While shoulder surgery is a necessary evil, you will naturally want to take steps to limit recovery time and increase the prognosis of the event. Surgery is a traumatic event for the body, one that will require additional protein, calories and nutrients to repair the damage incurred. Although there is no specific diet tailored just for shoulder surgery, following a general nutritional diet during the period before your operation will help to prepare your body for the coming trials.
Shoulder Surgery Diet
Consume a diet that is rich in unprocessed foods like fruit, vegetables, grains, lean meats and natural fat sources in the period leading up to surgery to help you lose weight and optimize your body's performance to facilitate increased recovery. This means avoiding foods such as processed and pre-prepared items--frozen dinners, "fast" foods, desserts, sugars and other calorically-dense and nutritional questionable meal items. Each meal you consume while following this approach should contain both a fruit and a vegetable--aim to eat a different color fruit and vegetable with every meal so that by the end of the day you have consumed the entire spectrum of colors. This will ensure that your body is provided with a wide range of vitamins and minerals, helping it to better cope with the stress of a forthcoming shoulder surgery. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you should aim to limit the rest of your carbohydrate consumption to whole grains, avoiding items made from white (refined flour) such as rye, barley, wheat and oats, in addition to other healthy carb sources like brown rice and sweet potatoes. Quality lean protein sources include poultry, low-fat red meat and seafood. Finally, heart-healthy unsaturated fat can help to improve blood lipid profiles, so include just a dash with each meal from sources like cooking oils, assorted nuts and certain fruits like avocados and coconuts.
Surgery Supplementation
Supplement your diet items to improve the surgical prognosis. According to information from the alternative medical site Wellsphere, the Indian herb tumeric is an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and antioxidant-containing substance that can help prepare your body for surgery, so purchase an over-the-counter tumeric product from a local or online retailer and take it according to the label instructions. Additionally, aim to consume around 1,500 mg of glucosamine daily, as this will prepare your body to repair the connective tissue damaged during surgery. Finally, consider inclusion of omega-3 fats in your diet through the use of fish oil. Take 5 to 10 g daily, but tell your doctor as he might want you to discontinue use immediately before surgery as omega-3 fats have an anti-clotting effect.
