Can You Be a Vegetarian and Have Weight-loss Surgery?

Cara Stewart, RD, LDN, is a member of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team. In this blog post, she discusses vegetarianism, and why being a vegetarian isn’t a roadblock to weight-loss surgery.

Well-planned vegetarian or vegan diets are appropriate for the weight-loss surgery patient. A recent study at the University of Oxford in England reveals that the risk of hospitalization and death from heart disease is 32 percent lower in vegetarians than in people who eat meat and fish.

Researchers say that the health benefit is likely related to having lower blood pressure and cholesterol. While following a vegetarian diet is likely not enough to prevent heart disease, choosing more meatless meals can decrease your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as increase your intake of heart-healthy unsaturated fats and fiber.

What’s the Difference Between a Vegetarian and Vegan Diet?

A vegetarian diet excludes meat, poultry and seafood. A vegan diet additionally excludes eggs and dairy. While these foods are staple protein sources for people who have had weight-loss surgery, there are a wide variety of plant-based protein sources from which to choose. It is important to carefully plan a post-op vegetarian or vegan diet with a registered dietitian to ensure adequate protein intake. Since plant-based foods are less protein-dense, vegetarian, and especially vegan patients, may need to use protein supplements for a longer period of time to meet the daily goal of 60 to 80 grams of protein per day.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan and are pursuing or have had weight-loss surgery, talk to one of the program dietitians about how to maintain a healthful diet and consume nutritionally balanced diet after bariatric surgery.

Lose Weight at Penn Medicine

Learn about medical weight loss in Philadelphia, and the Penn Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program at a free information session about weight-loss surgery in Philadelphia.

There, you will hear about your weight-loss surgery options, and how Penn can help you lose weight and get healthy for good.

Register for a free information session today.