Take your vitamins!
Organic products and a healthy, protein-rich diet alone do not ensure optimal nutrition after weight loss surgery. Every type of bariatric surgery, like the Lap-Band, restricts food intake. Additionally, Revisional Bariatric Procedures, Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy, result in some malabsorption of micronutrients due to the anatomical changes resulting from these procedures.
This means that even with the best intentions, the daily recommended allowance for most micronutrients cannot be reached without a bariatric multivitamin and calcium supplements.
We invite you to make a dietary consultation appointment with the dietitian Hillary Freedman, RD to ensure that your bariatric diet leads to optimal weight loss and nutrition.
What’s in a bariatric multivitamin and calcium supplement anyway?
The list below shows a sample of foods that have the highest concentrations of the listed micronutrients. To obtain the same nutritional value contained in bariatric multivitamin and calcium supplements, all foods on this list must be consumed every day. Some foods have overlapping micronutrients; however, even when taking this into consideration, the list is only slightly reduced.
- Vitamin A = 1 ounce sweet potato
- Vitamin C = 1 cup broccoli + 3 Brussels sprouts/
- Vitamin D = 1 tablespoon cod liver oil + 2 cups soy milk
- Vitamin E = ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds + ½ cup almonds + I cup cooked spinach
- Vitamin B1 = 1 tablespoon marmite (yeast extract spread) + 5 tablespoon sesame butter + 3 ounces pork chop + 3 ounces tuna + 5 ounces macadamia nuts
- Vitamin B2 = 3 ounces lamb liver
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin) = 3 ounces anchovies + 1 cup peanuts + 3 ounces chicken
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) = 3 ounces chicken liver + 1 cup whey powder + 3 ounces cooked shitake mushrooms
- Vitamin B6 = 3 ounces rice bran
- Vitamin B 9 (folate) = 1 cup raw, chopped spinach + 1 cup soybean sprouts + 1 cup asparagus + 1 cup mung beans + 1 tablespoon dried spearmint
- Vitamin B12 = 3 ounces raw clams + 3 ounces of mackerel
- Calcium = 1 ounce parmesan cheese + 3 ounces tofu + 1 cup skim milk + 1 cup mustard greens + 2 tablespoons flax seeds + 1 cup kale
- Magnesium = 1 tablespoon dried coriander + 2 teaspoons raw pumpkin seeds
- Zinc = 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ + 3 raw oysters
- Selenium = 3 ounces caviar + 1 ounce Brazil nuts + 8 large shrimp
- Copper = 1 cup sun dried tomatoes + 1 ounce calamari + 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Advantages of bariatric multivitamins and calcium supplements
- Bariatric vitamins are formulated for optimal absorption, ensuring proper bariatric nutrition
- Cost effective – everything you need and nothing you don’t. Don’t waste money on inferior non-bariatric products that do not give your body what it needs. Obviously, bariatric vitamins are a fraction of the cost of food.
- No pills and conveniently packaged in small chewable doses or water soluble crystals, not a huge mountain of food.
- Ehrlich Bariatrics in Connecticut makes it easy to order vitamins and supplements. Just click here or visit our new office in Shelton and sample vitamins, calcium and protein supplements.
- Delicious flavors – none of the supplements taste like marmite, anchovies or cod liver oil!
References:
The Skinny