On the topic of fruit

[Anne23]

Fruit has been a hot topic here and I have been thinking a lot about that. I am sure many of us prior to our WLS have been on a diet that didn’t allow fruit. And we have been told no to sugar in all its forms. But I think we need to view fruit (and all foods really) with our pouch in mind. Prior to surgery a serving of fruit salad for me filled a cereal bowl. That was indeed a good deal of sugar. I could never eat that now. But now, post op, a serving for me is more like 6 blueberries added to some protein like chicken salad or cottage cheese. And 6 blue berries have about 5 calories, 1 carb, 1 gram sugar. There are deli meats out there that have more sugar/carbs. We also need to consider the nutrition. Because we eat so much less we need everything we do eat, to pack a punch with nutrients. I am almost 4 months out and I am really trying to make choices that support my whole health. That’s why we did this after all. So I would encourage anyone who’s dietician says no fruit, to have this conversation. I think all or nothing statements can set us up for feeling failure and unless a food doesn’t agree with your pouch, we should choose from a variety of healthy nutritious (in season when possible!) foods. Not a dietitian myself, and everyone should follow their plan, but consider the conversation

 

[missyinacage]

Anne, that is an excellent point. I made individual sized pineapple upside down cakes for a 4th of July celebration I was invited to. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to eat even a cupcake sized one, I made mini cupcake sized ones for my household. The perfect bite, in my opinion. I was going to use a sugar substitute for the topping when I realized that I was only adding about a 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar to the top of each mini. The sugar was minimal and all natural. But it is so ingrained into my psyche that sugar is bad that my first thought was chemical sweetener was the better option. I also swapped out the oil for an applesauce/yogurt mix. Which again proves your fruit point. It's certainly preferable to OIL, right?
I think that this the biggest challenge for us as WLS patients; learning balance when it comes to all foods.

 

[KarenWV]

In my pre-surgery class today they are allowing canned fruit (in water or natural juice) starting in weeks 3 & 4 soft/pureed food. Funny how each program has such different takes on the goodness or evils of fruit!