NYU Program Teaches Surgery Patients How To Eat Out
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A local hospital program is helping patients of weight-loss surgery navigate through restaurant menus again, one bite at a time. NY1’s Kafi Drexel filed the following report. Sixteen-ounce rib-eye steak, pasta primavera, and chocolate cake are not menu items that you would think you could eat while recovering from bariatric lap-band surgery. But Dr. George Fielding and his team at the NYU Langone Weight Management Program treat their patients to dinners out on the town regularly to prove to them that "oh, yes they can.”
“One of the things after you have bariatric surgery, particularly the lap-band surgery, there's anxiety about what you are going to be able to eat to blend into normal society and eat restaurant meals,” says Fielding.
To help with this transition, Fielding started "Dinners with George.” One of their latest stops was at Kosher steakhouse and sushi restaurant Le Carne Grill.
His patients say that keeping kosher does not necessarily mean keeping healthy.
“There's no shellfish, but there's kosher Dunkin' Donuts. There are kosher sandwich shops and Kosher fast food, like versions of Burger King and McDonald's and plenty of pizza joints,” says Hymie Azar, who recently underwent lap-band surgery.
Azar's wife also had lap-band surgery. Two years out, she says sticking to Fielding's post-surgical tips came easily to her after a couple month's adjustment. Now she couldn't be happier with the results.
“It was worth it. I was pushing a size 14 and now I'm a size 6 and I'm very happy,” says Paulette Azar.
Fielding says lap-band patients can eat pretty much anything if they just follow a few key rules. Those rules include eating slowly – taking small bites and waiting at least 30 seconds before taking another, and paying closer attention to portion sizes and the texture of foods they eat.
“Bread, for example, is difficult. One of the things we teach them is not to eat the bread rolls that are invariably put out with the meal because the bread will often block the band and then you can't eat normal food,” Fielding explains. “The objective with this is to eat normal food, but just eat a much smaller quantity.”
The tips apply to any kind of cuisine. NYU has more eating workshops planned at Indian and Turkish restaurants later this spring and summer.