Gallbladder Diet

What we eat, we become. In a way, it's true. The bodily growth and changes that occurred since your birth have all been made possible through assimilation of food. Ergo, what you eat, influences how your body works. All the organs that are directly associated with the processing, digestion and assimilation of food are immediately and directly affected by it. One such organ is the gallbladder that stores bile - the much-needed chemical for digesting food. Eating right and choosing your daily diet intelligently, can prevent most health problems before they arise. In this Buzzle article, a gallbladder diet, for people at a high risk of developing gallstones and other gallbladder problems is presented.

About the Gallbladder
The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped sac situated under the liver and most of us don't even notice we have it until it starts making its presence felt. The gallbladder is the place where the bile produced by the liver is stored. Every time we eat, the gallbladder is stimulated and releases bile into the intestine. Bile is necessary for the proper digestion of food. If there was no bile or if it was present in less than the required amount, food digestion would be impaired and we would suffer from a host of troubles like nausea, vomiting, heart-burn, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Long term problems with food digestion can lead to some very serious health issues.

When the gallbladder is diseased or has some other kind of malfunctioning problem, bile production is affected in an adverse way. Apart from disease, weight concerns are also responsible for gallbladder health problems. People who are obese or who are attempting rather drastically designed fat-free diets to lose weights are especially vulnerable to gallbladder problems. The bile of over-weight people contains a very high percentage of cholesterol and cholesterol is one of the leading causes of gallstone formation. And gallstones, of course, pave the way to further gallbladder difficulties, including a risk of developing gallbladder cancer. On the other hand, if you go for a severely fat-free diet, enough bile is not utilized by the body, is stored for a long time, and the cholesterol in it can crystallize to form gallstones.

To help digestion, to counter the formation of gallstones, and to allow the gallbladder to rest and recover, people with gallbladder disease or those who are obese are required to follow a long-term, low-fat dietary therapy. Low fat foods are easier to digest, reducing the stress on the gallbladder, and can also assist the body in getting rid of gallstones. By eating low-fat foods, you can improve your health without resorting to gallbladder surgery and, in the event surgery is needed, a gallbladder diet will speed up the recovery process.

Gallbladder Diet: Foods to Eat
People with gallbladder disease should follow a diet that includes starchy foods like rice, cereals, bread, vegetables, and fruit. It is important that you cut down on red meats or, better yet, stop eating it entirely. You should also avoid refined, fatty and fried foods containing saturated fats, trans fats, hydrogenated fats and partially-hydrogenated fats.

Here's a list of what you should eat -

• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. The keyword is 'fresh'. Fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. The organic kind.
• Eat plenty of green leafy salads and lace them with olive oil, flax oil and vinegar.
• Cook your food - vegetables and lean meats - using spices, ginger, and turmeric. These are good aids for digestion and have antiseptic properties as well.
• Eat low-fat dairy products. Include low fat cottage cheese and low-fat milk in your meals.
• Eat whole-grain bread.
• Eat lean meats in moderation.
• Eat smaller meals rather than large meals.
• Eat your last meal of the day several hours before you go to bed.
• Take fish oil capsules. These contain Omega-3 oil, which is excellent for you. It prevents cholesterol build-up in the bile.
• Drink plenty of water.

It's best to make a diet chart, based on the principles enunciated in the points presented above. Here's a list of fruit and vegetables that are good for you -

Fruits & Vegetables
Apples	Apricots
Lemons	Figs
Guavas	Pears
Grapes	Currants
Prunes	Papaya
Melons	Coconuts
Berries	Tomatoes
Avocados	Artichokes
Cucumber	Beet
Sweet Potatoes	Carrots
Okra	Garlic
Shallots	Celery
Swiss Chard	Dandelion Greens
Broccoli	Watermelon

What Not to Eat With Gallbladder Problems
Now that you know what fruits and vegetables make for the ideal gallbladder diet, let me present foodstuffs that should be avoided at all costs, by people affected by gallstone issues. Here are some foods you should either avoid or cut down on:

Foods to Avoid
Eggs	Pork
Onion	Cabbages
Cauliflower	Legumes
Fowl	High-Fat milk
Chocolate Ice-cream	Coffee
Black Tea	Alcohol
Soft Drinks	Sodas
Grapefruit	Oranges
Corn Nuts	White Flour
Artificial Sweeteners	Chili
Gluten	Hydrogenated Oils

Also forgo drastic diets. If you want to reduce weight, it must be done in a gradual and healthy manner. Which means adequate exercise and the proper food in the proper amounts at the proper time. Not starvation followed by several eating binges. Balance is the key. Eat right by choosing your diet intelligently, to live a healthy life.