What to eat to dissolve gallstones is a matter of concern for many people. Diet has a direct influence on diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and biliary tract. Because if eating right will support effective treatment of gallstones, preventing the risk of serious progression causing complications.
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ToggleThe role of diet in the treatment of gallstones
People with gallstone disease will often experience symptoms such as bloating, indigestion or abdominal distension… Therefore, patients need to pay attention to the right diet to overcome these symptoms and help dissolve them. gallstones rapidly.
In addition, eating foods high in cholesterol is also the leading cause of gallstones because the bile concentration is not enough to break down cholesterol, leading to excess and deposition of cholesterol into stones. Therefore, a diet high or low in cholesterol has a direct effect on gallstone disease.
In addition, a diet that is too low in fat will also increase the risk of gallstones because the gallbladder has to work less to break down fat. As a result, cholesterol has more time to solidify and form stones. Therefore, it is necessary to eat a variety as well as a balance of nutrients, not eating too little or too much of a certain substance is the best plan to protect the health of people with gallstones.
Principles of building a diet for people with gallstones
Before answering the question of what to drink to dissolve gallstones, the patient should strictly follow the principles below, to build a scientific diet:
- Reduce fat in the dietBecause cholesterol is the main component of gallstones. Eating too much fat will cause the body to secrete a large amount of bile to digest. At this time, the gallbladder contracts strongly, causing abdominal pain and indigestion.
- Add more fiber and vitamins to increase the absorption of excess cholesterol. This principle will also help patients reduce indigestion, constipation and limit the risk of stone formation. In addition, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, C will work to promote liver and bile health.
- Increase protein-rich foods easily digestible to reduce the burden on the digestive system, liver and gallbladder. It also provides protein for the regeneration of liver cells. Some types of protein have a fat-burning effect, reducing the risk of stone formation.
- Eat foods containing powdered sugar in moderation, because after eating these food groups will increase blood sugar levels and increase insulin resistance. Once insulin resistance increases, the cholesterol level in the body will increase, thereby leading to stone formation.
In addition to the above 4 principles, the patient should drink plenty of water every day to eliminate toxins and increase exercise to avoid stagnation of bile. At the same time, the patient should also limit the intake of allergenic foods. Absolutely practice eating cooked and drinking boiling water, do not eat rare or raw food to minimize symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea and damage to the digestive system.
What to eat to dissolve gallstones effectively?
Here are the super foods that you should include in your daily diet when suffering from gallstones. These foods will help relieve abdominal pain, bloating, indigestion and most importantly, prevent stones from increasing in size and number as well as reduce the risk of complications caused by gallstones.
Linseed
Fiber plays an important role to help support the digestive process, fight constipation and regulate the bacterial system. This reduces the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines and helps reduce the risk of gallstones. It is estimated that women should eat about 25 grams of fiber per day, men should eat about 38 grams of fiber per day.
Among the many fiber-rich foods available today, flaxseeds – a superfood rich in fiber (in one tablespoon of flaxseed contains up to 2.8 grams of fiber) and healthy omega-3 fats. 3 is extremely good for the functioning of the gallbladder. With the above great uses of flaxseeds, don’t forget to add this superfood to your daily meal
Beans
Beans and bean-based dishes bring many benefits to our health. A high-fat meal will stimulate the body to secrete more bile, when eating too much cholesterol will increase the risk of gallstone formation. Therefore, the first thing is to cut back on meat and animal fats and focus on a diet rich in plant-based protein, which will help reduce cholesterol absorption, reducing the risk of gallstones.
Plant proteins such as lentils, soybeans, tofu, etc. are great sources of food and can replace fatty red meats that contain too much cholesterol – one of the culprits that causes gallstones. In addition, fatty foods such as fried foods, cheese, meat or canned foods, etc. should also be eaten in moderation.
>>> See more: What to drink with kidney stones? 12 great drinks to dissolve kidney stones
Oranges and citrus fruits
Fruits rich in vitamin C like citrus or berries are a great choice for a healthy gallbladder and also an answer to what you eat to dissolve gallstones. Studies have shown that a daily vitamin C supplement can reduce the risk of gallstones by up to 50%.
Okra fruit
Okra and other vegetables such as artichokes, green lettuce, cauliflower, parsley, kale, … not only contain a lot of fiber, but it also helps stimulate the secretion of more bile to digest food. Therefore, people with gallstones should eat a lot of these vegetables.
Dark green vegetables
Dark green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach or pumpkin seeds are high in magnesium, which helps fight calcium accumulation and the formation of calcified gallstones.
Drink enough water
What to eat to dissolve gallstones without taking much time? Although water is not a food, it is very important for our health. Water is the main component of digestive juices including bile. Therefore, to prevent stone formation, you should drink enough water every day, especially alkaline ionized water.
Alkaline ionized water has a microscopic water molecule cluster size of only 0.5 nanometers, so it will easily penetrate and penetrate the body’s cells. At the same time, alkaline ionized water helps neutralize acids and balances pH levels in the body, thereby dissolving substances that form gallstones more effectively.
Sugar beet
The betaine in beets helps protect liver cells and stimulates the secretion of bile to digest fats. That is why people with gallstones should eat beets. You can process beets into dishes such as juices, soups or vegetable smoothies, etc.
Fermented food
The balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut plays an important role in digestion, helping to reduce the impact on the functioning of the gallbladder, promoting the normal reabsorption of bile salts. Foods containing many good bacteria include fermented foods such as miso, or pickled vegetables, etc.
Avocado
Bile fluid contains water and other components such as cholesterol, bilirubin, bile salts, etc., so when bile has too much cholesterol, bilirubin or not enough bile salts to dissolve cholesterol, the components in bile will crystallize to form stones. . In particular, drinking less water or dehydration is the cause of gallstone formation.
What foods should be avoided with gallstones?
In addition to focusing on what to eat to dissolve gallstones, patients should also abstain from foods that increase the risk of stone formation.
Refined starch
Foods high in sugar or refined starch, high in fat and calories that patients with gallstones need to limit such as desserts, snacks, cookies, chocolate ….
Stimulant drink
Some drinks such as wine, beer, or coffee, tea and soda, people with gallstones should only be used in moderation in the diet for people with gallstones. The group of stimulant drinks will negatively affect the liver, making the liver prone to fatty deposits and cirrhosis, leading to impaired bile secretion function of the liver.
Fat milk
Contrary to low-fat milk, whole milk, butter or cheese will also be on the list of gallstones not to eat and the patient should minimize.
Fried food, fast food should be avoided when having gallstones
Patients with gallstones often experience symptoms such as pain in the right lower quadrant, slow digestion, bloating or nausea after eating a lot of fat. So these are also foods to avoid when you have gallstones.
Hot spicy seasoning
Some active ingredients in chili peppers will cause severe biliary colic because of their spicy, hot and irritating properties. Therefore, minimizing hot spices such as chili in foods will help you avoid having biliary colic caused by gallstones.
Tips when preparing dishes for patients with gallstones
Patients with gallstones should limit their intake of fatty foods. However, you should not completely avoid these food groups. Because this can cause the gallbladder to not contract to expel bile, excess bile that is not used is left in the gallbladder, creating conditions for the formation of gallstones.
The most important thing is to choose the right and eat good fats, cut down on bad fats to both meet the nutritional needs of the body, and limit the risk of gallstones.
Foods containing good fats should be chosen such as: avocados, olive oil, omega 3 fats in fish, nuts, legumes…
Here are some expert guidelines on cutting bad fats from your daily diet:
- Try Avoid processed foods, animal viscera… Limit eating meat, instead, replace it with vegetables and beans. Check product labels, avoid high-fat products.
- Don’t eat too much fat in meal. If possible, divide the daily meals so as not to increase the operational burden of the hepatobiliary system.
- Replace frying and frying food with other processing methods: baking, steaming, boiling… Only use fat/oil when absolutely necessary, measure oil when cooking and do not pour it directly to avoid overdoing it.
- Use absorbent paper if preparing fried foods, and should remove fat foam from the water in stews.
In short, the answer to the problem of what to eat to dissolve gallstones is the right nutritional balance along with cutting the amount of bad fat. Besides referring to foods that help dissolve gallstones as well as choosing for themselves a healthy menu, patients should also spend time participating in regular exercise to help their body stay healthy.
John Alen was born in 1971 and is a doctor in the healthcare and psychology fields with many years of experience. He is currently working at easyhealthylive.com, a leading health and psychology blog. Having studied at Y1 National Medical University named after IM Sechenov, John Alen is using his knowledge and experience to help improve the physical and mental health of people in the United States.