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You’ve just had open heart surgery—maybe it was scheduled ahead of time or maybe it was unplanned and a shock. Or maybe a loved one or good friend just had open heart surgery.
Lots of questions may be running through your mind, including “What should my (or their) diet look like after open heart surgery?”
If a scenario like one of these is what you’re dealing with, you’re in the right place.
In this post, we’ll cover the basics of what to eat and what to avoid after a major surgery like open heart surgery.
As a side note, most of this information also applies for other heart procedures, like stent placement.
Quick disclaimer—although I am a registered dietitian nutritionist, your reading of this or any articles on this website does not constitute medical nutrition therapy advice nor create a practitioner-client relationship. The information I provide here on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. Please see my full disclaimer for more information.
Considerations Immediately Following Surgery
Since open heart surgery can be a stressful situation for your body, keep in mind that the recovery process will take some time and adjustment.
Appetite and Taste Changes
Right after heart surgery, you may notice several changes. One change is a decrease in appetite—you might not feel like eating.
You may also experience nausea or taste changes. Sometimes favorite foods don’t taste the same.
But right after surgery, the important thing is to try to eat whatever you feel up to eating.
Some strategies to consider are:
- eating smaller amounts more often during the day
- drinking a protein shake as needed (such as Boost or Ensure or Glucerna)
- avoiding foods that don’t smell or taste good to you
Nutrition for Wound Healing
Eating for wound healing is also important after open heart surgery. Eating and drinking enough calories, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals can help your surgical site heal.
Oral Nutrition Supplements
Oral nutrition supplements can add extra calories and protein. They may help if you’re not able to eat as much as you usually would. You may want to drink 1-2 of these shakes a day to help meet your nutritional needs.
Foods for Wound Healing
Foods high in protein to help with wound healing include:
- meat
- poultry
- fish
- eggs
- dairy products
- nuts and seeds
- legumes (beans)
- soy foods
- quinoa
Foods to help you get in more calories include:
- full fat dairy products (like whole milk)
- fat sources (nuts and seeds, plant oils)
Certain vitamins and minerals also help with wound healing—Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, and zinc.
Examples of foods high in Vitamin A:
- sweet potatoes
- carrots
- red peppers
- spinach
- apricots
Examples of foods high in Vitamin C:
- red and green peppers
- oranges and orange juice
- kiwi
- strawberries
- broccoli
- tomatoes and tomato juice
Examples of foods high in iron:
- lentils
- fortified breakfast cereals
- spinach
- dark chocolate
- canned sardines
- raisins
- beef
Examples of foods high in zinc:
- pork loin
- oats
- beef
- oysters
- sardines
Portion Recommendations
Each time you eat, try to include a portion of protein from the list of protein sources above. A protein portion might look like:
- an amount of chicken, fish, beef, pork about the size of the palm of your hand
- 1-2 eggs
- a portion of nuts/seeds that fills the inside of a cupped hand or a nut butter portion about the size of 1-2 thumbs
- an 8-oz cup of milk
- about 1/2 a fist’s worth of beans or quinoa
- a protein shake
Along with your protein portion, try to add a carbohydrate source, such as:
- a piece of fruit or a portion of fruit about the size of 1/2 a fist
- 1-2 pieces of bread/toast
- an amount of cereal about the size of a fist
- an amount of pasta or rice about the size of a fist
Some examples of these combinations could be:
- an apple with peanut butter
- cottage cheese and peaches
- a tuna sandwich
Consider checking with your healthcare team about portions that are right for you.
So now that we’ve covered nutrition for wound healing, let’s move on to foods to choose and avoid for the long term to keep your heart healthy.
Long Term Strategies After Surgery
Once your surgical incision site heals, your focus can turn to how to eat to keep your heart healthy for years to come.
Foods to Include After Heart Surgery
Foods to choose after open heart surgery are as follows:
| Lean meats | e.g. sirloin, 5-10% lean ground beef, chuck roast, pork loin, pork chops with fat removed |
| Poultry without skin | both white and dark meat—remove skin before eating |
| Fish | e.g. salmon, sardines, tuna—aim for reduced sodium canned or fresh/frozen |
| Eggs | may have a few whole eggs per week |
| Low fat/reduced fat dairy | e.g. milk, yogurt, cheese |
| Nuts and seeds | e.g. unsalted nut and seed butters; raw, unsalted nuts/seeds; flaxseeds, chia seeds |
| Legumes/beans | e.g. dried or reduced sodium canned (rinse before using) |
| Fruits | fresh or frozen with no added sugar; avoid syrups if buying canned |
| Vegetables | fresh or frozen without extra sauces/flavorings; no salt added if canned, or reduced sodium (rinse before using) |
| Soy products | e.g. plain tofu, soy milk (unsweetened) |
| Whole grains | e.g. brown rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, whole wheat or whole grain bread, plain popcorn |
| Plant oils (mostly unsaturated) | e.g. olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil |
If possible, try to prepare and cook food at home most of the time; this can help you better manage what you’re eating.
Now that we’ve highlighted foods to choose, let’s talk about foods to avoid or cut back on for the long term after surgery.
Foods to Avoid After Heart Surgery
Foods to avoid after surgery will usually be from the following categories: foods high in saturated and/or trans fats, foods high in added sugar, and foods high in sodium.
Foods like these may be more likely to contribute to artery blockages/damage or higher blood pressure levels.
Foods High in Saturated and/or Trans Fats
Foods high in saturated fat include:
- fattier cuts of meat (such as steak with a large amount of marbling)
- full fat dairy
- coconut and coconut oil
- palm oil
- butter
Foods containing trans fat may be certain pre-packaged foods. You can tell if a food contains trans fat if you see the term “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredients list.
A quick word on fried foods—although the oils used to fry foods may not contain trans fats these days, it would still be wise to limit your fried foods, since the energy in them can add up quickly and create less room in your diet for other more nutritious foods.
Foods High in Added Sugar
Added sugars are sugars that a manufacturer will add to a product as it’s being made. Foods higher in added sugars may not be as nutritious and may contain extra energy that could take the place of other heart-supporting foods.
Plain fruit, in contrast, contains naturally occurring sugar (as long as the fruit is not in a sweetened syrup), so it would not really be included in the added sugar category.
To help clarify, foods high in added sugar include items like:
- cakes
- cookies
- candies
- sweet breads
- pastries
- muffins
- donuts
These foods don’t have to be totally off limits. But avoiding them most of the time can allow you to focus on having more nutritious foods more often to better support your heart.
Foods High in Sodium
Foods high in sodium may cause you to hold onto extra fluid, which can potentially increase your blood pressure and make your heart work harder.
Foods high in sodium can include:
- Restaurant foods
- Foods you add salt to via the salt shaker
- Many prepackaged foods like pasta or rice boxes with flavoring packets, cured meats, frozen meals, and frozen pizzas
There can be exceptions to these examples. But these types of foods are a good place to start when you’re cutting back on sodium in your diet.
Now that we’ve discussed foods to avoid most of the time, let’s talk about foods you may need to avoid if you take certain medications.
Foods That May Interact with Heart Medications
Because some foods may change the way certain heart medications work, you may need to limit or avoid them after surgery. These foods include grapefruit, grapefruit juice, and foods high in Vitamin K.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may alter the way certain heart medications work in the body. Examples of these medications are as follows:
- some heart rhythm medications (such as amiodarone)
- some blood pressure medications (such as nifedipine)
- some statin medications (such as atorvastatin)
If you’re not sure whether grapefruit could be a problem with your medication, definitely check with your doctor and pharmacist for more information.
Foods High in Vitamin K
Foods high in Vitamin K can interact with the blood thinner Coumadin, also known as warfarin. You may need to limit the amount of these foods that you eat to avoid big changes in your INR lab value (a measure of how your blood clots).
Foods high in Vitamin K are as follows:
- spinach
- broccoli
- kale
- collard greens
- turnip greens
If you have questions, check with your doctor, pharmacist, and warfarin clinic team about your INR and Vitamin K.
Now that we’ve discussed foods that may interact with medications, let’s move on to the last piece of this article—what to drink.
Beverages After Heart Surgery
The foods you eat after heart surgery can certainly make a difference when it comes to heart health. But so can your beverage choices.
Beverages to Choose
Drinking plenty of water is one of the best choices you can make. If possible, water should make up the majority of your beverages during the day. You can add a splash of fruit juice or flavor drops for variety.
Beverages with artificial or lower calorie natural sweeteners, herbal teas, or regular/decaf unsweetened teas may also help you drink enough fluids. I would encourage you, though, to still aim for mostly water.
Beverages to Avoid
Sugary or sugar-sweetened beverages usually provide extra energy without much nutrition.
Examples might include:
- regular soda/pop
- many juice drinks
- sweet tea
- sweetened tea and coffee drinks
- regular energy drinks
It is usually wise to limit these to every so often, and not daily. A small glass of 100% fruit juice (without added sugars) can be okay every so often though.
Depending on your medications, you may also need to limit caffeine. Check with your doctor and pharmacist to see if coffee, tea, or other sources of caffeine could be an issue.
Fluid Need Considerations
When it comes to fluid amounts, everyone is different. Some people may need to limit the amount of fluid they drink, so I would encourage you to check with your doctor to see if you need to be on a fluid restriction.
If you don’t have a fluid restriction, try to drink when you’re thirsty. You may also want to use the following calculation to help you figure out how much liquid to drink each day.
Take your body weight in pounds and divide it by 2. This tells you the amount of ounces of fluid to try to drink in a day. Fluids can include water and other beverages, but try to aim for mostly water.
Quick tip: you may be able to find the number of ounces a beverage container holds on the bottom of the container. Or if you’re buying a new water bottle, check how many ounces it can hold when filled.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, we’ve covered quite a bit of information when it comes to what to eat and drink after open heart surgery. But my hope is that you now have some clear guidance to help you get started managing your diet after surgery.
While it may feel challenging trying to figure everything out, remember to take things one step at a time, and start small if needed. Every little bit counts when it comes to nutrition to support your heart!
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Sources
- Cleveland Clinic. What to Eat When You’re Trying to Heal. Cleveland Clinic Web site. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/foods-to-help-healing/. Published January 31, 2023. Accessed March 6, 2025.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health Web site. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/. Updated December 15, 2023. Accessed March 6, 2025.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health Web site. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/. Updated March 26, 2021. Accessed March 6, 2025.
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- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Zinc: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health Web site. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/. Updated September 28, 2022. Accessed March 6, 2025.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. Heart-Healthy Diet: 8 Steps to Prevent Heart Disease. Mayo Clinic Web site. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-20047702. Updated April 4, 2024. Accessed March 7, 2025.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Grapefruit Juice and Some Drugs Don’t Mix. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/grapefruit-juice-and-some-drugs-dont-mix. Published July 1, 2021. Accessed March 7, 2025.
- American Heart Association Staff. A Patient’s Guide to Taking Warfarin. American Heart Association Web site. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/arrhythmia/prevention–treatment-of-arrhythmia/a-patients-guide-to-taking-warfarin. Updated October 24, 2024. Accessed March 7, 2025.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin K: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health Web site. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminK-HealthProfessional/. Published March 29, 2021. Accessed March 7, 2025.
Updated March 7, 2025.
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