Diet and nutrition after your face transplant

After your face transplant, you may need to adjust your diet to help you recover, stay healthy, and prevent infection and illnesses. Your nutrition specialist (dietitian) and other members of your treatment team will work with you to create a healthy-eating plan that meets your needs, complements your lifestyle and helps maintain your healthy weight.

Your dietitian can also provide you with several healthy food options and ideas to use in your eating plan. Your dietitian's recommendations may include:

  • Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day
  • Eating whole-grain breads, cereals and other products
  • Drinking low-fat milk or eating other low-fat dairy products, to help maintain enough calcium
  • Maintaining a low-salt and low-fat diet
  • Avoiding grapefruit and grapefruit juice because of their metabolic effect on a group of immunosuppressive medications (calcineurin inhibitors)
  • Following food safety guidelines