So, after a gastric sleeve are snacks forbidden? Absolutely not! There is a variety of snacks after gastric sleeve you can have while maintaining a healthy weight. However, you can only start having snacks after 3 months and you have to make it work with your daily calories intake.
Gastric sleeve snacks should be limited in calories, which means you should find a good source of protein in small portions. Also, there are always an excellent source of protein and healthy fat for a quick snack. You can turn an unhealthy snack into a healthy version of your gastric sleeve diet just with a few ingredient changes.
Let’s dive more into the details with all the snacks you can and cannot eat.
How many calories should a gastric sleeve patient eat for a snack?
Let’s do simple math. 3 meals a day with 300 hundred calories will give you an option for a 200-calorie snack. Of course, the most important thing here is balancing your meals. If you balance your meals, you can leave more or fewer calories for excellent snack options.
What are my best options for snacking?
What we aim for after gastric sleeve is to maintain a good diet, but that doesn’t mean you are banned from snacking. Daily diet and snacks are divided into quantity and quality; responsible portions and nutritious snack intakes.
Snack foods can contain:
- Veggies like baby carrots or celery
- All kinds of berries
- Low-fat cheese
- Beef jerky
They all are what your body really wants and needs.
Potato chips: not your friends!
Can I eat potato chips after gastric sleeve? Potato chips are thinly sliced potatoes seasoned with salt or other flavors and deep-fried in oil. That is a poor choice for the body because it lacks what your body needs. Therefore it is not recommended for a gastric sleeve patient to snack on potato chips. Instead, you can either consume air-fried veggies or cook your own thin sliced potatoes in the oven. If you want that crisp in your mouth, and therefore use vegetable oil, you can use one coffee spoon of olive oil.
Turn tortillas into a good option!
Tortillas can be considered after phase 4 or 5 after gastric sleeve surgery. Phase 4 is the 6th and 7th weeks, and phase 5 is the final stage. You can serve different dishes with tortillas and you need to put limitations on the plates. For example, fried tortillas and using them for taco shells is a no-no. That makes it filled with extra calories.
Instead, you can make a chicken wrap or tacos with low-calorie sauce and tortillas. Tortillas are like bread, they should be eaten in moderation. If you’re going to go with wraps, eat them as a meal, not as a snack.
Am I allowed to have sweet treats?
Artificial sugars are not good for no one. Snacks with loaded sugar are a red flag, it contains non-nutritious units. That will stand against your plan of losing weight. Instead, eat enough protein and fat in the morning to prevent the devil of sweet thoughts.
Eating something loaded with sugar can cause cold sweats, vomiting, and diarrhea. It is called dumping syndrome; this happens when a small stomach has very sugary items dumped in it.
How about hard candy?
Hard candy after gastric sleeve surgery doesn’t sound the best even after hearing it from many angles. A patient should be cautious about the texture of food he/she puts in their mouth. Is the item I’m eating even nutritious and helps me not get off the line?
However, there are sugar-free bariatric-friendly candies out there and most of the packs write down “ZERO SUGAR” in all caps. It could be brownies, bitter chocolate bars, etc. Your buying choices are limited and you need to choose wisely. Therefore, read the snack pack’s nutrition list.
Would it be ok if the cheesecake is sugar-free?
Saying cheesecake alone is mouthwatering, the good news is that you can enjoy a piece after gastric sleeve. The only thing is that you have to avoid some ingredients in it and replace them with something else. Dairy products should be low-fat or fat-free like Greek yogurt, or even vegan. And of course, sugar is out of the picture, you don’t want unhealthy fats and calories, besides, this is a snack, not a meal, so it’s more likely to be mini cheesecake bites.
You can look for some recipes online for Keto cheesecake, Paleo Cheesecake, or vegan cheesecake would be healthy choices for snacks. But do not overeat either, count your calories always.
Yes, darling even sugar-free gums
In short, no! Do not chew gum. It is packed with sugars, and that’s the last thing you want in your body. There are sugar-free gums sold in stores, but could that work? Again, no. Chewing gum whether sugary or sugar-free activates the acids in your guts that make you crave something to bite on. Even if you are not hungry, it will give your brain false signals to eat something.
Cereal but what kind?
Eating cereal is no problem, as long you’re eating it with low-fat milk. If you’re in pureed food phase, you can eat cereal when the flakes are softened in the milk; so it will not cause harm for the unhealed stomach. What we mean by cereal is of course not the ones that contain refined sugar. If you have the urge to eat it, go for sugar-free cereals.
But if you’re in the 4 or 5th phase, then do not mind adding nuts or fruits with it, but make sure to make a proper portion and chew well before swallowing.
Popcorn: good fiber source
Popcorn after gastric sleeve is not the best idea, although it is relatively a healthy snack if only salted lightly. The main reason to avoid popcorn after gastric sleeve is that it will upset the stomach and trouble the digestive system.
You can add it to your diet after being healed fully and it will be even good for your digestive system. So ironic isn’t it? Popcorn contains a good amount of fiber, so it actually helps you to have a bowel movement. If you’re having constipation problems, popcorn will be your best friend in the future. But again it is best not to have significant portions and eat responsibly.
Gut-friendly dill pickles
Almost everyone loves pickles. Many bariatric surgery patients have had this question and in short, yes you can have dill pickles, but what’s the catch?
Dill pickles fit in the category of strong spices and are only eaten in the latest stages. Dill pickles can be blended into small pieces and mixed with tuna. Otherwise, if it’s eaten by a piece, chew it well so as not to upset the stomach.
Some people also have an intolerance to pickles, if you’re one of them, you will feel gassy. It won’t be a wise choice. If you don’t have an intolerance, after the 5th phase of your diet, when you’re fully recovered, dill pickles actually will help you with your digestive system because they are a natural source of probiotics.
Rice cakes with less calories
Although rice is not the best plate to be served for a gastric sleeve patient, rice cake is less nutritious. It has low fat and calories but it lacks the benefits that a body needs. It is low in protein and fiber.
Besides, it is tasteless, dry, and boring to eat by itself. Creativity is the key to fixing yourself a nice snack. Add toppings to your puffy rice cake that are delicious in flavor and beneficial for the body.
- Cottage cheese and avocado: this combo adds protein from cheese and healthy fats from avocado.
- Tuna salad: canned tuna with lettuce and low-fat mayo to make the texture less dry and yummier.
There are more combinations of course but it depends on your taste. Make sure your combo is rich in protein and fiber with slow calories just like those 2 examples.
Bread: friend or foe?
Bread is the enemy of dietary, especially white bread. It is not useful fat, also, has no fiber, and could cause acid reflux and constipation. Avoid white bread at the most cost or else it will cost you more problems in the future. And some people ask if it’s a good idea to have pita bread after gastric sleeve. Well, let’s just say it is just less harmful than a white loaf of bread, so it’s still a no for pita bread.
But if your day can’t pass without having a piece of bread then eat the ones that are not white that’s for sure and the ones that lack sugars for example:
- Rye bread
- Whole wheat
- Boston brown bread
But why these kinds of bread? Unlike white bread, these types are high in fiber and resistant to starch. Here is the fun part, these loaves of bread can be found in stores or bakeries but at a bit higher price than normal white bread. So, you can build a new hobby by baking your own bread from scratch at the fraction of the price.
Guacamole: do you need a good sauce?
Yes, you can eat guacamole after gastric sleeve, but with small changes. Instead of using full-fat cream or yogurt, use low-fat or no-fat yogurt. The rest of the items are no problem. It’s all good with tomato, onion, lime, and season with salt and pepper.
Refried beans as a snack!
You can eat refried beans in the stage where you can eat pureed food, 2 weeks post-op will be just fine. Refried beans are good for health and rich in:
- Fiber
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
Gastric sleeve friendly crackers: eat them with clear conscience!
There are a lot of gastric sleeve-friendly choices for crackers. Whole-grain crackers are most likely to find suitable ones but also, check the list at the back of the pack and see how many grams of protein and fibers it contains per gram. They should be of course in higher numbers than fat and salts (sodium).
| Package | Protein | Fibers | Fat | Sodium |
| Per 100 grams | 6gr | 6gr | -10gr | -400mg |
These numbers are ideal numbers, find a pack of crackers that are close to these numbers, it doesn’t have to be exactly like that. All you need to do is that the fat and salty units are not exceeding the limit where the nutritious would be useless. For instance, eating flavored crackers with seasonings would not be helpful to maintain a good healthy diet.
References:
Leite Faria S, de Oliveira Kelly E, Pereira Faria O, Kiyomi Ito M. Snack-eating patients experience lesser weight loss after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Obes Surg. 2009;19(9):1293-1296. doi:10.1007/s11695-008-9704-7
Kaur B, Ranawana V, Henry J. The Glycemic Index of Rice and Rice Products: A Review, and Table of GI Values. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2016;56(2):215-236. doi:10.1080/10408398.2012.717976
