This is not a bible. Everyone reacts differently. This is a list compiled from both research
and experience -- from what you, my readers or in-house patients, have told me. It is a place from which to start
but the most important thing to do is to listen to your own body.
Do not avoid all fats unless you are in attack or close to attack mode. Even then, a small
amount of the flax oil in the beet recipe can be helpful. Fat-free and low-fat diets can be a cause for gallbladder
problems as well as too much of the wrong fats. The body needs fats. Use omega 3 oils like flax or hemp. These
are both delicious on salads. Cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil is also recommended. Use with vinegar or fresh
lemon juice. |
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With just about 2 weeks on the beet recipe
- and less than a week on the products - I do believe I'm already benefitting from your advice, products and beet
recipe on helping my
gallstones situation.
The new positive hopeful attitude that I've developed around this is a special "healthy plus." Your attention
to making this work for me in our two
conversations is greatly appreciated -
and helping to keep both my bile -
and me - moving forward.
I'll be in touch when it's time to talk about making my liver healthier also.
Sincerely,
N.A., Massachusetts, 1/30/2006
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GALLBLADDER DIET |
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HELPFUL FOODS |
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AVOID THESE FOODS |
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Beets
Cucumbers
Green beans - are NOT the same as dried
Okra
Sweet potatoes
Avocados - a good way to get needed fats directly from food
Vinegars all types
Garlic and onions help with liver cleansing but not processed types like flakes or powder. But some people have
trouble digesting them so pay attention
Shallots
Tomatoes - ripe
cold water fish
Lemons (lemon juice in the morning with hot water helps to clean the liver)
Grapes and fresh organic grape juice
apples, berries, papaya, pears
Omega 3 oils like flax or hemp. Use these with fresh lemon juice or vinegar on your salads. DO NOT COOK flax oil.
Vegetable juices - Beet and cucumber are especially helpful to gallbladder You can add other green vegetables like
tender baby greens, swiss chard, dandelion greens, beet greens, celery, carrots -- avoid the cabbage family)
Avoid all fruit juices except organic grape juice and organic apple (self-juiced is best).
All the vegetables listed above for juicing are good. Use baby mixed organic greens for salads and avoid the bitter
greens for now.
Fiber such as found in fruits and vegetables and guar gum |
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Eggs, pork, onion, fowl, milk,
coffee, oranges, grapefruit, corn, beans, nuts, in that order.
Trans fats
Hydrogenated, partially-hydrogenated oils
Margarine
Fried Foods
Saturated fats
(even coconut oil until feeling better)
Red meats
Dairy products
Eggs (Research showed that eggs caused symptoms in up to 95% of patients. However, in my clinical experience soft-boiled
or poached with no fat added seems to be okay. Perhaps this is due to the lecithin content that is present in the
raw or close to raw egg.)
Coffee, regular or decaf
Chocolate
Ice cream
Black tea
Alcohol, beer, wine, liqueur
Fruit juice
Carbonated water
Tap water
Turnips
Cabbage, cauliflower
Colas and all sodas
Oats (for some people)
Wheat
Barley
Rye (although the sour German ryes seem to be less troublesome)
All legumes (beans) as they tend to increase the cholesterol in the bile.
Avoid all artificial sweeteners, sugar, preservatives, refined and bleached foods (like white flour)
Avoid smoking if possible as it can exacerbate the symptoms. |
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Many steamed greens like collard, mustard and kale, also brussel sprouts and broccoli seem to be a problem for
some people. Greens (and especially kale and brussel sprouts) are used by the liver to detoxify. It may be necessary
to avoid these until you have done some work with the products and flushes as well as diet. Your goal should get
to the point where these foods do not cause distress, as they actually target the root of the problem. |
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GALLBLADDER DIET TIPS |
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DO NOT OVEREAT
DO NOT EAT UNDER STRESS
EAT ONLY FRESH FOODS - DO NOT
EAT PACKAGED FOODS |
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ORGANIC FOOD IS IMPORTANT
ORGANIC IS IMPORTANT - The liver is the root of the problem here, and the pesticides and herbicides used in
commercial fruits and vegetables causes extra burden on the liver and therefore, the gallbladder. |
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GALLSTONE DIET |
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HELPFUL FOODS |
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AVOID THESE FOODS |
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FOR RELIEF FROM GALLSTONE PAIN |
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Foods Helpful for Gallstones:
USE ORGANIC FOODS
Fresh vegetable juices as mentioned above (beet and cucumber especially)
Drink lots of water - very important
Garlic and garlic oil
Avocados
Artichokes
Ginger root
Coconuts
Grapes and freshly pressed grape juice (organic grapes only) are especially helpful
Apples particularly including apple juice
apricots, berries, casaba melons, currants, figs, guavas, lemons, pears, prunes
Tumeric (organic)
Cottage cheese - lowfat
Flax oil
Radishes help to dissolve gallstones but may cause some discomfort. Do not use them until your symptoms are gone
and then only if they do not disagree with you. |
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Foods to Avoid for Gallstones:
Same list above for general gallbladder problems
above. Take special note of the foods most likely to cause gallbladder attacks:
eggs, pork, onion, fowl, milk, coffee, grapefruit, oranges, corn, beans and nuts, alcohol, saturated fats, hydrogenated
oils and partially hydrogenated oils
NOTE: green beans are not classified as beans. |
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For Relief from Pain
Flax Seed Tea Recipe
Boil 1 Tbsp of organic flax seeds in 2 1/2 cups of water for 5 minutes. Steep 10 minutes. Strain and sip slowly.
Buy organic flax seed from your local health food store or order it online from Omega
Nutrition.
Cucumbers and/or cucumber juice
The Beet Recipe - see below
Maria Ellicot suggests aloe vera juice for gallbladder pain. Thanks, Maria!
Use the Gallbladder Starter Kit along
with the gallstone diet for quickest relief from symptoms of gallbladder or gallstone pain. Once you are free from
pain you can add in the Gallstone Kit to help to dissolve the stones. |
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DIET AFTER SURGERY |
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FATS TO AVOID / FATS TO INCLUDE |
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Diet After Gallbladder Surgery:
If you will read the page on gallbladder disease
and how you got into trouble in the first place you will begin to understand that gallbladder surgery is not the
answer to the underlying problem. This is not to say that surgery is sometimes necessary and
can be helpful with the pain and other symptoms. The most common question asked on this site is why there is still
pain/symptoms after gallbladder removal. Your diet needs to be changed with or without possessing a gallbladder,
if you have had any form of gallbladder disease. So follow the dietary recommendations for gallbladder problems
of any kind. |
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Fats to Avoid and Fats to Include:
Most important is to avoid fried
foods, fatty foods and particular types of fats like trans fats, hydrogenated fats, partially-hydrogenated fats
(read your labels) and saturated fats. (Order my newsletter on Good Fats vs Bad Fats for more in-depth information.)
Include essential fatty acids such as flax oil or borage oil. Depending on how severe or acute your gallbladder
problem is at the moment, even this may not be possible for you. Experiment slowly. You may have to do a gallbladder
starter kit or gallbladder attack kit or gallbladder stone kit before you can add these. Most people, however,
are able to eat small amounts. It shouldn't take more than a week on the products before you feel relief enough
to try this. If you have used the beet recipe, you have found that those three ingredients in combination do not
cause problems but help to move the stagnation in the gallbladder. I generally advise adding a teaspoon of flax
oil with vinegar or lemon juice to salads as a dressing. If you are in pain, you may be able to eat only the green
soup recipe for a few days. |
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Gallbladder Pain
Relief Recipes |
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RECIPE! BEET RECIPE |
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RECIPE! GREEN SOUP |
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RECIPE! FLAX SEED TEA |
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BEET RECIPE
Treatment for Gallbladder Pain
1 large organic beet or beetroot (raw) washed (not peeled unless not organic)
and finely grated
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsps flax oil
(Flax oil is by far the superior
choice here as it is an omega 3 essential
fatty acid, but if you only have extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil in the house, you can subsitute it temporarily.)
Take one teaspoon of mixture every hour throughout the day.
On day two and three make a fresh batch using ¼ of a large beet.
Take one teaspoon of mixture 3 to 4 times a day or more.
Make this mixture to add to your salads frequently or eat alone as above 2 or 3 times a week. This will keep the
bile thin and moving. Note: If you cannot get organic beets, be sure to peel them. Otherwise, use the peel as well.
Beets in any form are an excellent food for both the liver and the gallbladder.
Eat your regular meals throughout this period, striving to eat lots of fresh vegetables, good fats and to avoid
refined sugars and processed foods. |
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Green Soup Recipe for Relief of Gallbladder
Pain
One bunch parsley
3 medium zucchini
½ lb. Green beans
5 stalks celery
Steam together for 8-10 minutes.
Or partially steam and boil in ½ cup water.
If you have a steamer, you retain more nutrients and flavor with that method.
Puré in a blender.
NOTE: THIS SOUP IS NOT FOR A GALLBLADDER ATTACK! Use the products (Phos Drops) or the Flax Seed Tea. Liquids are
best during an attack. You could try the Beet Recipe. Many find it helps, but others do better with just liquids.
It is wonderful for relief from all sorts of gastric disturbances such as stomach pain, gas, and indigestion. I
do not add any fat or salt to this recipe. It can be used anytime but is particularly useful as a three day fast
with nothing else but water. It is both nourishing and easy to digest. You can alter the amounts to taste. More
beans add more sweetness. |
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Flax Seed Tea Recipe
Useful during a gallbladder attack.
Boil 1 Tbsp of organic flax seeds in 2 1/2 cups of water for 5 minutes. Steep 10 minutes. Strain and sip slowly.
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PREVENTION |
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PREVENTION:
protective - vitamin c and low alchol intake
and vegetarian diet Gallstones: Pathogenesis and Treatment
edited by G Adler, H E Blum, M Fuchs,
E F Stange |
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Note: If you are in severe gallbladder pain,
and especially if you also have a fever, consult your doctor immediately. If there is no fever and the pain is
mild, or if many foods cause distress or discomfort, use the green soup and beet recipe until you order your gallbladder
starter kit or gallbladder attack kit. Only after the discomfort has gone would you be eating a variety of foods. |
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