PostOpNutrition

Guess what? Nobody handed me a nutrition plan before my first knee replacement. In fact, I didn’t even think about what to eat. It wasn’t in the top ten things on my mind before surgery.I got a list of what not to eat the night before surgery, and that was about it. And that was mostly about the surgery itself.I didn’t get any guidance on how to prepare my body in the weeks leading up to surgery so it could actually heal well afterward. That information existed. I just had to find it the hard way.So, here’s what I know now that I wish I had known then.Why Pre-Op Nutrition Matters for Knee Replacement RecoveryOur bodies go through a lot during knee replacement surgery. Cuts are made and tissue is moved and sometimes removed. Your immune system goes to work the second that the incision is closed.

If you've recently had knee replacement surgery (or are preparing for one), there’s one important piece of advice you may not hear often: your body needs 400 extra calories a day post-op! When my physical therapist told me this, I was honestly surprised—but it makes perfect sense. During recovery, your body works hard...