What Is the Best Gastric Bypass Protein Powder​?

Are you looking for the best gastric bypass protein powder​? Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake before and after bariatric surgery.

Shop Now

Shop Now

Gastric Bypass Protein Powder​

Is Protein Powder Good for Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery is a type of bariatric (weight loss) surgery that changes the way your stomach and small intestine break down and absorb food.

It aids weight loss by restricting the amount of food that your stomach can hold, limiting the amount of calories and nutrients that your body can absorb, helping you to feel less hungry and fuller for longer.

Protein powder, which can be easily mixed with milk or water to make protein shakes, is often recommended for bariatric patients, both before and after surgery.

Pre-Op Diet

A liquid diet is required for gastric bypass patients 7-14 days before surgery.

It helps reduce the amount of fat around the liver, which is important because your liver sits on top of your stomach.

Protein shakes are a necessary part of the pre-op diet because they are one of the only ways to get the protein needed to preserve muscle mass and maintain overall health during this low-calorie, nutrient-restricted phase.

They also prepare patients for the liquid diet required post-surgery.

Post-Op Diet

A liquid diet is also required for most gastric bypass patients about 7 days after surgery.

For the first day or so after surgery, you will only be allowed to drink clear liquids. Then, you can start adding thick liquids, including protein shakes, to your diet.

The “thick liquid” phrase also lasts for about 7 days, and getting lots of protein at this time is important for several reasons.

First of all, protein helps with recovery.

Not eating enough protein after surgery can compromise your ability to heal and prolong the stages of wound healing.

Moreover, research shows postoperative protein consumption is linked to weight loss.

In other words, eating lots of protein after your surgery can also help you reach your long-term weight loss goals.

Eating more protein can help with weight management for several reasons:

• Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer than nutrients like fats and carbs, which can help prevent cravings and overeating.
• Protein increases thermogenesis, or your metabolic rate and energy expenditure. 
• Eating protein can help you build muscle, and people with more muscle mass have faster metabolisms (burn more calories) because it takes more energy (calories) to maintain muscle than fat.

In the months following gastric bypass surgery, patients should aim to eat 60 to 80 grams of protein per day, which can be hard to do without the help of protein supplements.

What Is the Best Gastric Bypass Protein Powder?

Not all protein powders are created equal.

Unfortunately, many protein powders contain ingredients known to cause painful side effects and long term health problems.

Among these ingredients are food additives and protein concentrates and isolates. 

Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (the collection of microorganisms living in your gut).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in your gut microbiota, which can impact the outcome of gastric bypass surgery.

Research shows bariatric patients with healthy gut microbiomes have better outcomes, including more weight loss and fewer side effects.

It is worth adding that bariatric surgery itself can damage the gut microbiome, so prioritizing your gut health before and after surgery is a must.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

Basically, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it should not be in your protein powder. 

Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

Most protein supplements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that it does whole foods, which can affect everything from satiety to gut health.

In fact, studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates can disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut.

So, pending further research, it is recommended that you stick to whole food protein sources when buying protein powder.

Shop Now

Shop Now

Drink Wholesome Is the Best Gastric Bypass Protein Powder

Finding a protein powder free from food additives and protein concentrates and isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of protein supplements contain one or more of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created Drink Wholesome.

We make the best protein powder for after gastric bypass surgery because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Our Ingredients

egg whites

coconut

vanilla

monk fruit

NOT Our Ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we only use whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that our customers experience fewer digestive issues with our Protein Powder than with any other type of protein supplement.

Order samples to see for yourself.