Diet after removal of an inguinal hernia: nutritional therapy, what can you eat on the day of surgery?

Surgery is always stressful for the body and therefore, the patient must comply with all the requirements of the attending physician in order to avoid complications and disruptions in the body’s functioning in the future. Particular attention should be paid to nutrition, since some foods can have a bad effect.

When performing an operation to remove an inguinal hernia in a man, woman or child, it is important to be very responsible about your diet. There are a number of general recommendations that should be followed:

• you should wear a special bandage for a certain period;
• it is necessary to exclude physical activity and stress during rehabilitation;
• complete cessation of alcohol and smoking;
• following a diet after surgery for inguinal hernia.

Only an integrated approach will allow the patient to fully restore health and return to a full lifestyle. In this article we will look at what you can eat after surgery to remove an inguinal hernia, as well as what diet will be most effective during the rehabilitation period.

General rules

Nutrition after surgery for removal of an inguinal hernia involves the appointment of a gentle diet in the early rehabilitation period.
An inguinal hernia can be removed either by the laparoscopic method, which is relatively gentle, or by the classical hernia repair method, but in any case, the operation does not violate the integrity of the digestive system. However, an inguinal hernia removed by laparoscopy heals much faster and the rehabilitation period is accordingly reduced. The diet after surgery to remove an inguinal hernia is based on the general treatment Table No. 15 . Its task is to provide the patient’s body with all the necessary nutritional nutrients and meets the nutritional standards for a healthy person. A gentle diet applies only to the early postoperative period, which provides for the exclusion of all factors that contribute to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, which can negatively affect the condition of the postoperative scar. For this purpose, “fixing” foods/foods, as well as those that cause gas formation in the intestines, are excluded from the diet. Fatty meats, refractory animal fats, rye bread, duck, goose meat, flour products, legumes, smoked meats, mushrooms, spicy foods, spices, baked goods, kvass, beer, carbonated drinks are excluded.

In the first 3-5 days, it is recommended to eat liquid/semi-liquid food - chicken broth, light soups, purees, semi-liquid cereals, lean boiled meat and fish, cottage cheese. Then, if the suture is in normal condition and the patient is in good general health, the diet is expanded - foods containing fiber are introduced in a larger volume. The diet after surgery involves split meals (4-5 times a day) and sufficient fluid intake (up to 2 liters). After the stitches are removed, you can return to your normal diet.

How to eat properly on the day of surgery

Surgeries to remove an inguinal hernia are quite common, however, there is a certain preparation procedure that all patients must adhere to. This stage is quite important, since it will allow the body to prepare for surgery and undergo the operation without complications. Experts recommend the following on the day of surgery:

• drink about 2 liters of water, but without gas;
• exclude salt from your diet to avoid swelling in the future;
• create your own menu, which will not contain high-calorie foods (fatty foods). Dishes that will be on the menu on the day of meals should be prepared in the form of soup or puree soup. Soups should not cause fermentation, be warm and fairly liquid;
• food should be taken in parts - 5-8 times a day and in small portions;

In addition to eating properly, it is also important to eat only those foods that will not cause problems or aggravate the situation.

On the first day the following products are allowed:

• berry and fruit juices, as well as homemade compote or fruit juice;
• homemade jelly;
• broths: beef, fish, chicken or turkey;
• soft-boiled chicken eggs;
• butter in limited quantities;
• still drinking water or tea.

After the operation, the patient will feel very weak and to regain strength, it is better for him to consume products of natural origin. This will speed up the patient’s body receiving enough vitamins and minerals for recovery.

Eating order the day after surgery

After removal of an inguinal hernia, the patient begins to need food the very next day. If a person begins to feel hungry, it means that his body needs a certain amount of calories to restore all its functions.

On the second day, meals should be more high-calorie and richer than on the first day. In this regard, the patient should adhere to the following recommendations:

• use only the approved list of products for nutrition, excluding foods that increase the level of gas formation in the intestines;
• It is better to bathe in small portions - up to 6 times a day;
• The diet should include: meat broths, juices and dishes rich in vitamins.

You can supplement your diet with the following dishes:

• fruit jelly should be added to juices and compotes;
• Meat broths should be supplemented with herbs and cereals. Can be replaced with vegetable puree soups;
• Milk porridges, liquid, with the addition of a small amount of butter, work well.

Diet during the rehabilitation period after surgery

Within a few days after the operation, the patient’s body quickly recovers and returns to a normal lifestyle. During the operation, he spends a large amount of energy and subsequently needs additional calories.

The food that is recommended during this period should be as close as possible to the normal diet, with the exception of certain food groups. The fact is that heavy food can negatively affect the functioning of the intestines, which should not be loaded in the first days.

Additionally, the following food groups should be included in the diet:

• milk soups with cereals or noodles, to which you can add a small amount of butter;
• casseroles made from cottage cheese with the addition of fruits or cereals;
• various fermented milk products (yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk);
• boiled or stewed meat (it is best to eat lean beef, chicken or turkey);
• white bread croutons;
• fruits and vegetables that will not lead to increased gas formation.

Foods that are not recommended to eat after surgery

Diet after inguinal hernia surgery is mandatory. The patient can independently regulate food intake during rehabilitation and create a menu, however, he must remember that some foods should not be consumed. The list of such products includes:

• fatty meat - pork or lamb;
• canned foods;
• corn or legumes;
• mushrooms.

There are a number of other products that are strictly prohibited for consumption during the postoperative period.

These include:

• smoked and fried foods;
• baked goods;
• any sauces and hot spices;
• black bread;
• milk;
• beer, carbonated drinks, energy drinks, kvass;

In addition, some foods can cause a negative reaction if consumed immediately after surgery, however, they can be safely introduced into the diet in the future. This group includes: porridge (pearl barley or wheat), candies and sweets, eggs, vegetables (radishes, peppers, tomatoes), fruits (grapes, banana, peach), as well as drinks - tea or coffee.

Only proper nutrition will allow a patient who has undergone surgery to fully recover and return to a normal lifestyle. If you follow all the doctor’s recommendations, recovery will take a short period of time.

Authorized Products

The diet after surgery to remove an inguinal hernia includes:

• Soups with low-fat broths.
• Wheat bread, white crackers, dry biscuits.
• Boiled lean meat and low-fat poultry. Frankfurters, boiled sausages and frankfurters are allowed.
• Sea/river fish of various culinary preparations, seafood.
• Fermented milk drinks/products (yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, acidophilus, yogurt, low-fat cheeses). Sour cream is added to dishes.
• Chicken eggs in any preparation.
• Butter/ghee, vegetable oils.
• Cereals, pasta, white rice.
• Honey, sugar, jam, jam, marmalade, marshmallow.
• Vegetables, garden herbs.
• Fresh fruits/berries and after heat treatment (mashed potatoes, mousses, jelly).
• Fresh juices, fruit drinks, compotes, jelly, wheat bran decoction, cocoa, green tea, rosehip infusion, still mineral water.

Table of permitted products

Inguinal hernia: what you can eat after its removal

Any surgical intervention is a huge stress for the body. When performing hernia repair in the groin area, you should take responsibly the recommendations of specialists to quickly restore your health. General recommendations after such surgery are as follows:

• Wearing a special bandage for the time specified by the attending physician.
• Elimination of physical activity and stress during the rehabilitation period.
• Quitting bad habits (drinking alcohol and smoking).
• A specific diet after inguinal hernia surgery.

Only comprehensive implementation of these instructions will help the patient restore health in a short time and quickly return to a full life.

How to eat properly on the day of surgery

Surgery to remove an inguinal hernia is performed quite often, so there are standard recommendations for preparing the body for the intervention. On this day the patient is recommended to:

• You can drink water, but without gas, about 2 liters;
• completely eliminate salt from the diet to avoid swelling;
• create your menu in such a way that the calorie content of the products is not too high (you should remove fatty and high-calorie foods from your diet, replacing them with light, vitamin-rich foods). Dishes consumed on the day of surgery should be prepared in the form of soups or puree soups (they should be liquid, warm, quickly absorbed by the body and not cause fermentation);
• eat food several times a day (5 to 8 times after surgery) in small portions.

The foods that are recommended to be eaten on the first day include the following:

• juice (berry or fruit), homemade compote or fruit drink;
• homemade jelly;
• broth (beef, chicken, fish or turkey);
• soft-boiled chicken eggs;
• a little butter;
• tea, drinking water without gas.

Despite the general weakness after the operation, the patient is strongly recommended to eat foods of natural origin, rich in vitamins for the fastest recovery of the body.

How to eat properly the day after surgery

After an inguinal hernia has been removed, the patient's appetite begins to recover the next day, which means that the body must receive more calories. The nutrition of the second day should be more high-calorie and saturated in comparison with the first. The patient needs:

• eat only the permitted list of foods, with the exception of foods that increase the formation of gas in the intestines;
• It is recommended to eat in small portions, but often (up to 6 times a day);
• You can introduce into your diet not only meat broths and juices, but also dishes rich in vitamins.

Fully or partially limited products

The diet after surgery to remove an inguinal hernia excludes:

• Fatty concentrated broths and soups based on them.
• Fatty meats, refractory fats, waterfowl (duck goose), margarine, fatty fish.
• Canned food (meat and fish), sausage, smoked meats, fast food products, semi-finished products, mayonnaise.
• Flour products, rye bread.
• Vegetables that cause bloating (soybeans, peas, corn, beans, lentils, chickpeas) and contain essential oils (celery, tarragon, garlic, turnips, radishes, celery radish, parsley, onions, basil), mushrooms.
• Fruits with rough skin (gooseberries, currants).
• Kvass, beer, carbonated and alcohol-containing drinks.

Table of prohibited products

Nutrition after removal of an inguinal hernia

After surgery to remove an inguinal hernia, nutritional therapy is prescribed. A strict diet is important only in the early rehabilitation period, after which you can gradually return to a gentle but usual diet.

A man's diet menu is no different from a woman's; the rules are the same, as are the main restrictions.

The diet after inguinal hernia surgery is based on two basic principles: eat often, but not in large portions, and prevent problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Stomach fullness, constipation, and bloating are factors that increase intra-abdominal pressure, which negatively affects the condition of the postoperative scar. The latter may diverge, which will cause the development of a ventral hernia as a complication.

A gentle diet after removal of an inguinal hernia excludes the use of consolidating foods and those that provoke gas formation. The list of prohibited foods after hernia repair is small, but there are a number of nutritional rules that will speed up recovery and prevent complications.

Nutrition after inguinal hernia surgery in the first few days (3-7) should be exclusively liquid. A man can eat soups, broths without meat and vegetables, drink clean water and tea. It is important to eat in small portions, but often.

It would be optimal to eat 150-200 mg 5-6 times, and the total calorie content should be up to 1100 kcal.

400-500 kcal are added daily to the body’s normal needs - 2500-3000 kcal, depending on the man’s physique and type of activity.

The diet after an inguinal hernia is based on the following principles:

• fractional meals, from 5 times;
• eating soft food at normal temperature;
• avoiding overeating, last dose 2.5-3 hours before bedtime.

On the first day after the operation, the man eats liquid (broths, soups, jelly) and semi-liquid (mashed soups, porridges with water) food. It is acceptable to eat jellies, broths, vegetable and fruit juices, decoctions, and jelly. Eating soft-boiled eggs is also allowed. On the second day, the menu is diluted with puree soups, vegetables and soft fruits. A man can eat steamed fish, cottage cheese, and grated apple.

For the next week, the diet remains gentle, but is diluted with meat dishes, dairy products, fish, eggs, and cereals. From the second week, a man can eat anything, with the exception of certain foods that can disrupt the normal function of the gastrointestinal tract.

The following products should be completely eliminated or limited as much as possible:

• legumes, peas, cabbage;
• spicy, sweet;
• fried and raw meat;
• marinades, spices, sauces;
• carbonated drinks, coffee.

The diet after removal of any inguinal hernia in men excludes the consumption of alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks. In addition to their general negative impact, some representatives provoke intestinal disorders. It is not recommended to eat foods that are too salty, as this leads to fluid retention in the body, which causes edema.

After surgery, men can eat boiled, baked, and steamed foods, but it is better to avoid fried and smoked foods.

What can you eat during the recovery period after hernia removal in men:

• oatmeal with milk and water, buckwheat, pearl barley and rice porridge;
• chicken and quail eggs;
• milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cheese;
• black bread, crackers;
• unrefined oil;
• grated vegetables and fruits;
• white meat, fish, steamed cutlets;
• decoctions, jelly, compotes, weak teas.

Particular attention should be paid to water balance.

You need to drink at least 2 liters per day, including liquid in meals. At the same time, it is important to limit the consumption of coffee, strong tea and sour juices. It is strictly forbidden to drink sweet carbonated drinks and alcohol.

Proper nutrition after removal of an inguinal hernia is a mandatory preventive measure. If the patient immediately returns to his usual diet, the weakened body will poorly cope with the load on the gastrointestinal tract, spending a lot of energy on digesting and eliminating products, and not on restoring damaged tissues.

Reviews and results

According to reviews of patients who have undergone surgery for an inguinal hernia, dietary restrictions are insignificant and apply only to the immediate postoperative period. And excluding refractory fats, mayonnaise, margarine, fatty and smoked foods from the diet is even useful, since they are not considered healthy foods.

• “... We operated on an inguinal hernia using the laparoscopic method. Diets, as such, were not prescribed. For the first three days they were fed liquid and semi-liquid food. On the 4th day they were discharged home and recommended their usual diet with a limit on fatty foods, smoked foods, rye bread, and legumes for 5-7 days.”
• “... Had surgery for a hernia in the groin. A planned operation was scheduled. After it, for a week I ate everything only boiled and in a semi-liquid state - soups, kefir, cottage cheese, boiled chicken, fish, a little bread. Vegetables: salads, cucumbers, tomatoes, garden herbs. After a week I switched back to my normal diet.”

How to eat properly after inguinal hernia removal

Despite the fact that recently most inguinal hernias are operated on using a minimally invasive laparoscopic method, the process of postoperative rehabilitation still requires close attention. In addition to the correct regimen and limitation of physical activity, the correct diet after inguinal hernia surgery in men is also important.

Proper nutrition on the day of surgery

To fully understand proper nutrition for an inguinal hernia, it is necessary to take into account what the hernia itself is. An inguinal hernia is a pathological protrusion of the large intestine into the inguinal canal. From the definition it becomes clear that the intestines are the first to suffer with this pathology, so the diet should be aimed at reducing the load on it.

Two to three weeks before surgery (if this is not an emergency), it is necessary to normalize intestinal motility. First of all, this concerns giving up flour and solid foods. It is better to give preference to porridge and liquid foods, and instead of complex carbohydrates, which are contained in baked goods, it is better to eat more vegetables and fruits.

If you are prone to constipation, tell your doctor. You may need to use laxatives for a short period of time.

On the day of surgery, it is recommended to drink only still water, at least 1.5-2 liters. It is more convenient for surgeons to operate on an empty bowel, which is easier to reduce, without the risk of emptying it in a sterile operating room. A cleansing enema is sometimes prescribed a few hours before surgery.

Nutrition in the early period after hernia repair

The diet in the first days after removal of an inguinal hernia is unlikely to please a gourmet.

First of all, it is necessary to maintain normal intestinal function, so nutrition should be structured in such a way that fermentation and gas formation processes do not occur in the intestines.

Since constipation in the early postoperative period can lead to complications, food is taken exclusively in liquid or semi-liquid form.

The entire diet must be divided into five meals a day. Energy value is approximately 1000 - 1500 kcal per day, with a gradual increase in subsequent days. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is the same as for a healthy person.

Nutrition after surgery to remove an inguinal hernia in men is more limited on the first day after surgery due to anatomical features.

The fact is that the spermatic cords pass through the inguinal canals of men, and the retraction of the intestine into the canal can lead to disruption of genitourinary function.

Therefore, the diet for men includes a strict restriction of salt, and a urinary catheter is installed on the first day after surgery.

The intestine itself, as it moves along the inguinal canal, is compressed by the walls of the canal more and more, which increases the risk of intestinal obstruction and necrosis. It is for this reason that an inguinal hernia for men is a serious and dangerous pathology.

Along with the diet, it is necessary to maintain strict bed rest and reduce physical activity to a minimum. The treatment of the postoperative wound is carried out by the attending physician, so dressing is carried out at his discretion.

This is what an inguinal hernia requires: nutrition after surgery in the first days should be liquid, fractional (5 times a day), against the background of minimal physical activity and timely treatment of the postoperative wound