Salad?

I had surgery on June 5th and I am craving salad!!! I have been afraid to try it, because I have heard lettuce is hard to digest. I was just wondering if anyone else had tried it and how they tolerated it????

Kelly, I had Lap RNY on 6/11 and I have been having salad for a few weeks now. I have never had any problems withit & it seems to be one of the foods I can have a decent amount of so make sure to measure. Best of Luck to you! Amy - Lap RNY 6/11/07 Surg/Now/Goal 254/218/135 83 lbs to goal

I was told not to try a mixed salad all at once. Try one raw vegetable at a time. For example,lettuce only one time, then tomato (or what ever you put on a salad) another time, and so on. This will help you identify what works and what doesn't. I was also told to try the vegetables cooked first before raw (obviously not the lettuce!). Then put together a "gen-u-wine" salad. I can't wait either!!!

Hey Kelly, I had surgery on June 7, and I've been craving salad almost since that day, so I hear ya! My NP said to wait until after my fill, which is Monday, and that the six weeks should have gotten me ready for salad. I've been eating tomatoes and peeled cucumbers since I started eating phase 3 foods, about three weeks ago, and have had no problems with those, so I think I'll be ready on the salad next week! I can't wait. Sande, my NP, said most of their patients do crave salad after surgery. Geez, if we had craved it before, we probably wouldn't have needed the surgery, eh? I'm going to check with the doc at my appointment, but I'm thinking I'm ready. I'll let you know after I try it. Oh, by the way, I've been making a lunch "salad" without lettuce, and if you like fresh, punchy flavors, you might try it. I put that imitation crab in a bowl (about 3 ounces, cut into little bites), add tomato and cucumber, then add about 3/4 ounce of feta cheese, crumbled really small so a little goes throughout the salad. Then, I made up a simple oil and vinegar dressing with white wine vinegar (use what you like), some olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped garlic. Spicy food hasn't bothered me, so the fresh garlic added a really nice bite to my salad. I had this for lunch yesterday, and it stayed with me really well. And the feta didn't block me or anything. Today I added a few olives to the salad, and after I get clearance, I'll go ahead and add red onion. I honestly don't miss the lettuce. Anyway, try that if you like. It's really yummy, and needs very little dressing. If you don't like crab, use whatever protein source you like. Should still give you that "I had a salad" satisfaction. It worked really well for me. Keep up the good work, Kelly! Cindy

Cindy - I love your faux salad idea! I'm going to try it, too. Has anyone used the salad spritzers? They sound like a good way to control the salad dressing.

Hey guys, I also added a small amount of avocado to that salad. It really made it pop.

I had surgery on June 22nd and my surgeon already cleared me for salads. He just said to use low fat dressings but put no other restrictions on salad ingredients. I've had a few in the past couple of weeks and it all went down. Just make sure you take small bits and really chew up everything good. Happy salading! Donna

I'm really glad to read everyone's posts, because I've been wanting salad lately too! Or is it just anything fresh? I wonder about fruit?

At 2 1/2 weeks, I was told I could start to incorporate small amounts for lettuce into my diet, but it scares me. Besides, since I'm only able to eat about 2 1/2 - 4 oz (depending on what it is) I want to concentrate on protein rich foods. I ate salads ALL the time before surgery and I'm afraid I would start to chew and just swallow like I did then. I'm sure I'm too paranoid to do that, right?! LOL Pam

i know isn't it weird i thought i would never crave another salad EVER...but i find myself wanting it also but i am not cleared for that yet...........so like pam i am sticking to my proteins. crystal