Gallbladder Diet: Foods for Gallbladder Problems

Disclaimer:   I’m not a doctor, I’m not a surgeon and I’m not a dietician.  Each person may have different symptoms, so please consult your doctor before following this diet.

In my last post I told you that my husband was in hospital but I did not have the time to explain in detail what happened.      You can read about it in my other blog.

I have had my gallbladder removed several years ago and I remember that I had to avoid fatty food, coconut, alcohol, caffeine, dairy etc.   However, when I found out that my husband also had stones in his gallbladder I did an online search to refresh my memory.  The information I found is contradictory and although in one site you may read that you should eat something, in another you are told not to eat it.  I also tried to find relevant recipes but there were only a few, which I did not like, so this is one of the reasons I decided to record what I prepare for my husband, which is based on the list and translation of the general instructions given by his doctor.

General instructions:

Ιif you have gallbladder disease and/or gallstones, following a healthy gallbladder diet can have a large impact on your health.   A gallbladder diet is similar to a “regular” healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, minimal animal fats such as dairy, butter, fatty meat, and eggs, no fried foods and  “white” and processed foods should be avoided.

Foods that are recommended in diseases of the gallbladder should be low in fat (both saturated and unsaturated) and low in cholesterol and rich in fiber.

Saturated fats are found in red fatty meat, as well as animal fats such as full fat dairy products such as cream, butter, cheese, suet, tallow, lard, egg yolk, as well as certain vegetable products such as cocoa (chocolate), coconut oil, palm oil and hydrogenated oils (margarine, shortening). White meat (chicken, turkey) contain smaller amounts of saturated fats. Lean meats in general contain moderate amounts of saturated fats.

Saturated fats should be avoided in all chronic and acute cholecystopathies.  In acute cases such as acute cholecystitis, gallbladder colic, cholangitis, empyema and gallbladder mucocele (hydrops), acute pancreatitis they should be totally avoided.

Cholesterol is present in large amounts in egg yolk, seafood (scallops, shrimps, prawns, crayfish, lobsters, octopus, squid, etc.), offal, kidneys, liver of animals and poultry and all fat meats and their products.

It should be noted that the consumption of foods that do not contain cholesterol (such as pasta, pastries, meats, oils, breads, etc.) causes the body to an overproduction of cholesterol and saturated fat, which ultimately is about the same as if one consumes foods that contain fat and cholesterol.

Food rich in cholesterol should be avoided in chronic cholecystopathies such as chronic cholecystitis, simple cholelithiasis, the cholesterinosis and adenomyosis of the gall bladder in acute situations where the saturated fats should be totally avoided.

Unsaturated fat is found in vegetable oils (soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, etc.), nuts and fish. Olive oil contains mainly unsaturated and some saturated fat.

Unsaturated fat should be avoided and these acute diseases of the gallbladder (acute cholecystitis, gallbladder colic, gallbladder empyema, acute cholangitis and acute pancreatitis). In chronic diseases such as simple cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis, unsaturated fats can be consumed in small quantities and as long as the chronic situation does not become acute.

A healthy gall bladder diet…

The meals should be taken three times a day and should always be in small portions.  Additionally they should be cooked in a healthy way, without many sauces, salt and spices.

Sweets, sugar, pasta, white bread and bread products and dried legumes should be consumed in small quantities because they are fattening.

The same diet should be followed even after cholecyctectomy both in cases of laparoscopic or open surgery for a period of 1 1/2 – 2 months and always according to the doctor’s advice.

After surgery, your diet should transition from liquids to soft solid foods. This diet is to reintroduce food back into your system after having surgery on your digestive tract.

After the lapse of the two months you can gradually  add up food to your diet but limiting your fat intake as your liver still produces bile and continuously drips it into your digestive tract.

It is best to consume more «good» vegetable oils which should replace animal fat but care should be taken to consume them in moderation because these will also increase body fat.

When I spoke with my husband on Monday morning and he told me that  the doctor told him he could come home, I was overjoyed firstly because my husband would come back home but also because I hated getting out in the cold, especially in the afternoon, after lying to rest for an hour.

This year was the worst ever winter I can  remember in Athens.  I compare it to the negatives in old films.  This year everything is upside down.  Our winters are usually mild, with a few days rainfall, a few days with low temperature around 10 – 12 degrees Centrigrade and the majority of days are sunny with temperatures around 12 – 17 degrees in January, around 18 – 22 or even 25 degrees in February and March, which sometimes is cold around 12 – 17 degrees but with lots of sunny days as well.  This year it was exactly the opposite.  We had long stretches of consecutive rainy days, a lot of windy and cold, cloudy, consecutive days for weeks with very low temperatures, not exceeding 15 degrees.  We did not see the ‘Halcyon days’ during January and the only sunny weekend I can remember was the one we went to Sparta.  I know some people may be laughing with us because they are used to temperatures below zero but for God’s sake, we are in Athens, so we’re not talking about freezing weather and our houses are not insulated properly for cold weather.  When it snows in Athens everything paralyzes because we never have tyres suitable for snow nor do we have chains for our tyres.  All our clothes are suitable for milder winters, so it’s natural to feel the cold even more.  Apart from all this cold weather, we did not have the best heating conditions even at home.  This year we had to cut down on heating expenses because of the economic crisis so  we only had heating for a couple of hours during the evening.    During the day sometimes it’s colder inside than outside.

I shall be posting some new recipes I have made for my husband but until then I have updated some older recipes because even if they are healthy, these have to be adjusted not to have spices, eggs, dairy etc.

Recipes adapted for Gallbadder Diet:

Deconstructed Pastitsio with Anthotyro and Paprika

Chicken with Leeks, Greek Yoghurt and Pesto 

Anginares (Artichokes) a la Polita

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Courgettes, Spinach & Pesto

Perka sti Ladokolla (Perch en Papillote) with Rosemary & Garlic

Greek Fava Soup

Vegan Borscht (Beet Soup)

Artichoke & Celeriac Soup

Makaronia me Kima (spaghetti with Meat Sauce)

Milokopi (Bearded Umbrine) with Roasted Vegetables

Chicken Burgers

Pumpkin-Potato Puree

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

Tags: artichokes, celeriac, cholecyst, cholelithiasis, gallbladder, Gallbladder Diet, how to trim an artichoke, Soups, Vegetables