How Should Your Diet Be If You Have Gallstones
If you suffer from gallstones, you should follow a diet consisting mainly of foods with low fat content, so you will have to avoid the consumption of fried foods, oils and sausages. Instead, you will need to increase your intake of water, fruits, and vegetables.
All these cares help reduce symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort during crises, with food being a fundamental component. However, it should not replace the clinical treatment prescribed by the doctor, which may include the use of some medications to relieve symptoms.
What are gallstones?
The appearance of stones in the gallbladder is a common problem. Gallstones or gallstones are solid particles that form in the gallbladder caused by the crystallization of bile.
The gallbladder is a small organ that together with the pancreas and the liver are responsible for producing digestive enzymes and bile to digest fats. Gallstones prevent the gallbladder from doing its job, preventing easy digestion of all food.
Some believe that gallstones may be caused by poor eating habits. An excessive consumption of foods rich in fats forces the liver to secrete more bile. Hence the importance of controlling what you eat, both to prevent the appearance of stones and to alleviate their symptoms.
Diet for patients suffering from gallbladder stones
It is very important to drink 2.5 to 3 liters of water a day and to be strict with the gallbladder stone diet, because if you take medication and the diet is not corrected, we will not solve the root problem.
Establish a fixed schedule of 5-6 meals , taking into account:
- No more than 4 pieces of fruit a day.
- Three main meals and two / three snacks.
- Do not let more than an hour pass, since you get up without having breakfast.
- Don’t let more than 4-5 hours pass between meals.
- If more than 3 hours pass from dinner to bedtime, you should have a snack (mid-morning or afternoon snack).
Allowed foods
You should eat foods rich in water and with little or no fat content, such as:
- Fruits, except coconut, avocado and acai.
- Vegetables in general, especially cooked ones, since they facilitate digestion.
- Whole grains like rice, pasta, and whole wheat bread.
- Cooked or grilled low-fat meats such as skinless chicken, fish, and turkey.
- Water and fruit juices.
In addition to consuming these foods, it is important to cook them on the grill or steam, because these are the ways of cooking that do not add fat to the food.
Food not allowed
Forbidden foods are foods high in fat such as:
- Whole milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt
- Yellow cheeses like Parmesan
- Butter and any other animal fats
- Fatty meats such as ribs, sausages, duck or goose meat
- Organ meats such as liver, heart, kidney, or guts
- Oilseeds such as walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, peanuts
- Others : chocolate, cookies, puff pastry, meat broth, ready sauces, mayonnaise
- Alcoholic drinks
- Sugary products
- Carbonated drinks
Why is it important to limit fat intake?
What happens in a person with gallbladder stones when ingesting fat is bile, which is a substance produced by the gallbladder. Its function is to mix with the fats in the intestine to help them be absorbed, so if they are ingested the gallbladder will be stimulated to release the bile and this will cause even more pain and discomfort.
It is important to remember that people with gallstones should consult a nutritionist so that an individual nutritional plan can be made, according to their needs. It is also important to go to a digestive system surgeon to indicate the treatment to follow.
