER A CESAREAN SECTION: 9 FORBIDDEN FOODS - NUTRITION - 2024

The diet after a cesarean section should be based on easily eaten foods with a low glycemic index; fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean proteins, such as chicken and turkey.

Some of the prohibited foods after a cesarean section are carbonated or sugary soft drinks, flatulent vegetables, white rice, coffee, tea, cocoa, snacks, pastries, bananas, potatoes and alcohol.

After a cesarean section, a series of forbidden foods enter a woman's life for a time. It is part of a series of important cares that every woman who has had this surgical operation should take into account to improve as soon as possible.

And it is that a woman goes through a period full of contrasting emotions and sensations: from the euphoria and joy of being a mother, when living with the new responsibility of caring for her newborn.

You will also be experiencing not only the typical problems that arise after childbirth, such as breast pain, mood swings and vaginal discharge, but also with the consequences of an operation.

Patients who have had a cesarean section usually spend two to four days in the hospital before going home. Although your recovery will take a few weeks, the time necessary for the wound to heal and for all the postoperative discomfort to pass little by little.

All these factors make these weeks become a very delicate period, both physically and psychologically. That is why today I want to tell you how food can help you recover from a cesarean section and have the energy to face this new phase of your life.

Food products to avoid after a cesarean section

1- Soft drinks and carbonated drinks

Soft drinks have a very high amount of sugar (almost 8 full teaspoons per can) that causes a sudden, high and sudden production of insulin, which, as you already know, makes you accumulate fat and feel hungry again in a short time. The same is true for industrial fruit juices. Always choose the natural ones that also provide you with a good dose of vitamins.

As I told you at the beginning, one of the most important things for a woman who has just had a cesarean section is to avoid the formation of gases that can be very annoying, since the abdominal wound is in the process of healing. For this reason, avoid all carbonated drinks for the next 3 weeks.

2- Legumes and flatulent vegetables

Although legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, beans, soybeans) are a very rich source of iron, slow-absorbing carbohydrates, vegetable proteins, and mineral salts, they are best avoided due to their ability to produce gases and slow down the entire process. digestive.

The same is true for some types of vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Also, if by eating them later you breastfeed your baby, they could also cause gas for him.

3- White rice

Due to the decrease in intestinal motility typical of any surgical operation, the consumption of white rice, one of the foods that can most constipate, is not recommended.

4- Coffee, tea and cocoa

During recovery it is best to avoid drinking exciting beverages such as tea or coffee.

Chocolate also contains caffeine and is a very stimulating food.

Again, when you are breastfeeding your baby it is inadvisable to drink this type of drink because it would transmit caffeine and theine to him as well.

If you cannot give it up, I advise you to opt for Ban-Cha tea, a particular type of green tea with a very low amount of theine and very rich in important antioxidants in this phase in which you are in the midst of an inflammatory process.

5- Snacks, salty and cold meats

During the recovery from cesarean section, it is very important to be careful both with the amount of saturated and hydrogenated fats, and with the amount of salt that we assume.

For this reason, it is necessary to stop for a season the consumption of processed and fatty foods such as potato chips, crackers, crackers, since they are rich in everything that we will not need to recover or to feel full of energy and in shape (flours refined, hydrogenated fats and preservatives).

As I explained in a previous article, all these processed foods are made with white flour, which has lost all the micronutrients that you would need to help your body recover from inflammatory processes and to improve your own immune defenses.

In addition, they have lost the fiber that could help you regain normal intestinal mobility, fighting constipation.

All industrial products, both sweet and salty, also have in common the presence of many hydrogenated and saturated fats that alter the permeability of fluidity and the permeability of cell membranes, favoring the formation of free radicals.

Excess salt is also very bad at this time when you need to cleanse your body, because it causes fluid retention with consequent worsening of constipation.

6- Pastries

Due to the injury caused by cesarean section, physical exercise will be very limited. For this reason, it is advisable to avoid all pastries, especially industrial ones, because they are excessively rich in saturated and trans fats, simple sugars and refined flours, which can cause a sudden weight gain in addition to worsening the entire inflammatory state.

Sugary, starchy foods are high in calories and have a low nutritional level. They also cause your energy levels to fluctuate, which will make you feel tired.

7- Bananas

Like white rice, banana is also a food that causes constipation and therefore should be avoided.

Opt for another type of fruit such as kiwi, which, apart from being rich in vitamin C, also helps the proper functioning of the intestine.

8- Potatoes

They are a very astringent food, that is, they cause the colon walls to distend, preventing the normal contraction necessary to eliminate slag to the lower part of the intestine, where the stool will form.

They also have a very high glycemic index.

9- Alcohol

Keep in mind that no amount of alcohol is acceptable or safe for your baby. Breastfeeding your child after consuming an alcoholic beverage carries the potential risk of some of it transferring into the milk, which is dangerous.

Furthermore, alcohol, being a toxic substance, will slow down your entire recovery process.

Other important information

During the postoperative period, our body is in an inflammatory state in which it is working hard to reconstitute all the damaged tissues.

The inflammation aims to repair the affected tissues and does so by producing various growth factors so that healthy cells are produced and a new network of blood vessels is created to feed them.

There are foods that promote inflammation (pro-inflammatory foods) and others that reduce it (anti-inflammatory). Naturally it is important to choose the latter, avoiding junk and processed food.

Due to the surgical operation, the entire digestive system will need some time to return to normal function. That is why it is necessary to help you with healthy and light foods that on the one hand do not overload your work and on the other help you to get out of the typical state of constipation.

Easy-to-eat foods

One of the most recommended eating tips is to eat foods that are easily eaten, in such a way that the stomach and intestines do not strain. For this reason, it would be a mistake to eat foods that cause gas, as they can cause pain in the abdominal area, already sore and inflamed from the cesarean section wound.

Another important point is the need to limit physical activity so as not to strain the abdominal muscles. Once again, it is advisable to choose foods with a low glycemic index and eliminate all processed foods, pastries and products full of simple sugars, since by not being able to exercise, these foods become even more a danger to our state of health. Health.

You may have found that the best way for you to recover is to eat a healthy diet that has each of the food groups, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. For this reason we are going to see the function of each of the macro and micro nutrients in this process.

Carbohydrates

From them comes most of the energy we need to move, to fulfill our day-to-day tasks, to live.

They are found in all vegetables (especially cereals) and are the main source of food throughout the world. Above all, after a cesarean section always choose whole grains, which are a wonderful source of fiber and micronutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, minerals).

These micronutrients have important functions: they improve immune defenses, reduce inflammatory processes and protect cells from free radicals, all of which are essential during the postoperative phase.

In addition, the fiber contained in whole grains favors the proper functioning of the digestive system, which, as you already know, will be a bit blocked during this phase.

Protein

After a cesarean section, the body needs a good supply of protein, especially to regenerate the tissues damaged by the operation.

They are macromolecules made up of amino acids. The greater or lesser presence of essential amino acids (those that our body cannot produce alone and that it can assimilate only through food) in proteins will determine their nutritional value (biological value).

In general, proteins of animal origin (meat, fish, eggs, milk and derivatives) have a higher biological value compared to those of plant origin (legumes, nuts, cereals).

As you will see below, in this phase it is better to avoid excessive consumption of legumes.

Fats

Fats are the energetic nutrient par excellence and even more after a cesarean section where the mother also needs to breastfeed her baby and then she needs fats for the formation of her own milk.

They are also involved in the absorption of many vitamins, to control inflammation and blood clotting, which are essential in this recovery phase.

Minerals

There is some blood loss during a cesarean section. For this reason, among all minerals, an adequate intake of iron is very important, which helps to restore the blood by promoting the production of hemoglobin. It also plays a role in improving the immune system.

Vitamins

Among all, adequate intake of vitamin C helps wound healing, and also helps prevent infection.

Water

After a cesarean section, adequate fluid intake is essential: in this phase, apart from recovering from an operation, your body is also working hard to produce milk and that is why it is important that you drink enough fluids.

Try to drink around 8 glasses of water a day. It will also help you combat constipation, which can be a problem after delivery and even more after a cesarean section.

References

1. Bopp M, Lovelady C, Hunter C, Kinsella T. Maternal diet and exercise: effects on long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in breast milk. J Am Diet Assoc 2005; 105 (7): 1098-103.
2. American Dietetic Association. Medical Nutrition Therapy. Chicago, Illinois. 2006.
3. American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Guidelines for Perinatal Care. 5th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2002.
4. Keirse MJ, Enkin M, Crowther C, Nelison J, Hodnett E, Hofmeyr J, Duley L. A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. London: Oxford University Press; 2000.