Gall bladder disease is routinely treated by removing the gall bladder, a process known as a cholecystectomy. It’s a frequently used treatment but can have major side effects.
Your gall bladder is a small organ that sits underneath your liver. It stores bile – a yellowish fluid with a high concentration of fats, mainly cholesterol – and releases it into the small intestine when you eat fatty foods. Fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E and K are absorbed into the bile and then delivered into the bloodstream.
Bile is made in the liver but if you eat an imbalanced diet it can contain too much cholesterol. The excess cholesterol forms fatty deposits in the gall bladder. These become gallstones and can cause discomfort, internal injury and infection. These symptoms are collectively known as gall bladder disease.
The gall bladder is widely believed to be unnecessary to good health and can be removed with no serious consequences. However, digging deeper, you find a series of common post-surgical symptoms like diarrhoea, stomach pain, gastritis etc (Ref 1).
Why run the risk of suffering the discomfort of gallstones, the possibility of infection and of postoperative abdominal pain if you can avoid it?
The good news is that you can, simply by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.
According to studies, a diet high in plant-origin foods is a crucial element in the prevention of gall bladder disease. A recently published article shows that a vegetarian diet results in a drop of 48% in the formation of gall stones (Ref 2). Another article shows that consistently eating the Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of cholecystectomy by 11% (Ref 3).
The main rule is to avoid eating the unhealthy saturated and trans-fats contained in meat, eggs and many processed foods. Anyone who has a cholecystectomy must keep an eye on their fat intake, as their body is no longer able to digest fats properly.
If you are struggling with gall bladder disease and are seeking for the right way to nourish your body, book a FREE Pre-Consultation.