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Transplant recipients should follow a strict diet after surgery to prevent the occurrence of food-borne illnesses. Because it is an immunosuppressant that prevents the body from rejecting new organs, transplant recipients are more susceptible to the onset of infectious diseases, and food-borne diseases can make patients seriously ill.
Food Safety for Transplant Recipients
Transplant diets are low-microbial diets and focus on food safety. Special dietary interventions may also be required to balance the side effects of medication, such as potassium rise and blood glucose levels.
Post-transplant diet
Transplant nutritionists at Chicago Medical University educate patients about new dietary habits and the changes they need to implement in their daily lives.
“We do transplants so that people can eat, go out and enjoy life,” says nutritionist Mary Ellen Collodige. “They need to think about what they eat and what they're ordering. That's an extra job, but after these patients go through it, they're willing to do it to stay healthy.”
Foods to avoid after transplant surgery
- Pomegranate and grapefruit (including juice)
- alcohol
- Raw food
- 4 day old leftovers
This is our experts USDA recommended diet for transplant patients
