Meal Guide for Bariatric Surgery

This meal guide will assist you in making the best dietary choices during your stay in hospital.

After your surgery, you will be admitted to the hospital ward and allowed to have nourishing fluids once cleared by your surgeon. You are recommended to:

• Consume 60 mL or ¼ cup of nourishing fluids, 6 times a day (i.e. 6 small meals a day).
• Sip on other low energy fluids regularly throughout the day to maintain hydration. This includes water, tea or coffee (no sugar) or diet cordial.
• Aim to drink a total of 2 litres of fluid per day.

Nourishing fluids will need to be low in fat and sugar, have no lumps and thin enough to drink through a straw. You will receive the following nourishing fluids in hospital:

• High protein milkshakes or smoothies
• Liquid pureed soup or consommé
• Ice cream or sorbet (limit intake)
• Custard
• Puree fruit
• Low fat milk
• Sustagen
• High protein milo
• Juices (limit intake)

**Please advise your nurse if you have any food allergies or intolerances.

Special note:
Due to the existing demands on our hospital catering system, please be advised that you will not be receiving nourishing fluids served in the volumes specified above. This means that you will be served larger volumes of fluid compared to what you are recommended to have. Please ensure that you do not consume all the fluids served in one sitting and limit your nourishing fluid intake to 60 mL, 6 times a day.  

60 mL of nourishing fluids in hospital is equivalent to:
1/3 ceramic cup		¼ paper cup
1/3 bowl of soup (ceramic bowl)		¼ bowl of soup (plastic bowl)
½ glass cup (small glass)		1/3 glass cup (large glass)
¼ tetrapack Sustagen Ready to Drink		½ plastic container  (custard)
2/3 fruit juice		1/3 tub yoghurt
½ container milk

*Ensure that you do not use a straw for drinking as it can cause you to swallow excess air.

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This handout contains general information only. For more specific advice regarding your diet post-bariatric surgery, please make an appointment to discuss this with your dietitian.

This document remains the property of the Dietetics Department at Joondalup Health Campus and may only be reproduced with prior approval and appropriate source referencing.

Disclaimer All information contained in this handout is current at the time of revision. If you have concerns about your health, you should seek advice from your general practitioner or health care provider. If you require urgent care you should go to the nearest Emergency Dept.