The fourth IFSO cookbook brings together recipes from bariatric teams around the world.
“What do I actually cook?” is one of the questions that comes up most often in our support groups — not in the first few weeks after surgery, when the plan is usually clear, but months and years later, when you’re feeding a family, eating on a shift pattern, or just tired of the same three meals.
So we were pleased to see the fourth edition of the IFSO cookbook.
IFSO — the International Federation for the Surgery and Other Therapies for Obesity — is the global federation of national bariatric associations, with member societies in nearly 80 countries. Its cookbook is a collaborative project: recipes contributed by dietitians, nutritionists and clinical teams who work with people after bariatric surgery every day, from Chile to Korea to Poland.
That international spread is part of the appeal. Recipes come from the kitchens and clinics of very different food cultures, so the collection is broader than the standard post-op recipe list many of us were handed at discharge.
The strongest recipes also get their moment in the spotlight. Two entries from the new cookbook were cooked live at IFSO’s Bariatric MasterChef competition, held at the World Congress in Toronto on 2 September. Previous winners give you a flavour of what makes the final: high-protein pancakes with apple, a crab and avocado timbale, high-protein gimbap.
One word of caution. These recipes are written by clinical teams, but they aren’t a substitute for the advice you’ve been given by your own dietitian or bariatric team, particularly in the early stages after surgery, or if you’re managing other conditions alongside. Treat them as ideas, not instructions.
You can find the cookbook on the IFSO website: ifso.com/cook-book
If you try something from it, tell us how it went — bring it to your next online support group, or tag us on social. We’d love to see what you’ve been cooking.
Stronger together.
