Eating slider foods can set anyone on a weight loss journey back from their goals, and it can be especially bad for bariatric surgery patients. The term “slider foods” refers to foods that easily “slide” through your digestive system, digesting quickly and easily. This type of food tends to be high in all the things bariatric surgery patients should avoid: sugar, unhealthy fat and simple carbohydrates.
Since they’re so easy to digest, slider foods are also easy to overeat. Eating a lot of these foods provides little to no nutritional value despite high caloric content, and they can cause patients to slide back into unhealthy eating habits.
While many types of food fall under the category of “slider foods,” there are a few that stand out as the most common ones that patients quickly return to after surgery. Some examples include:
Eating slider foods can be a slippery slope for anyone trying to build healthier eating habits. They seem harmless until you overeat them. However, for bariatric surgery patients, these types of food should be avoided at all costs. That’s because when you have bariatric surgery, your digestive process changes.
Eating healthy meals with plenty of protein will cause you to feel full and satisfied. Slider foods, however, will slide right through your stomach, getting absorbed quickly and depositing the carbohydrates into your body. You’ll feel unsatisfied and like you need to eat more. This is frustrating, but it’s not nearly as frustrating as dumping syndrome, a common ailment for bariatric patients who slide back into old habits.
Dumping syndrome is a group of symptoms that are caused by rapid gastric emptying, a condition in which food moves too quickly through your post-surgery digestive system. The symptoms can be even worse when the food is particularly high in sugar. These are some of the common symptoms of dumping syndrome after bariatric surgery:
The best way to avoid slider foods is by eating enough protein. Starting your meals off with protein and vegetables is a great place to start. Scheduling your meals so you won’t be as hungry between them can also help you stay on track. Consider keeping healthy, high-protein snacks, such as hard boiled eggs, greek yogurt and nuts around the house, ideally replacing the less healthy snacks you depended on before.
As a bariatric surgery patient, you need to be mindful about what you eat. Reaching for slider foods can have serious consequences after surgery. Experiment with healthy, high protein snacks. Set a meal plan that works for you, stock up on your new favorite healthy snacks, and you’ll be one step closer to reaching your health and weight loss goals!
