Liquid diet
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The following page is all about a liquid diet and the various uses for it. It includes three different types of liquid diets and daily needs of such things as calories, protein and calcium.
Daily Needs
Calories
The average amount of calories a grown male needs is 2,800. For women it's 2000. After a surgery on your jaw this will increase by nearly 30% depending on the individuals age, weight and gender in order to provide extra energy for healing. In order to get these extra calories it would be a good idea to eat 5-6 times per day as opposed to trying to eat 3 large meals. Another hint for increasing calories is to add things such as peanut butter, soy products, or thinly sliced meats.
Protein
After surgery protein intake should be 85 grams or higher according to Dr. Victor Escobar of Christie Clinic in Champaign, Illinois. This amount is not only crucial for healing but also plays a critical role in how well a patient will feel during the healing process. Protein is the most important part of a liquid diet because it is the fuel the body uses to build and repair itself.
Calcium
Calcium is another necessity for the body to heal properly. According to RDA guidelines the daily amount of calcium suggested for adult males and females ranges from 800-1200 mg. According to Answers.com/calcium calcium plays a key role in the development and maintenance of bones, teeth, nerves and muscle. Due to the fact that these areas are precisely the ones affected during the healing of a broken jaw calcium is extremely important.
Types of Liquid Diets
Whether on a liquid diet for surgical reasons or just for weight loss, there are a few different types of liquid diets. The following is a list of three different types of liquid diets.
Clear Liquid Diet
This is the diet doctors will assign for right after surgery. Its purpose is to start the digestive system out slowly after anesthesia and to reduce the risk of nausea and vomiting during the body’s recovery. This diet consists of anything that "you can see through." This diet is only required for a couple of days or until the doctor says otherwise.
Full Liquids (Strained)
This liquid diet is anything that can be blended and passed through a strainer to eat. This is the diet that follows the Clear Liquid Diet and will last until the wires come off. Typically that would be 4-6 weeks. This is a long time and creativity and imagination will be necessary to keep sanity. This diet provides more calories than the previous but is still liquid and therefore easily digested. This is essential for patients who have their jaw wired shut and do not have the option to chew or swallow solid foods. This is the diet that patients on a liquid diet for their jaw being wired shut will become most familiar with.
Blended Liquid Diet (Thinned Foods)
These are meals that can be blended and do not need to be strained. This is the last step in the liquid diet and must be approved by the doctor. This is the type patients on a liquid diet for surgical reasons will go on directly after having the wires removed from their jaw. This is a time when the body is still healing and cannot tolerate solid food quite yet. An example of the texture of food allowed for this period would be mashed potatoes. This will last until solid foods can be eaten in a couple of weeks. This is the absolute last step on a liquid diet. Thinning liquids
Thinning your food is very important while on a liquid diet. The reason for this is simple; it needs to be thin to be able to eat it. The following is a list of possible liquids to try thinning food with. Give them a try and find out what works best.
-Cream
-Chicken broth
-Milk
-Gravy
-Cream sauce
Conclusion
Being on a liquid diet is a lot of work. It will require being very health conscious and aware of such needs as calorie intake, protein intake, and calcium intake. Also, there are different types of liquid diets that one will need to become familiar with in order to survive on a liquid diet.