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Vitamin C is an essential nutrient and a powerful antioxidant. While many sorts of fresh fruit and vegetables are a great source of this vitamin, it is sensitive to heat and might decompose during cooking. Supplements are often acidic and might irritate the stomach or cause indigestion.

Patients who have undergone a gastric and/or oesophageal surgery are, on the other hand advised to eat light, cooked food and avoid raw fruit and vegetables to avoid flatulence or upsetting the stomach. Due to their condition, vitamin C supplements would probably not be the best idea either.

So, what would be the best way for patients who have undergone a gastric-oesophageal surgery* to ingest the recommended amounts of vitamin C, in a way that wouldn't upset their stomach?

*Assuming that enough time has passed that they can eat solid food, but are still advised to follow a special diet.

2 Answers 2

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Certain cooked foods, for example, sweet potatoes, will still have some vitamin C (1 cup potatoes, 328 g = 42 mg vit C) (NutritionData).

Vitamin-enriched cereals are available.

Vitamin capsules and enteric-coated tablets should not irritate the esophagus and stomach.

3

If post gastric bypass patients can eat solid food they can eat soft fruit. And before that they can puree food with fruit juices. As for supplements, vitamin tablets are recommended for most patients after surgery. Most vitamin tablets contain about 60 mg of Vitamin C with the RDA being 90 mg for men.

And if they don't consume nutritious food after surgery, and take their supplements, then the outcome can be a devastating case of scurvy which can nevertheless be treated by enteral vitamin C.

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