You're having breast reconstruction surgery and probably have a lot on your mind, especially your recovery. While it makes sense to think about how you will feel afterward, right now your focus should be on getting healthier before surgery. The healthier you are – and every small change helps – the better your body will feel and the faster you will recover. Eat Healthier Before surgery, your health background might dictate that you need to be on a special diet. If so, make sure you follow your doctor's instructions. However, if you are not on any dietary restrictions, you should still limit the cake, chips and soda and replace them with healthier options, such as fruits, vegetables and water. Refined carbohydrates, sweets and red and processed meat actually increase the inflammation in your body – something you want to prevent after surgery. On the other hand, foods such as spinach, grapes, apples, carrots, peanuts and broccoli are loaded with antioxidants. Think of antioxidants as toxic fighters. They get into your cells and battle the waste products that can do harm to your body. Antioxidants also fight inflammation and help boost your immune system, which protects you from viruses and bacteria. Make sure you also get adequate protein in your diet. Protein is a building block for your immune system as well as your muscles and bones. Protein can be found in such foods as turkey, chicken, eggs, fish, tofu, nuts, legumes and peanut butter. Listen to Your Doc Make sure you ask your doctor what you need to do to prepare for surgery – and do it. Your physician might need special blood work from you or require that you take, or stop taking, certain medications. Follow their instructions to the letter. DO NOT SMOKE … PeriodGet Out and Walk Or dance or run – anything to get you moving. Exercise makes your body healthier in all sorts of ways and it will help you to get going after surgery, too. If you've been a couch potato up until now, don’t jump into a marathon training program. Just ease into exercising with some gentle stretches and slow walks and build up from there. De-stress Having surgery can cause stress, which can affect your pre-surgical body and mind. Stress raises your blood pressure and heart rate, and can lead to other complications. While it’s easier said than done, do what you can to reduce the stress in your life before surgery, whether it's through meditation, yoga, listening to music or walking. If certain friends or family members are stressing you out, keep them at a distance while you recover. It's your time to do what’s right for you and your body. Wash Your Hands The last thing you need is to catch a cold from someone and have surgery canceled. To learn more about natural breast reconstruction and find out if it might be the right choice for you, contact The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction at NaturalBreastReconstruction.com(opens in a new tab) or toll-free at (866) 374-2627.