Surprising Benefits of Kale After Bariatric Surgery

Medically Reviewed by Katelyn J. Mock, US-Registered Dietician (R.D.)

Weight loss surgery is just a tool that helps a person lose weight. Diet and exercise play a significant role in the success or failure of this surgery. A general diet includes small portions of food, where all the nutritional requirements are kept in mind while eating food. The menu for gastric bypass patients is slightly different from the diet for gastric sleeve patients.

Benefits of Kale

• High in protein.
• Contains the right amount of fiber and water. This helps deal with constipation.
• It has Vitamins B and C that helps release energy from food and Vitamin C, specifically, helps in better absorption of iron.
• Kale also contains an amount of potassium that helps reduce the risk of heart diseases.
• It fights against diabetes, lowers blood pressure and has antioxidants as well.

Tips on Buying and Preparing Kale after Weight Loss Surgery

• Look for Tuscan or Dino (dinosaur) kale. This is a milder, softer leaf version of kale than the curly variety.
• Remove the rib or center stem of the kale leaf. A lot of prepared salads at the grocery store will keep this portion of the kale leaf. It can be quite bitter. I prefer to discard it as the leaf itself has the majority of the nutrients and is still high in fiber.
• Try a vinaigrette type dressing over a creamy version. The acid that is typical in the vinaigrette-style helps to break down the fibers and will make the leaf more tender to chew.
• Massage your kale before serving with either little olive oil, lemon juice. By massaging the leaves for 3-5 minutes, it softens it and makes it easier to chew.

Some Bariatric Recipes Using Kale

Our US-Registered Dietitian Katelyn Mock shares a kale salad recipe that’s easy to make. You can use this salad for a couple of days so it also saves you a lot of time.

Some other things to do with Kale

• Kale and spinach soup
• Kale and black bean tacos with chimichurri
• Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Kale

This Post Addresses

• Green leafy vegetables post-bariatric surgery
• Curing chronic constipation with kale