Nutritional Advice for Steve Jobs

Recently, Steve Jobs wrote a letter to the Apple community explaining his progressive weight loss. I know my bariatric patients would have done almost anything to have his problem. In fact, often people do have nutritional problems after many types of surgeries that involve the stomach. In Steve Jobs case, this was a Whipple procedure. Other examples include the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and gastrectomies. Even though these are all very different procedures done for different reasons, patients share similar problems following surgery. Most people transition quickly and easily to the changed anatomy, but, some experience a rocky and prolonged period of adjustment.

Some commonly troublesome foods:
soft breads meats
    wheat flour tortillas                 steak
    muffins                                   sausage
    bagels                                    chicken breast
    sandwiches                            lunch meats
    cake                                       hamburger
high calorie liquids eggs
    cream soups     scrambled
    ice cream                                omelets

    milk shakes
    nutritional shakes         fried foods with breading

Some common difficulties with these foods include:

sticks on the way down

waves of nausea

vomiting

cramping pain

dizziness

sweating

People experiencing these problems are at risk for developing nutritional deficiencies which may be reversible or may become irreversible.

Some potential deficiencies:

protein

thiamine (B1)

B6 (pyridoxine)

folate (B9)

B12 (cobalamin)

Patients need to pay particular attention to these nutrients until they adapt to their new digestive tract. Often people turn to supplemental shakes such as Ensure or Slim Fast, but then find that drinking it just makes them feel terrible.

Some sources of nutrition that are less likely to be troublesome:

nuts and seeds beans

peanuts     refried beans

almonds     black beans

nut butters     navy bean soup

cashews     lentil soup
        pumpkin seeds                            hummus dip

pine nuts
fish (not fried)
cheese
plain yogurt (add jam to taste)        

eggs over medium or boiled

bread, cereal, and crackers that list "whole grains" as the first ingredient

Supplements when eating food is just not enough:

Brewer's yeast, whey, rice or soy protein powder

0.5 - 1mg protein per pound of ideal body weight

example: a person with an ideal weight of 130 lbs
                        needs 65 - 130 g of protein a day

thiamine (B1) 100 - 200 mg a day

B6 (pyridoxine) 50 mg a day

folate (B9) 2.5 - 5 mg (250 - 500 mcg) a day

B12 (cobalamin) 1 mg (1000 mcg) a day by mouth or
                                1000 mcg (1 mg) monthly injection

So, although I do not know Steve Jobs and I do not have any personal knowledge about his medical problems, I wonder if he is just having the same problems. In which case, I hope he reads my post.