I've not long been told i have gallsto... - British Liver Trust

British Liver Trust

37,056 members18,175 posts

I've not long been told i have gallstones but after an attack last night i need to know what foods i should be eating and ones to avoid .

littlelady41 profile image
8 Replies
Written by
littlelady41 profile image
littlelady41
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
8 Replies
Bolly profile image
Bolly

Did whoever diagnosed you not give you any information on diet?

There is a good bit of information here: patient.co.uk/health/gallst...

The main thing to avoid is high fat foods, the diet sheet on this website gives low fat alternatives.

littlelady41 profile image
littlelady41 in reply to Bolly

No my gp just told me to cut out on dairy products but not sure what else been suffering all day . Thank you will have a look .

You need to cut out most fatty foods, any kind of cooking with fats or eating processed foods which are often full of hidden fats, i.e. pates, frozen processed meals. eat only lean meat not cooked in fat. (Bacon is out) Fish is ok to eat but be careful; on the oily fish.

Foods safe to eat Fresh fruit, vegetables, starchy foods. potatoes, rice, pasta, bread without butter, or a very low fat spread if you must . Most dairy is out too, but skimmed milk is ok.

avoid alchohol if you can, and not too much strong tea and coffee. Try Dandelion coffee it is quite palatable you can get the instant type. hope this helps

The thing is when you eat a fatty meal it stimulates the gall bladder to supply bile to the small intestine, if the bile duct is blocked or infected or the gall bladder full of stones, the contractions cause pain, the bile cannot get away. Too much production of bile not leaving the gall bladder will lead to jaundiced skin.

littlelady41 profile image
littlelady41

Thank you owdsod... I have cut out most fatty foods and change to low fat butter , low fat cheese and i have always used semi skimmed milk . I don't think i can stop drinking my coffee though i am going to cut down on coffee. Not so sure on Dandelion coffee . I rarely drink alchohol so thats no problem . I love potatoes so im pleased i can eat them and i have been told fish is good , you have help me understand more and i will take on board all what you have told me .

PeterP54 profile image
PeterP54

I probably went a bit over the top when I had gall stones. My job took me travelling and staying in hotels a lot which was a bit awkward, but I was able to find plain grilled chicken or fish in most towns. I avoided desserts except for fruit. Breakfast was the most difficult as the great English was off the menu.

At home, I would microwave or grill chicken breast and cod or haddock (frozen) steaks with new potatoes and salad. Low fat yoghurt made a good base for a salad dressing. Breakfast was usually dry toast with a banana. The good thing was that I lost loads of weight (sadly its gone back on over the years).

littlelady41 profile image
littlelady41

Thank you peter , you have given me some ideas , was told to avoid chicken but if i take skin off and grill it then there shouldn't be a problem .

I not really a breakfast person but normally i will have a banana and a cereal bar and hopefully i will lose some weight though i'm only slightly over weight .

mrsmerlin profile image
mrsmerlin

Have to say that apart from citing down on fat (removing all fat is actually dangerous) it is pretty much trial and error. When I had stones I going I couldn't eat white bread or potatoes - specialist said that sometimes it can be something not expected. And even more than fat was anything acidic - all that time and no relish or pickles, so sad lol.

I hope you find very few irritants but can say that when you slip up and get the pain if you sit down and lean forward it helps - only position I could get respite in.

littlelady41 profile image
littlelady41

I been trying to work out what is triggering my attack and then avoiding that food , i was told eating potatoes was ok just to avoid all fatty foods and dairy products , i don't really eat a lot of bread and never eat fried food anyway so its a matter of finding out what is irritating me . I will take on board on your advise about pain realise. Thank you mrsmerlin.