A Gallbladder Diet will help with you Gallbladder problems. Gallbladder problems can cause either light pain or intense pain, especially when trying to pass gallstones. Gallstones are very hard and stone like structures that form in the gallbladder, they form when liquid stored inside the gallbladder hardens up and turns into a pebble like substance. The liquid is called Bile, which is created in the liver but then passed down and stored in the gallbladder, which then contracts and pushes the bile into a tube which is carried to the small intestines, where it helps with your digestion.
A bad diet can cause gallstones to form in your gallbladder, such as diets high in cholesterol and fat, and low in fibre, this is because the cholesterol would increase in the bile which in turn reduces the emptying.
Then on the flip side, losing too much weight too quickly can also cause problems, any diet that aims at losing quick, or “crash diets”, are not good and can increase gallbladder problems, because when weight is lost rapidly there’s more cholesterol being deposited into the bile and can increase the chances of gallstones. Therefore to reduce the risk of such problems, it’s essential that you lose weight at a slower pace. Studies show that people who are losing more than 3 pounds a week have a greater risk of developing gallstones that people that are losing weight at a slower rate. Read on for more gallbladder diet information.
If you have already got gallstones and need a gallbladder diet, or you need an ongoing diet, then the kind of food that are good, and that you need to avoid are below:
What to eat:
When sticking to a gallbladder diet you need to eat low in fat foods. So any fruit and vegetables are great, apart from avacados. Low or not fat dairy products are fine, so if you want to drink milk or have it on your cereals still, you can, just make sure it’s skimmed milk, and with cheese make sure it’s also low fat (2%). White meat, so turkey and chicken are great too, just make sure that you take the skin off to keep the fat down. Foods like pretzels, rice, pasta, spaghetti and yoghurt are fine too. Some red meat is also okay as long as it’s got no fat in it, to be sure of this you are best going to a butchers especially for minced meat.
What not to eat:
Anything that is obviously high in fats and cholesterol needs to be avoided in a gallbladder diet. One of the main things to steer clear from are eggs. Other items of food such as nuts, bakery products (bread is okay), fried foods, gravy, cream, and also high in fat ice cream, but this can be okay if you manage to get low fat. You just need to get into the habit of checking everything that you eat, 0 -3 grams in anything eat is generally okay, but any more and you’ll start getting into the high fat range, and most of all check the cholesterol.
This doesn’t mean that you have to start eating bland foods, there are lots out there to try.
Please consult a professional dietician/nutritionist for help with your gallbladder diet.