The stomach is an important digestive organ. Food is swallowed into the stomach after chewing and mixing with saliva, and after secretion of gastric juice and peristalsis, it is ground and stirred into semi-liquid chyme, which is gradually discharged to the duodenum and small intestine in small amounts for further digestion and absorption, and the stomach itself has limited functions for food digestion and absorption. Therefore, the main physiological functions of the stomach are to store food, secrete gastric juice, mix food and empty food, and prepare and deliver food for digestion and absorption in the small intestine. As the stomach is partially or completely removed, the digestive tract is reconstructed, thus causing some changes in physiological functions, such as smaller or absent gastric lumen, less opportunity for mechanical agitation of food, less production of digestive juices, irrational reflux of some digestive juices, and food often entering the jejunum too quickly. Therefore, scientific adjustment of diet is both an active post-surgical treatment and an essential health care measure. Otherwise, it is easy to lead to serious post-surgical complications. The basic principles of postoperative diet after gastrectomy Generally speaking, early after surgery, we must strictly follow the principles of eating less and more meals, light, soft, high protein, low fat, low sugar, avoiding cold, spicy and acid: 1. Increase the number of meals to achieve the total amount of food needed by the body, 5-6 meals per day is appropriate. Low-fat diet can prevent fatty diarrhea, which is common after surgery, and low-sugar diet can reduce gastrointestinal distention caused by sugar fermentation and make up for the reduced digestive power caused by reduced secretion of digestive juices and non-physiological reflux. 3, high protein, high calorie, low carbohydrate, less residue, easy to digest food After most of the gastric resection, many patients will have the sequelae of malnutrition in the short term, so it is necessary to strengthen the protein intake, and pay attention to the supplementation of various vitamins and iron, potassium, sodium, chlorine, etc., and use less monosaccharides and disaccharides to prevent the induction of dumping syndrome. In addition, lying down for about 30 min after eating has a better effect on preventing the occurrence of dumping syndrome. 4. Pay attention to cooking methods such as boiling, steaming and stewing as much as possible, instead of using cold, deep-fried and raw frying methods, in order to facilitate the digestion and absorption of food. Three stages of dietary recovery The requirements of dietary recovery are different in different periods after gastrectomy. In order to ensure the nutritional supply of the organism, the clinical diet is roughly divided into three stages: liquid diet stage, semi-liquid diet stage, soft food and general diet stage. Different stages have different requirements on diet. Therefore, the following points should be done for the diet of gastrectomy patients. 1.Fluid diet stage Generally, after gastrectomy surgery, excluding anastomotic bleeding or leakage, the patient can gradually recover intestinal function within 1-3d, when the intestine is ventilated, those who have exhausted will have hunger, so a small amount of water should be given first according to the principle of liquid diet, 30-50ml is appropriate each time. If there is no adverse reaction, a small amount of clear liquid diet, such as rice soup, diluted lotus root powder, honey water, noodle soup, green vegetable soup, egg flower soup, fruit juice, etc., about 100ml each time, 7-8 times a day, the diet should ensure freshness and suitable temperature. 2.Semi-liquid diet stage After the patient eats, if there is no obvious nausea and vomiting, 1-2 days later, he can eat high-quality protein, high vitamin, easy to digest food, such as thin rice, egg custard, etc., generally eat about 5-6 times a day. After resuming semi-liquid diet, patients can be discharged from the hospital to recuperate. After 2-3 weeks of semi-liquid diet, if there is no adverse reaction, the patient can change to soft diet, and after 2 weeks, he can eat normal diet, but should not eat stimulating and fried food, avoid smoking and alcohol. During the recovery period after gastrectomy, attention should be paid to slowly increase the amount of diet and gradually reduce the number of meals, and eventually return to a normal diet. Long-term semi-liquid diet or soft food is recommended for total gastrectomy patients. In summary of the above principles, the diet after most of the gastric resection should be based on refined grain foods such as rice and noodles as the main food, and fish, poultry, eggs, lean pork or fresh soy products rich in high quality protein as the supplementary food, and some fresh vegetables and fruits in moderation to supplement vitamins, fiber and trace elements. Cooking should be strictly controlled by the principles of easy digestion, avoiding spicy, cold and acid. From the physiological point of view and surgical clinical practice, after a period of time, the residual or substitute stomach after most of the gastrectomy surgery will gradually appear compensatory enlargement, which means that the amount of food can be increased appropriately, but of course, it also needs to vary from person to person, because the degree of health recovery at this stage varies greatly among individuals. How to eat and how much to eat should vary according to the individual’s feelings, habits, living conditions and nature of work. The criteria are: no discomfort after eating, good absorption, weight gain compared to the initial stage of surgery, and mental and physical strength to cope with daily work and life.