Bariatric Nutrition – Low carb food

Bariatric nutrition after weight loss surgery – Long Term WLS Tijuana Mexico

Food is not your enemy, actually it helps you to reduce weight and keeps you healthy, you only need to learn which is the right type of food to choose. In this page, we have a low carb food list that can be used to have a wide variety of ingredients and options. Always remember that this is up to you to improve your eating habits and making better choices about the ingredients you add to your meals.

We share you a list of food that is highly recommended for patients that went through weight loss surgery and want to maintain or improve their weight loss results…

Bariatric Nutrition

Fats and Oils

Generally, the digestive tract of most people cannot tolerate eating a large amount of vegetable oils, mayonnaise or even olive oil over time.

It’s also good to know that vegetable oils are abundant in polyunsaturated Omega-6 fatty acids (commonly found in nut oils, margarine, sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil and sunflower oil) which are known to trigger inflammation within the body and can lead to a disease if they are the only source of fat. Also, cooking with them is not recommended.

Consuming tuna, wild salmon and shellfish will supply you with balancing omega 3 fatty acids and are an important part of a low carb food list. For omega 6, you can eat a few nuts or some mayonnaise. If you are not a fan of seafood, you can take small amounts of fish or krill oil supplement for omega 3s.

Eggs, avocados, butter, macadamia nuts and coconut oil contain saturated and monounsaturated fats which are tolerated by most people and are chemically stable, so they are less inflammatory. Fats and oils can be combined in dressings, causes and other additions to main meals. Over time, it will become a habit to add a source of fat to each meal.

It is recommended that you avoid hydrogenated fats such as margarine in order to minimize the Trans fats intake. Use clean non-hydrogenated lard, beef tallow, coconut oil, ghee and olive oil for frying, since they have high smoke points.

• Avocado (very high in fat, so I’m including it here)
• Avocado oil
• Almond oil
• Beef tallow, preferably from grass fed cattle
• Butter: try to find organic sources
• Chicken fat, organic
• Duck fat, organic
• Ghee (butter with milk solids removed)
• Lard such as organic leaf lard (make sure it is NOT hydrogenated)
• Macadamia Nuts
• Macadamia oil
• Mayonnaises (most have carbs, so count them. Duke’s brand is sugar free.)
• Olives
• Olive oil, organic
• Organic coconut oil, coconut butter and coconut cream concentrate
• Organic Red Palm oil
• Peanut Butter: make sure to use unsweetened products, and limit due to Omega 6 content.
• Seed and most nut oils: Sesame oil, Flaxseed oil, etc. These are higher in inflammatory Omega 6 fats, so limit amounts, and don’t heat them.
• 85-90% dark chocolate can be used in small amounts, or use Chocoperfection low carb chocolate.

Sources of Protein

Protein is really important now that you just went through this life changing surgery, this list below shows you which are the best options of protein sources, keep in mind that not everybody can digest this protein sources the same way, so try to find the best option for you:

Also remember to cut your food on small pieces and make sure to include your protein on every meal!

• Meat: Beef, lamb, veal, goat and wild game. Grass fed meat is preferred, since it has a better fatty acid profile.
• Pork: Pork loin, Boston butt, pork chops, ham.  Check the label for added sugar in hams.
• Poultry: Chicken, turkey, quail, Cornish hen, duck, goose, pheasant.  Free range is best if it’s available.
• Fish or seafood of any kind, preferably wild caught: Anchovies, calamari, catfish, cod, flounder, halibut, herring, mackerel, mahi-mahi, salmon, sardines, scrod, sole, snapper, trout, and tuna.
• Canned tuna and salmon are acceptable but check the labels for added sugars or fillers. (Exception: Avoid breaded and fried seafood.)
• Shellfish: clams, crab, lobster, scallops, shrimp, squid, mussels, and oysters. (Exception: imitation crab meat. It contains sugar, gluten and other additives.)
• Whole eggs: These can be prepared in various ways: deviled, fried, hard-boiled, omelets, poached, scrambled, and soft-boiled.
• Bacon and sausage: check labels and avoid those cured with sugar or which contain fillers such as soy or wheat.  Specialty health food stores carry most brands of sugar-free bacon.
• Peanut butter and soy products such as tempeh, tofu and edamame are good sources of protein, but they are higher in carbohydrate, so track them carefully.
• Whey protein powders, plus rice, pea, hemp or other vegetable protein powders. Be aware that whey protein is insulinogenic (meaning it causes an insulin spike) in the body, so if you having trouble losing weight or getting into ketosis, limit amounts or avoid whey.

Fresh Vegetables

Non-starchy vegetables are low in carbs. Make sure you buy organic vegetables or grow your own to avoid pesticide residues. Avoid the starchy vegetables such as corn, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and most winter squash as they contain large amounts of carbs.

• Alfalfa Sprouts
• Any leafy green vegetable
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Bamboo Shoots
• Bean Sprouts
• Beet Greens
• Bell peppers*
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots*
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Celery root
• Chard
• Chives
• Collard greens
• Cucumbers
• Dandelion greens
• Dill pickles
• Garlic
• Kale
• Leeks
• Lettuces and salad greens (arugula, Boston lettuce, chicory, endive, escarole, fennel, mache, radicchio, romaine, sorrel.)
• Mushrooms
• Olives
• Onions*
• Radishes
• Sauerkraut (watch for added sugar)
• Scallions
• Shallots
• Snow Peas
• Spinach
• Sprouts
• Summer squash*
• Swiss chard
• Tomatoes*
• Turnips
• Water chestnuts

* Consume these vegetables in moderation since they are higher in carbs.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are best soaked and roasted to get rid of anti-nutrients. Also, they are high in calories and higher in carbs per serving. If you are having trouble getting into ketosis or losing weight, reduce or avoid nuts.

• Nuts: macadamias, pecans, almonds and walnuts are the lowest in net carbs and can be eaten in small amounts. Cashews, pistachios and chestnuts are higher in carb, so track carefully to avoid going over carb limits.
• Nut flours, such as almond flour. Almond flour is an excellent substitute for white flour.
• Peanuts are legumes and are rich in protein and in Omega 6 fats, so limit amounts and include protein grams in daily totals.
• Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, etc..) are also very high in Omega 6 fats, limit amounts.

Most nuts are high in Omega 6 fats, which increase the risk of inflammation in the body, so limit your consumption of nuts as your main protein source or stop the consumption of these foods.

Beverages

• Clear broth, bone broth
• Decaf tea (unsweetened)
• Herbal tea (unsweetened)
• Water
• Soy milk (unsweetened, count protein grams as well)
• No carbonated drinks

Sweeteners

Avoiding or limiting the consumption of sweetened foods will reset the taste buds. But, if you cannot control your sugar cravings, you can choose some liquid artificial sweeteners.

• Stevia, liquid preferred as the powdered usually has maltodextrin in it.
• Erythritol
• Xylitol (keep any food with this sweetener in it away from dogs)
• Splenda*, liquid preferred as the powdered usually has maltodextrin in it.
• Lo Han Guo
• Monk Fruit
• Inulin and Chicory Root (Just Like Sugar brand)
• Fruit/Miscellaneous
• Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) can be enjoyed occasionally in small amounts, as they are the lowest in carbohydrate. Avoid other types of fruit as most are too high in carb and can interfere with ketosis.
• Japanese Shirataki noodles
• Pork Rinds (these are great with dip, or as a substitute for bread crumbs, but note they are also high in protein, so limit amounts)