New to cooking healthy nutritious meals and stuck for ideas?
Give the food matrix a whirl! Create a meal using an item from each section below.
Protein
- 1 small fillet, or less often, a small tin of wild, line caught sustainable white or oily fish, e.g. salmon, sardines, mackerel
- 1 handful of non-processed meat, e.g. cooked chicken, beef or lamb
- 1-2 handfuls of cooked lentils, chickpeas or beans
- 1-2 organic free-range eggs
If you are struggling to hit your daily target from food alone, all your protein Qs covers how much you need and what to do about the shortfall.
Vege (non-starchy)
- Leafy greens, the darker the better, e.g. spinach, kale, rocket or lettuce
- Salad vegetables, e.g. cucumber, tomato, celery, capsicum, shredded beetroot, cabbage and carrot
- Roasted vegetables, e.g. beetroot, pumpkin, carrot, cauliflower, brussel sprouts
- Steamed or stir-fried vegetables, e.g. broccoli, carrot, capsicum or snowpeas
Complex carbs
- 1-2 handfuls of baked or steamed potatoes or sweet potato
- A cob of fresh corn
- 1-2 handfuls of brown rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth or buckwheat
Nourishing fats
- 1 handful of nuts and seeds, e.g. almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
Flavour
- Herbs
- Chilli
- Aromatics such as garlic
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Homemade vinaigrette
- Hummus
- Sprouts
- Sea vegetables
Supplements
Because the surface area and routing (if you’ve had a bypass) of your stomach has now changed, you can no longer absorb the same levels of nutrients from your food as before. That’s why it’s uber important to take a high-dose multivitamin designed especially for people who have had bariatric surgery, like Multi 2.0. Vitamins, why and what explains which nutrients are most at risk.
Want the matrix turned into actual dinners? Our WLS-friendly recipes do exactly that, and food is not good or bad is a good reminder while you build your plate.
We hope you found this helpful. Big thanks to Dr Libby for sharing.