Why Is A Gallbladder Diet Useful To Reduce Pain?
Most of us don’t like to change our habits and we certainly don’t want to miss out on the snacks and treats we enjoy. If you’ve ever experienced the pain of a gallbladder attack, however, understanding that a gallbladder diet can bring relief is welcome news.
Any particular diet suggests that some items are in, while others are out. The diet designed to maintain gallbladder health and function is no different. These sacrifices and changes can pay off in big ways and make the effort well worth it.
Removing irritants while supporting liver and gallbladder health will help ensure immediate and long-term pain relief.
Why Do You Have Gallbladder Pain?
Cholecystitis means gallbladder inflammation and biliary colic describes the aching, gnawing pain that can arise from blocked bile ducts or a gallstone in the opening of the gallbladder. Either situation can lead to gallbladder pain and gallstones are the most common cause.
A person may have these hardened deposits of cholesterol and bilirubin in their gallbladder for many years with no pain or symptoms at all. When the gallbladder can no longer contract properly, however, the walls can become irritated and inflamed. As well, small stones can move into the ducts and become stuck.
When a gallstone lodges in the common bile duct, pressure builds, nerves are irritated, and the resultant pain may travel to the back, chest or even right shoulder blade. The gallbladder is triggered to contract and squeeze out the bile its holds when we eat a meal containing fats. If you eat fat but your gallbladder is blocked and inflamed, bile cannot flow freely and pain results. This is when people seek a gallbladder treatment.
How Can The Food You Eat, Control Your Pain?
The first step to relieve biliary colic is to eliminate the difficult-to-digest fats from your diet. A gallbladder diet does not contain saturated, fried, hydrogenated or trans fats. You’ll need to say goodbye to processed junk food, sugary and deep-fried treats like donuts, cookies, chips and cakes.
Heavy cream such as ice-cream and cheese are also considered high fat and heavy to digest. These trigger contraction of the gallbladder and require very high concentrations of bile which is not available for someone with gallbladder dysfunction.
Instead, the gallbladder diet would include much smaller amounts of only healthy fats such as avocado, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds and wild caught fish. Remember, a small amount of fat is a good thing- regular, gentle contraction of the gallbladder keeps its contents moving.
Along with changes to fat consumption, you’ll need to incorporate items in your meals that improve bile quality and flow. Increasing bile flow can relieve pain because it flushes out debris like stones and sludge. Increased bile flow eases digestion and eliminates gastrointestinal discomfort that can be experienced when fat digestion is poor.
Vegetables such as beets, artichokes, radishes and bitter, green vegetables all help to support a healthy liver and gallbladder which means improved bile secretion, fewer blockages, less gallbladder irritation and better digestion.
Removing irritants while supporting liver and gallbladder health will help ensure immediate and long-term pain relief.
