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If you’ve had bariatric surgery, you know that post-op life brings to the table its own unique set of challenges. One of them is meeting your nutritional requirements, which is absolutely essential since your anatomy has changed. You are consuming less food and might be absorbing nutrients differently. So, your bariatric healthcare team has likely recommended post-surgery supplements to make sure you stay healthy.
Keeping Your Health a Priority During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Post-op life can be especially hard right now due to the impact of Covid-19. The OAC recognizes that this may pose challenges to the health routines you’ve worked to establish after surgery, including taking supplements.
The OAC asked Nina Crowley, PhD, RDN, LD, for advice on this subject. Dr. Crowley leads the interdisciplinary metabolic and bariatric surgery team at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. This is what she said:
“Having your schedule thrown completely out of whack may mean that you are now taking care of more bodies than you’re used to (parents, kids, spouse, pets). Many people are finding themselves back in a pattern of taking care of everyone else, but forgetting about their own health.
Self-care has (thankfully) become a commonly used term, and the best part about self-care is that it is unique to YOU. What do YOU need to be your best self?
For a post-bariatric patient, your vitamin and mineral supplements are close up there to one of the biggest priorities! During a time when your bariatric program may be limiting or stopping in-person visits, one of the better measures of your micronutrient status — lab work — may not be available. This is why it’s even more important to stay the course with your supplement routine!
As creatures of habit thrown into the unknown “new normal,” we miss our routines. These include taking medications and supplements regularly, as well as getting on a routine for meal and snack times. If you’ve been out of a routine, it’s actually a good time to start a new one.
Some are struggling with limited food choices due to availability of fresh, nutritious options. During this time, taking your vitamin and mineral supplements can help balance out the days that you may miss out on certain food groups or vitamins.
An upside to these crazy times is that many companies are going out of their way to accommodate people affected by Covid-19. There are specials and discounts on specialty bariatric vitamins, as well as home delivery options that may make it easier to social distance but still adhere to your vitamin goals. Try a new product or new flavor to keep things interesting and commit to staying the course during this unpredictable storm.”