Eating enough to heal after a car crash
A registered dietitian and a trauma care expert on getting enough food while your body repairs itself
Meals can turn into one more chore after an injury. Pain, nausea, constipation, stress and awkward positions may all cut your appetite. Still, repairing tissue draws on protein, energy, vitamins, minerals and fluids. A dietitian first checks if you are eating enough. A plan you can keep up matters more than a perfect menu. [1, 2]
Begin with a simple daily routine
Try to work a protein food into your meals. Some examples are eggs, milk, yogurt, fish, meat, beans, lentils and tofu. Add grains or other foods that give you energy, plus fruits, vegetables and fluids, within any medical limits. If a full meal feels like too much, try smaller amounts or snack more often. Store simple foods within reach so you don’t have to lift or stand in pain. [1, 2]
Don’t count on supplements or big vitamin doses as the main answer. Ask if a supplement is needed in your case. Be extra sure to ask if you take medicines, have kidney disease or are on a restricted diet. Food alone may be enough for many people. Someone who is dropping weight or barely eating may need a plan made just for them. [1]
Find out what's getting in the way of eating
Tell your care team if something keeps you from eating. It could be nausea, constipation, a mouth or jaw injury or trouble swallowing. Pain, low mood or not having enough food are other reasons. [1]
Each barrier has its own fix. For example, a jaw injury may call for a plan for food texture. Nausea from a medicine may call for a medicine review. Don’t silently put up with several days of barely eating as if it were a normal part of healing. [1]
Watch a few simple signs. Are you finishing most of your meals? Are you drinking as much as your care plan calls for? Do your clothes fit looser even though you aren’t trying to lose weight? Do you feel too weak for therapy? Your answers help a doctor decide whether to bring in a dietitian. [1]
Fit your diet to your injury
Burns, major surgery, several broken bones and long rehab can each change what your body needs in very different ways. If you have one of them, ask for advice that fits you. The same goes for people with diabetes, kidney disease, a feeding tube or a prescribed fluid limit. Ask how your plan should change as you get more active. [1, 2]
- Is what I’m eating enough for healing and therapy?
- Would seeing a dietitian help with my appetite or diet limits?
- Which symptom means I should call if I can’t eat or drink?
Line up two easy proteins for tomorrow
Sources and further reading
- 1Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital eating well around surgery
- 2University College London Hospitals protein and recovery
This general education reflects expertise in dietetics and trauma care. Needs differ from person to person. Stick to any special diet or fluid rules your own care team gives you.
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