What Should You Avoid Eating Before Surgery or Injections?

Hi everybody. I made a video almost 20 years ago that's on my website. It's on our YouTube channel. And it talks about my anti-bleeding, anti-bruising diet. Now, I was looking at that video, and I was much younger. I had 20 extra pounds on my face, fewer wrinkles. And I looked at it and I said, well, I don't even recognize that guy. So it's time to update this video.

But I am a big believer in this special diet. We not only recommend it for surgery, but we also recommend it for our Botox and filler patients. There are quite a few ingredients in our diets on a daily basis that thin the blood. Now, a lot of that is good. A lot of the healthy omega-3s, omega-6s, Mediterranean fats, some of the supplements, are actually good. It thins the blood, prevents heart attacks and strokes. But when you're getting surgery, when you're getting injections, you don't want that. You actually want to be able to clot so you don't bleed, you don't bruise, and surgery goes smoother.

So what are some of the things? Well, everybody knows about fish oil, right? Everybody knows about aspirin. There are things like heparin and Coumadin that are dedicated blood thinners, and there are many different types of them. Plavix, for example. There are lots of things. But there are things that you don't think about. Seafood in general, most seafood, especially salmon, but any seafood or seafood derivatives. If you're eating seaweed, if you're eating nuts and seeds. Almonds and walnuts and peanuts have a lot of good, healthy fats that make you bleed more, so don't eat them before surgery and injections. They'll make you bleed more. They'll make you bruise more.

Things that are derivatives: almond flour, almond milk, things that you may not think about, your peanut butter sandwich. Seeds, most seeds. We're talking about hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds. Flax seed is a huge source of omega-3s and makes you bleed more, makes you bruise more. You may not be thinking about the bread that you're eating, but it may be seeded, right? Lots of these yummy breads have lots of seeds in them. Granola bars. Your oatmeal may have seeds in it. And then there are things that are derivatives. For example, think about hummus. It's made with tahini. What's tahini? Sesame seeds. So you've got to think that way as well.

And then there are the processed foods, lots of processed foods, things that are not even healthy. Donuts with added omega-3s, your typical cereal with added omega-3s. Lots of these vitamins have vitamin D. Vitamin D that's vegan-based, plant-based, doesn't apply, but most vitamin D is actually fish oil-based, so it makes you bleed more. Vitamin E makes you bleed more. So we usually tell you to just avoid that. Supplements: if you work out, most protein supplements have these added things. Most of the herbal supplements, ginkgo, echinacea, all that stuff makes you bleed more. Yummy spices, coriander, cumin, which come from seeds, make you bleed more. If you eat cucumbers and tomatoes with the seeds, it's got seeds. Most berries, you don't think about it, but they have seeds.

So think about all the things that you're eating about two weeks before surgery or injections, to really reduce the risk of bleeding. The less you bleed, the easier the surgery goes, the more successful it is, the less you swell up, the less you bruise. There are other things as well that, again, you may not be thinking about, but you've got to go to our website. We have a very concise list.

And a lot of times people go, God, this is everything I eat. You took everything away from me. What can I eat? Well, we actually tell you what you can eat. If you are plant-based, you can have all the beans, all the lentils you want, rice. Most vegetables are fine. If you want to eat cucumbers and tomatoes, just core out the seeds and eat the outside. Fruits, most fruits are fine. All that is fine. So there's plenty to eat. If you're not plant-based, go crazy with steak and pork and chicken, just avoid seafood. Rice and chicken is a very safe thing to eat. With seasoning, again, you want to think about the seasoning. You want to think about the oils. Olive oil has a lot of omega-3s and omega-6s. It makes you bleed more. So we have a list of things to avoid and a list of things to eat.

Medication-wise, please check with your own doctor. If there are medications that you have to take for your health, you need to check with your doctor. You need to check those side effects. I don't want to tell you to stop anything, but some medications you must stop before surgery. Some medications, if you cannot stop them, then we can't do surgery. It's just not safe. You can't be bleeding during surgery. There are certain medications that you can stop and then restart again. You've got to consult with your prescribing doctor.

But I would say, as a general rule: seafood, nuts and seeds, spices, ginger, garlic, turmeric. Powerful anti-inflammatories, but powerful blood thinners. You don't want to be taking those before surgery. So I'm telling you these things, making you aware that what you eat matters. And I want you to go look at our list. It's very concise. It tells you what you can eat and what you can't eat. And if you have any questions, please ask us, but it makes a big difference. And we do everything to make sure you have a successful surgery or even injections. When you come in and see our doctors for injections, we don't want you to go home all bruised. So please follow it. It makes a big difference.