Gallbladder Diet

As explained elsewhere on this website, the gallbladder (the finger-like green organ in the picture to the right) stores bile which has been produced by the liver. Bile is a substance that aids in the digestive process.

When food you eat passes out of the stomach, the gallbladder expels bile into the small intestines. Problems usually occur when this bile contains too much cholesterol.

Naturally, if you eat a high fat diet that contains a lot of cholesterol, there will be more cholesterol in your digestive system than you need. This excess cholesterol accumulates and may cause swelling and inflammation of the gallbladder. The resulting pain is often described as a gallbladder attack.

In some cases, cholesterol and other substances in the gallbladder accumulate and hardens into gallstones. Gallstones can be tiny, like a grain of sand. Or they can be huge, like a golf ball.

No matter how big or small they are, you don't want them in your gallbladder.

Eating a healthy gallbladder diet is the best way to prevent gallstones, a gallbladder attack, or any type of gallbladder disease.

Happily, the same kind of diet that's good for your gallbladder is also good for your heart, your liver, your colon and other important organs.

The gallbladder diet: what to eat All right, you knew this was coming, right?

The best food to eat on a gallbladder diet is a healthy combination of fruits, vegetables and grains. Most cholesterol from foods you eat comes from animal fats, and these food groups have little or none.

Fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of fiber are especially good.

If you're going to eat meat, buy lean cuts and trim even more fat off them if you can.

Stick to low fat diary products: skim or low fat milk, reduced fat cheeses and yogurt.

Eat more fish that contains omega-3 fatty acids, or take fish oil supplements.

Add some other herbs to your gallbladder diet like ginger and tumeric. Tumeric increases bile flow, and ginger promotes digestion of fats.

Foods to avoid A low fat diet reduces the strain on your gallbladder and allows it to rest.

Overworking your gallbladder by eating lots of high cholesterol, fatty foods is likely to result in gallbladder attacks and gallstones. You might also suffer bile duct spasms, which can be painful.

Therefore, fast food, especially fried fast food, should be kept to a minimum. Same goes with processed meats and cheeses.

Limit how much red meat you eat, and, as mentioned above, make sure as much fat is trimmed from it as possible.

Find tasty salad combinations and use vinegar and olive oil for dressing. Some health food practitioners especially recommend apple cider vinegar.

Limit carbonated drinks. Sometimes they promote gallstone movement. When a gallstone moves, it hurts.

Doctors also recommend avoiding large meals just before you go to bed.

Finally, a healthy gallbladder diet is a constant project. Be wary of "binge and purge" diets, or a diet that promises to flush or cleanse your gallbladder. Medical researchers say detox diets are unnecessary, and may even be harmful.
 

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