In the last post, we reviewed adding salads back into your post-op menu when your "mature" pouch is able to hold more quantity of healthy foods, One of the reasons salads are not on the early post-op menu is because of the nutrition content of lettuce and other salad veggies.

So when your diet allows you to eat a larger volume of food, several years out from surgery, you may opt for choosing a small side salad to compliment your meal. (see next article, for more tips on healthier salad tossing).

It may be helpful to choose a darker green color variety of  lettuce or greens, which generally contain more vitamins and phytochemicals. The darker the color the more nutritious. Two of the best choices are spinach and romaine lettuce. (Be sure to remove the stems on spinach, especially when wilting it, stems become stringy and not very bariatric friendly). 

Watercress is a great addition to salads also, it contains fifteen essential vitamins and minerals. It also contains significant amounts of iron, calcium, folic acid and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B17, C, D, E and K and antioxidants.

Watercress is a diuretic and also a digestive aid. It is one of the best sources of element iodine which is important for the function of the thyroid gland. Watercress contains sulphur, which plays an important role in protein absorption, blood purification, building cells, and healthy hair and skin. It is also known for its antiscorbutic qualities, which means that it cures or prevents scurvy! Watercress also has the ability to reduce blood triglyceride levels by an average of 10%. Impressive!

Other therapeutic uses of watercress include relief from coughs, head colds, bronchial ailments, asthma, stress, pain, arthritis, stiff back and joints, diabetes, anemia, constipation and emphysema.

So, instead of tossing the whole salad idea, forever, just toss in greener and more nutritious leafy greens. Yes, we can, we have many more miles to go!