Gallbladder Symptoms: What Do You Need To Know About Your Diet?
If you’ve experienced gallbladder symptoms such as abdominal pain, indigestion, nausea, bloating or gas, or if you have experienced the excruciating pain of a gallbladder attack, then your doctor may have advised you to go on a gallbladder diet. Whether you’ve found out about the health benefits of a gallbladder diet on your own, or you are following doctor’s orders, switching to gallbladder and liver-friendly foods is a healthy choice.
Increase Fiber
30–40 grams of fiber each day may help to reduce the risk of forming gallstones. Soaked/sprouted beans, legumes, seeds, buts and fresh fruit and veggies are al great sources of natural fiber.
Liver Friendly Foods Include
Beets, artichoke and dark green vegetables like dandelion greens and kale. These detoxifying vegetables also improve bile flow, which breaks down fats. A great way to get more fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet is to make smoothies and start your day or add to a nutritious lunch with one.
Change Your Fats
Coconut oil is one of the easiest fats for the body to digest. It has many health benefits as well. Extra virgin olive oil is another anti inflammatory and healthy fat. Your gallbladder actually needs fat to function well as dietary fat signals contractions that allow it to squeeze the bile it is holding into the bile duct. In small amounts, daily intake of good fats is advised. These can also include avocados, eggs, wild fish, nuts, seeds and small amounts of grass fed butter.
Increase Raw Foods
A good gallbladder diet helps to reduce gallbladder symptoms by increasing raw food intake. Raw vegetables are naturally higher in water but low in sodium and fat.
Stimulation of bile and reducing the cholesterol levels in it will help prevent thickening or biliary sludge. A vegetarian diet may help to prevent gallstones but avoid at least processed meats and highly saturated animal fats from meat.
Try adding lemon to water and drinking this regularly. Apple cider vinegar, apple juice and pear juice have also been linked to increased bile production and improved breakdown of fats. During a gallbladder attack, sipping on water with a few teaspoons of lemon or apple cider vinegar can help to ease the pain and resolve the attack.
Foods To Avoid
While you focus on adding the good foods listed above, you may also need to say goodbye to a few harmful items.
Fried foods, fast food, processed and packaged snacks and desserts all contain high levels of hydrogenated and trans fat, sugar and other unhealthy ingredients.
Reduce or remove sugar, which can increase the risk of gallbladder symptoms due to obesity and inflammation.
Foods, which are known to cause allergic reactions can also lead to gallbladder irritation. These include: dairy products, wheat, shellfish, gluten, peanuts and nightshade vegetables.
Avoid conventional dairy, including cheese and ice cream as these can all be linked to gallstone formation.
Gallbladder Treatment
There is gallbladder treatment that can be an effective means of dissolving gallstones.
