was successfully added to your cart.

Gallbladder & Liver

How To Overcome The Fear Of Food Post Gallbladder Attack or Removal?

By February 11, 2021 No Comments

Overcoming the fear of food post gallbladder attack and removal is a difficult thing to overcome!

It honestly took me close to six months after having attacks and finally feeling confident again in my decisions. I was afraid of food and it became the enemy.

Overcoming the fear of food was no easy task to overcome. It took many trial and errors. At the time, I didn’t understand why my body hated foods that were suppose to be healthy: healthy fats, quality animal protein and cruciferous vegetables.

What I have realized when it comes to managing my own gallbladder symptoms and helping to guide clients, is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to food and gallbladder disease. Also the amount of fat intolerance varies as well.

We are told to avoid fats and go on low fat diets. But as a nutritionist, this was an unhealthy approach. I knew I couldn’t avoid fats and healthy fats for my whole life in order to manage gallbladder symptoms. Fats are essential for providing energy, support cell growth and hormones, and protect many of our organs. So what do we do?

Below are a list of steps I took to overcome the fear of food, and I encourage you to try these action steps!

Step 1: Listen to your body & Trust the signals it is sending to you.

Step 2:Record your digestive symptoms( not calories)

  • Look for those early red light signals: nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, constipation. If you experience these then it is time to reset and avoid whatever food you just fed your body. I usually recommend to clients to avoid for 2 weeks with a reintroduction.

Step 3: Stick to eating small, easy to digest meals

  • The larger the meals you eat the stronger Hormone CCK is released, and stronger gallbladder contractions.
  • It is recommended to stick to 4-6 small balance meals per day. This helps lower the hormone CCK and risk of strong gallbladder contractions.

Step 4: Avoid Gallbladder Trigger foods

  • First, many of the common gallbladder trigger foods are pretty unhealthy foods. So it is best to continue avoiding things as mush as possible like hot dogs, sausage, sugar, soda pop, chips, white/wheat bread, pastries, donuts, margarine.
  • Full list of gallbladder trigger foods includes: hot dogs, sausage, sugar, soda pop, chips, white/wheat bread, pastries, donuts, margarine, eggs, onions, pork, red meat, nuts, coffee, avocado, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese.
  • If you had your gallbladder removed, introducing healthy fats on the list above is recommended over time! If you experience post gallbladder removal pain, it is recommended to avoid common gallbladder trigger foods and consult with your doctor.

Step 5: Chew food slowly

Step 6: Introduce Healthy Fats Slowly

  • As I mentioned healthy fats are essential for long term health. I do not recommend low fat diets to clients, nor eating fat free, low fat, dairy free products due to the added toxins putting stress on the liver.
  • I recommend starting out small to gauge your individual tolerance. To do this, start with 1/4-1/2 tsp coconut or olive oil in each meal for about 30 days. Slowly Increase to  1 tsp the following 30 days. If you experience early digestive signs such as abdominal cramping, diarrhea or nausea, then you know you have added too many fat.

Listen to your body! This is key to reintroducing healthy foods(fats) back into the diet while feeling confident in yourself and your food choices.

If you are struggling knowing where to start and living in the fear of food pre or post gallbladder surgery, request a complimentary consult here: honoryourcore@gmail.com or https://calendly.com/honoryourcore/30min

 

Leave a Reply

1
  • Item added to cart
1
Your Cart
16+ shoppers have bought this
$29.00
    Calculate Shipping
    Apply Coupon