Dietary precautions after epilepsy surgery

Epilepsy patients should pay attention to their diet after surgery, abide by certain taboos and principles, appropriately limit carbohydrate intake, limit potassium intake, avoid drinking and smoking, and eat animal protein, caffeine, nicotine, etc. These can induce epilepsy attacks, so they are naturally not edible.

1. Appropriately limit carbohydrate intake. The energy and protein required by epileptic patients are the same as those of normal people, but they do not need too much carbohydrates, no more than 300 grams per day; the fat supply should be appropriately increased, accounting for about 60% of the total calories; water should be limited to no more than 1000 ml per day; salt should not exceed 3 grams per day; vitamins and minerals should be fully supplied, especially iron, calcium and other elements; sugary foods and irritating foods are prohibited.

2. Limit potassium intake after epilepsy surgery. Patients with epilepsy caused by brain trauma and patients taking sedatives for a long time are prone to dehydration, anemia, leukopenia, malnutrition, etc. Severe patients may experience electrolyte metabolism disorders (hyperkalemia). When the diet contains too much potassium, it will increase the patient's blood potassium level, so the potassium intake of epileptic patients should not exceed 3 grams per day.

3. Avoid irritating foods: avoid alcoholic beverages, animal protein, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, nicotine, sugar, refined foods, and avoid greasy, indigestible foods and spicy foods.

4. Sufficient sleep: Make sure you get enough sleep; too little sleep can increase the likelihood of epileptic seizures.

5. Do not drink a lot of water or salt: Epileptic patients may develop the disease if they consume too much water and salt, because sodium ions can cause excessive discharge of neurons and induce epileptic seizures. Therefore, reducing food intake and not drinking large amounts of fluid and too much salt at one time are the dietary principles for epileptic patients.