How to Manage Styes and Recurring Chalazions
EAT WELL, HEAL FAST! Dietary Tips for a Smooth Surgery
Whether you’re planning to have surgery on your eyelids or any other part of your body, what you eat before and after significantly impacts how well you endure and recover from the process. Here are our dietary tips to help you prep for your medical procedure and heal well afterward. SMART PRE-SURGERY STRATEGIES Think of preparing for eyelid surgery like getting ready for a bike ride or a long run — you need to prepare your body to withstand physical exertion. Ensure that your body receives plenty of protein the week before your appointment and consider “carb loading” the day before. That doesn’t mean you should sit down and eat 10 pieces of cake, but you can bump up your levels of healthy carbohydrates in other ways. Examples include: sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, oats, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. Carbs are stored in the liver as glycogen, which is released into the bloodstream as glucose when fasting.
If you regularly take supplements, avoid any that contain ginger, ginkgo, or other ingredients that could thin your blood, make you bleed more, and slow down your post-op recovery. Additionally, be sure to hydrate well the day before your surgery. POST-OP DO’S AND DON’TS Recovering from surgery means rebuilding your body from an injury, so you must take special care of yourself in those delicate post-op days. First, don’t stop at Taco Bell on the way home from your procedure, as you should avoid super-spicy or super-fatty foods immediately following surgery while the anesthesia is still in your system. It doesn’t take a weird diet to speed up recovery. Eggs are tremendous protein sources; turkey, chicken, lean beef, fish, beans, and nuts are also great. Foods with high quantities of healthy fats — including avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds,
and coconut oil — will also help
you heal faster. You can also take a multivitamin that contains vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc. Above all, don’t eat processed foods . When in doubt about what you should or
shouldn’t eat post-operatively, remember this easy rule: Anything down the aisle at a grocery store is processed; anything around the periphery is what you should be eating after your procedure. Perhaps this is the path we should always follow. If you have further questions on dietary items or supplements, please be in contact with our office and we will be happy to assist you. Our goal at Eye Plastic Associates, P.C. is to make your recovery as easy as possible.
Greek Chicken and Rice
INGREDIENTS
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2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced
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2 cups chicken broth
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 cloves garlic, minced 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried thyme
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Juice of 1 lemon
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1/2 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
“Our life is a constant journey, from birth to death. The landscape changes, the people change, our needs change, but the train keeps moving. Life is the train, not the station.” –Paulo Coelho
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until softened. 2. Add chicken, oregano, and thyme and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 3–4 minutes. 3. Pour in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. 4. Stir in the lemon juice and feta cheese, then season with salt and pepper.
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