Introduction: Understanding the dietary changes experienced by kidney and liver transplant patients during the post-operation era is vital for optimizing post-transplant care and improving long-term outcomes. Patients in Türkiye may struggle to obey the restrictions on diet since Turkish cuisine has a wide range of meals and snacks with high protein and sodium.   Especially breakfast is divine in the Turkish population's daily diet and involves olives, full-fat cheese, sausage, pepperoni, beef bacon, salted butter, and jams. Although the patients were warned to restrict what they ate, it may not be pursued because of the culture. This study aimed to evaluate the dietary transitions based on specific foods through a survey conducted among organ transplant recipients.
Method: This study was designed as a descriptive study and conducted at Başkent University, Transplantation outpatient clinic in Ankara, Türkiye. A total of 102 patients (F:43/M:59) filled in the survey questionnaire form voluntarily. The survey questions were prepared for the study to assess the change in patients' diet before and after transplantation. SPSS22 Software program and the chi-square, McNemar and descriptive analysis methods were used to analyze the data.
Results: The mean age of the participants is 43,27± 12,89. The categorization of the patients due to the post-operative years is as follows: 0-5 years (50%), 6-10 years (20,6%), and 11+ years (29,4%). Among the participants, 89% were kidney transplants, and 88,2 % had living donor donations. The distribution of the co-morbidities of participants is hypertension (42,16%), cardiovascular (21,57%), and diabetes (14,71%). 47,06% of the participants have a healthy body mass index, whereas 24,51 % are overweight and 22,55% are obese.
Patients were asked whether or not they consume specific foods, snacks, dairy products, and drinks. Full-fat cheese (96,3%), beef pepperoni (76,1%), and olives (89,9%) have become at the disposal of patients after the transplantation. Also, 72,7% started eating fast food, and 82,5% began using diary-cream. Participants preferred olive (77,5%) and sunflower (65,7%) oil over soy (5,9%) and nut (5,9%) oil during pre- and post-operation eras.
According to the results, the diet preferences changed in the first 5 years after the operation. Those with a post-operative duration of  6+ years start to pay attention to what they eat, and 11+ years begin to restrict their diet.
Conclusion: Pre-operation dietary habits were characterized by restrictions imposed by the underlying organ failure, including limitations on fluid intake, protein consumption, and avoidance of certain foods. In contrast, post-operation dietary changes were influenced by multiple factors, including the region's eating culture,  recovery phase considerations, and patient preferences. By addressing the unique diet challenges faced by transplant patients, healthcare providers can improve post-transplant outcomes and quality of life.