Gallbladder Shopping List

Get Your Gallbladder Diet Shopping List

Navigate the grocery story with ease when you download our complimentary shopping list, which includes the best food choices when you are suffering from gallbladder symptoms, as well as the foods you'll want to avoid.

Deborah Graefer

 

When people say, 'I eat pretty healthy,"

that usually means they eat healthier than someone who has a terrible diet. 'Healthy' is not a comparison.

 

-Deborah Graefer, Masters Traditional Oriental Medicine

Gallbladder Diet Tips

Gallbladder Diet Tips
DO NOT
OVEREAT
Gallbladder Diet Tips
DO NOT EAT
UNDER STRESS
Gallbladder Diet Tips
EAT ONLY FRESH,
ORGANIC FOODS
Gallbladder Diet Tips
AVOID
PACKAGED FOODS
Gallbladder Diet Tips
DO NOT EAT
GLUTEN & DAIRY

Fats To Avoid - Fats To Include

The most important things to avoid are fried foods, fatty foods and particular types of processed fats such as trans fats, hydrogenated fats, partially-hydrogenated fats, and saturated fats. These fats cause inflammation in the body in general, and they especially cause inflammation within the bile ducts and sphincters, which can result in pain and acid reflux.

Do not avoid all fats unless you are in attack or close to attack mode. Even then, a small amount of the flax or olive 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 because good fats keep the gallbladder in shape.

Include essential fatty acids such as the omega 3 oils - flax and fish oil as well as oils high in omega 9 as found in olive oil. Depending on how acute or severe your gallbladder problem is at the moment, this may not be possible for you. Experiment slowly. Some people need to be well into their gallbladder program including both diet and supplements before they 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 supported 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 fresh 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.

Need Extra Support With Menu Planning?

Many people like to work from a menu plan as opposed to a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid. They just find it more convenient for both shopping and meal planning.

This is especially important for those who experience pain with every single thing they eat.

If you like to have the recipes to work from, we have menu plans made just for you. There are two different gallbladder diet plans designed to match different symptoms. One is a strict diet for those with pain while the other is more moderate.

Gallbladder Diet

The Gallbladder Attack Diet

The first four-week gallbladder menu is for people who are afraid to eat and get pain from almost anything. It is a very strict diet to be used when in pain, but NOT during an acute attack. An attack may last 15 minutes or as long as 24 hours but it is best to drink liquids only during this time or longer, after which time you may proceed to this menu.

Click Here Now To Purchase The Gallbladder Attack Diet
Pomegranate Salad

The Healthy Gallbladder Diet

For people who are not in the attack phase or who have gallbladder symptoms unrelated to a gallbladder attack, we have designed a second menu plan for moderate gallbladder symptoms. For any gallbladder or bile issues, this diet is designed to be free of common gallbladder trigger foods and to be rich in gallbladder-friendly foods.

Click Here Now To Purchase The Healthy Gallbladder Diet

Diet After Gallbladder Surgery

If you read the page on gallbladder disease and how you got into trouble in the first place, you will begin to see that gallbladder surgery is not the answer to the underlying problem.

The most common question I am asked by people after gallbladder removal is, "Why do I still have pain and other symptoms when I have no gallbladder?" The problem is with the bile.

Your diet needs to be changed with or without a gallbladder, if you have any form of gallbladder disease. Eating a gallbladder-friendly diet will take the stress off the digestive system as a whole, and will help with multiple symptoms – so follow the dietary recommendations for gallbladder or bile problems of any kind.

Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes are a delicious addition to a gallbladder diet as long as you limit them to one or two medium-sized tubers daily. Sunchokes contain several sulfur-containing amino acids including taurine, which supports both the bile and liver detox.

Garlic – Helpful To Some

Many people react to onions with gallbladder attack symptoms. Some also have milder symptoms with garlic. However, garlic is helpful for lowering the concentration of cholesterol in the bile which may protect against the formation of gallstones. Garlic contains sulfur, which is used by the liver in detoxification. It may be best to avoid garlic when you are experiencing gallbladder symptoms, and then try adding it in slowly when your symptoms have subsided. Use freshly grated or baked garlic.

Artichokes Increase Bile Flow

There are many studies proving the efficacy of artichoke leaf extract for relieving the symptoms of indigestion including nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, flatulence, constipation and intolerance of fat.

Although eating artichokes as food is not the same as a concentrated extract, the components in the artichoke leaves are helpful for increasing bile flow and relieving digestive symptoms.

Artichoke leaves have liver-protective and cholesterol-lowering effects as well.

Beet Recipe For Relief of Gallbladder Pain

• Coarsely grate 1 large raw organic beet root -washed but not peeled (If not organic, remove the peel.)
• Add juice of lemon to taste (about 1/4 lemon)
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive or flax oil
• Mix together.
• Take one teaspoon of mixture every hour throughout the day.
• On days 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.
• Beets in any form are an excellent food for both the liver and the gallbladder - boiled, roasted, pickled, steamed.

The Beet Recipe
Green Soup

Green Soup Recipe

When everything you eat causes gallbladder pain, this soup is usually very soothing, but, do NOT use during a gallbladder attack as only liquids should be taken then.
• One bunch parsley
• 3 medium zucchini
• ½ lb. Green beans
• 5 sticks (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. 
• Purée in a blender.