If you’re thinking about having weight-loss surgery, you might have come across the term dumping syndrome in your research. With symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, bloating, palpitations, or feeling lightheaded or tired after eating, it certainly sounds unpleasant. The good news is that it’s relatively uncommon. But if you are affected, you often can manage or prevent the problem with dietary shifts.
Dumping syndrome can happen when a person’s stomach empties too quickly. Large amounts of poorly digested food (particularly sugars) are then quickly sent to the small intestine, which can lead to these GI symptoms within 30 minutes of eating. It can also trigger blood sugar changes 1 to 3 hours after a meal. It’s these blood sugar changes that cause symptoms like lightheadedness and fatigue.
I like to talk with my weight-loss surgery patients about dumping syndrome before their procedure. We’ll come up with a personalized eating program that helps them reduce their risk while still getting the nutrition they need. In addition, the seven tips below can help anyone trying to avoid or reduce dumping syndrome after a weight-loss procedure.
1. Eat small meals slowly
Forget what Mom may have told you about making sure you have three square meals per day. After weight-loss surgery, it’s better to break your eating up into four to six mini meals to avoid overfilling your stomach.
Take it slowly while you eat. Relax in between bites and chew your food well! That’s especially important for people who’ve had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. This procedure creates a small stomach pouch, so thorough chewing helps ensure that your food can easily pass through and be digested appropriately.
2. Limit sugary foods
Foods that are high in sugar can cause your blood glucose to rapidly spike and crash. So try to enjoy the sweet stuff in small portions and on rare occasions. That includes treats such as cookies, pie, cake, candy, and chocolate. Liquid sugars such as soda, juice, or alcohol, and added sweeteners such as table sugar, honey, or jelly can especially trigger it. Large amounts of fruit can have the same effect, since fruit is high in natural sugars.
3. Be choosy about carbs
Complex carbohydrates are your best bet. They contain protein and fiber and go through the GI system more slowly. You can also find fiber in beans, lentils, low-sugar fruits, and most vegetables. If you’re going to eat bread or pasta, find ones that have more protein and fiber; they will generally have fewer carbs and fewer calories. Please try to avoid white bread, regular pasta, rice (including brown rice), and potatoes, which are simple carbohydrates and can cause both dumping and weight gain.
4. Prioritize protein
Your body digests protein more slowly than carbs. Plus, protein helps keep blood sugar levels steady. My rule of thumb: Have a protein-rich food at every meal or snack. Good choices include lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, yogurt, tofu, beans, and small amounts of nuts or nut butters.
5. Drink between meals, not with meals
Fluids help food move through the stomach faster. In general, I like my patients to hold off on drinking anything for at least 30 minutes before or after eating. If you’d like to have something to help wash down your food, keep it to 4 ounces of fluids or less.
6. Steer clear of carbonated drinks
Reach for plain water or herbal tea over fizzy drinks like seltzer or soda. Carbonated beverages expand in your stomach, causing discomfort. They can also stretch your stomach opening, which could cause reflux and weight gain over time. (Soda is also high in added sugars, which also isn’t great for dumping syndrome.)
7. Make some small adaptations
There are a few other little tips or tricks that can support better digestion after weight-loss surgery. You can:
- Moderate your temperature. Very hot or very cold foods can worsen dumping syndrome. For example, let a piping hot bowl of soup cool a bit before you enjoy it.
- Toast your bread. Fresh bread can get “clumpy” in your stomach. Toasting dries it out, so the bread crumbles into smaller, more digestible pieces.
- Take care with meat. Dry, tough cuts can be harder to digest. Stick with tender or slow-cooked meats that are softer, and serve meat with a sauce for less dryness.
Dumping syndrome isn’t dangerous. But it can lead to dehydration or cause nutritional deficiencies over time. Plus, it takes the joy out of eating and just makes you feel lousy. If you’re having symptoms that aren’t being controlled with diet changes, let your doctor know. They can recommend additional treatment options that can help you feel better after eating.
Our specialists are here to help you throughout your weight-loss surgery journey, including managing side effects like dumping syndrome. Call us at 800-TEMPLE-MED (800-836-7536) to book an appointment with a specialist or schedule an appointment online.
Helpful Resources
Looking for more resources?
