Healthy Gallbladder: Tips For The Right Diet

If you want to improve the condition of your gallbladder, then you need to make changes in your diet to prevent and reduce inflammation. It is important to cut down on your intake of certain fats.

Are you dying of gallstones? Then you should consider eating a different diet so that you can achieve a healthy gallbladder.

As you probably already know, you are what you eat. To improve this condition, you need to reduce your risk of inflammation so that your gallbladder can contract. You especially need to be very picky about the fats you ingest.

In this article, we will tell you much more about how you can change your diet so that you can achieve a healthy gallbladder.

More about the gallbladder

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped sac that is surrounded by a muscular wall in the upper right side of the abdomen. It stores and concentrates bile, which is a fluid produced by the liver and which is extremely necessary for the digestion of fats and the absorption of vitamins.

Gallstones are the result of crystallization of bile, a fluid produced by the liver, which is excreted in the intestine through the bile ducts to aid digestion. Some gallstones do not produce any detectable symptoms.

Some professionals believe that gallstones are the result of poor eating habits. For example, eating a large amount of high-fat foods forces the liver to excrete more bile. That is why it is important to keep an eye on what you eat – both so that you can prevent gallstones and so that you can relieve its symptoms.

Gallstones generally occur more often in women over the age of 50 and in people with a family history of gallbladder problems. The incidence is also higher during pregnancy, in people who take oral estrogen, often fast, do not exercise or have fatty liver disease.

Fruit, water, measuring tape and dumbbell

Dietary advice for a healthy gallbladder

Here are some of the basic elements needed for a healthy gallbladder:

Avoid too many fatty foods

The bile produced from the gallbladder is important in the digestion of fat, so when you eat a diet high in fat, you force the gallbladder to overwork. Thus, processed foods high in trans fatty acids, hydrogenated oil, deep-fried foods, and large amounts of saturated animal fats will send the gallbladder into overwork.

If you suffer from gallstones, the recommended diet is actually quite simple: Eat a varied diet that has a low content of bad fats and cholesterol. Adjust your calorie intake in your daily diet. Divide your meals into five meals a day, do not fast, and avoid eating too much.

Here are some of the healthiest liquids and foods for a healthy gallbladder:

Liquids

Water.
Hot tea.
Milk in small amounts (you can increase the amounts gradually).

Soups, porridge and mash for a healthy gallbladder

Vegetable broth with soft rice and pasta.
Hot porridge made from oatmeal, lentils, grains, rice, quinoa, etc.
Mashed potatoes and boiled potatoes.
Vegetable puree.

Meat

Veal or sheep, either cooked, oven-roasted or grilled.
Boiled, oven-roasted or grilled chicken.
Lean pork, lightly salted.
White fish that is cooked, oven-roasted or grilled and lightly seasoned.

Desserts for a healthy gallbladder

Jam, compote, fruit juice, cooked fruits, raw apples, etc.
Toast, dry cookies, wholemeal bread, dry pastry and puff pastry.

Recommended methods

First and foremost, make sure you keep an eye on the quality of the cooking fat.
Save deep-fried food for special occasions.

Avoid frying food. We recommend cooking, grilling or baking foods.

Unhealthy foods weaken a healthy gallbladder

Avoid these things

Avoid extreme food temperatures. This is because foods (and beverages) that are too hot or too cold are strong, bile-stimulating substances, so it is best to eat and drink foods and liquids at a medium temperature.
Eliminate refined sugar. Some studies reveal that a high concentration of monosaccharides and disaccharides stimulates the excretion of bile. You should therefore only take it in small amounts.
Xantin. Foods that are high in caffeine and theobromine, which can be coffee, concentrated tea and cola, for example, send the gallbladder into overtime. Therefore, you should reduce your intake of these.

Big amounts. Everything in large quantities is not good for the body. It is therefore best that you eat small meals several times a day.
Reduce your intake of fruit juices, sodas and alcohol.

If you have gallstones, contact a dietitian who can work out a diet plan to suit your needs. Your doctor will also be able to give you the best guidance.