When it comes to foods that cause weight gain, popcorn is one of the worst offenders for surgical weight loss patients. By all accounts this is a high fiber “healthy” snack. However, for many gastric patients, popcorn becomes the king of slider foods leading to digestive upset, dumping syndrome and eventually weight gain. Many bariatric centers advise patients to eliminate popcorn from their diet first because it is a starchy carbohydrate snack food and second because it can lead to mindless snacking, which contributes to morbid obesity before surgery. Does
When a gastric bypass, gastric banding or gastric sleeve weight loss surgery patient is forced to eat popcorn, they should follow these eating guidelines that are provided by most weight loss surgery centers. Applying these guidelines isn’t radical or gimmicky, it’s following the rules we agreed upon when we signed up for gastric surgery.
- Make a 1-cup serving for your meal or snack. Do not add butter, salt, or seasonings to popcorn. Air popped is preferred.
- Stop drinking liquids 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after you enjoy your 1-cup serving of popcorn.
- Do not drink liquids during a 1-cup serving of popcorn.
- Do not exceed 1-cup of popcorn.
- If you choose to eat something else with your popcorn meal/snack, you should reduce the amount of popcorn from the amount of other food, so that the total amount of food is 1 cup.
NUTRITION PER SERVING: 1 cup of lightly buttered popcorn contains 82 calories; 1 gram protein; 6 g fat; 6 g carbohydrate. That’s 1/2 starch/bread exchange and 1 fat exchange.
Many patients who eat popcorn following these guidelines report an unpleasant experience: their pouch feels tight and stuck because the popcorn just stays there. Without liquid to wash it down (and make it a slider food) and with our limited gastric enzymes and digestive juices, it takes a very long time to digest “dry” popcorn in a pouch. In addition we experience dry mouth, bad breath and thirst. It’s your pouch doing its job: You should feel uncomfortable when you follow the guidelines and eat things that appear on the “avoid these foods” list provided by bariatric centers. Thank your bag for a job well done and acknowledge the message it is telling you.
If we ignore the guidelines and eat popcorn while drinking a beverage, our portion sizes often go awry and we exceed grazing-style eating. This is a problem with popcorn because popcorn is a high glycemic food and it spikes our blood sugar. If the beverages consumed along with it also increase our glycemic load then we are at risk of dumping syndrome. Most commonly we find people sustaining “low-grade dumping,” where their blood sugar rises to the point of dizziness or “insult,” but not enough to manifest signs of full-blown dumping. Soon this state of “offness” begins to feel normal and can only be maintained by munching or grazing on the same simple carbohydrates like pretzels and crackers.
I’ve reached for the popcorn tub several times since my weight loss surgery. It’s so delicious and so tempting and appears to be a smart healthy choice. I understand. But, sadly, I’ve responded well to hundreds of emails, phone calls, and consultations with patients who struggle with weight gain that started innocently enough by handing over a healthy snacking bowl full of popcorn. .
