Diet after laparoscopic gallbladder removal

A person lives a measured life, treats himself to various delicacies for many years, and suddenly, out of nowhere, he experiences sharp pains under the ribs on the right side near the stomach. The doctor does not confirm any stomach problems, and everything seems to be fine with the liver. But the ultrasound of the abdominal cavity prescribed in such cases tells the person the unpleasant news that stones have settled in his gallbladder, which need to be removed, and most likely along with the bladder itself. But this is not the worst thing, because the operation is in most cases performed laparoscopically, so the body recovers quickly after it, within a few days. But the diet after laparoscopy of the gallbladder for several years will not allow a person to return to his favorite excesses and delicacies.

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Indications

Sound familiar? And although the story sounded like a fairy tale, in fact, it is a harsh reality that awaits everyone after surgery on the gallbladder, if stones were once found in it. And it does not matter what the composition of the formed stones is, if the process has once been started, it will be very difficult to stop it.

Many readers are probably interested in where gallstones come from? This formulation of the question can be considered incorrect. It is more correct to ask how they were formed there. The reason for the formation of gallstones in any case is the stagnation of bile in the organ, when one part of this substance remains liquid, and the other precipitates. This sediment is the basis for the formation of stones of various shapes and sizes.

If we consider the question of what factors lead to bile stagnation, it is worth mentioning first of all physical inactivity (sedentary lifestyle) and abuse of fried and spicy food. When these factors work together, it is unlikely that it will be possible to avoid the development of gallstone disease. In response to the intake of stimulating food (spicy, salty, fried), the liver produces a sufficient amount of bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. From the bladder, as needed, bile, having reached the required concentration, is transferred to the duodenum, where at this time there is semi-digested food.

Regulation of bile flow into the duodenum occurs through contraction of the gallbladder walls and its ducts. A sedentary lifestyle always leads to weakening of the motor functions of the digestive system, be it the gallbladder or the intestines. Due to weak motor function, not all bile flows from its storage into the duodenum. Some of it is delayed and begins to disintegrate into its components. Those components that are denser and heavier precipitate and form stones, which further block the outflow of bile.

Gallstones can have different natures. Some consist of minerals (mainly calcium salts), others - of cholesterol, others - of the pigment bilirubin. However, most often, one stone can contain a mixture of different components.

What causes such a variety of composition of stones in the gallbladder? Of course, the food we eat. The absorption of nutrients from food occurs in the intestines. But then they enter the blood and are filtered by the liver, as a result of which the substances in excess are thrown into the bile. Protein, cholesterol, minerals, pigment, being in large quantities in the bile, make it highly concentrated and thick, prone to the formation of sediment and stones.

Small stones, even with pain, can pass through the bile ducts and leave the bladder. But medium and large stones (and their size can reach 4-5 cm) have to be removed surgically. In some cases, doctors agree to only remove the stones that have formed from the gallbladder and its ducts, but in the vast majority of cases they still resort to surgical removal of the entire organ along with the stones (cholecystectomy).

The most common type of surgery for cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and cholelithiasis is considered to be laparoscopy of the gallbladder, which has fewer complications and a relatively short recovery period. But no matter how the surgery is performed, after it, for a long time, you will have to adhere to the requirements of therapeutic diet No. 5, which is prescribed for diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal tract.

Diet after laparoscopy of the gallbladder or removal of gallstones from it should become an important component of the patient's new lifestyle. In fact, both before and after surgery, the digestive system suffers first. First, due to insufficient bile flow into the duodenum, digestion and absorption of food are inhibited, and after removal of the gallbladder, postcholecystectomy syndrome occurs.

We are talking about a symptom complex that occurs as a result of bile being thrown into the duodenum directly from the liver outside of meals. The gallbladder used to regulate the process of bile supply to the duodenum exactly at the moment when food entered it. Bile mixed with chyme and did not irritate the intestinal walls. But if a caustic liquid enters an empty intestine, it is clear that it begins to corrode the organ's mucous membrane, inflammation appears, and as a result, the diagnosis is "duodenitis" or even "colitis".

But even if the gallbladder is not removed, the situation will change little. The thing is that after a while, stones in the organ will begin to form again, regardless of lifestyle. It is no longer possible to stop the pathological process. By removing the gallbladder, doctors aim to remove the organ where bile can stagnate, resulting in the formation of fairly large stones and excruciating pain.

Small stones can also form outside the gallbladder, which means that nutrition after laparoscopy of the organ should be such that it will prevent stone formation and facilitate the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

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General information diets after gallbladder laparoscopy

The diet after laparoscopy of the gallbladder is introduced not in one, but in two stages. Although the laparoscopy operation is considered less traumatic than the traditional method of cholecystectomy (laparotomy), it is still a noticeable blow to the digestive system. It will take a long time before the liver learns to work properly and produce bile only when necessary. But the hardest time for the body will be in the first days after the operation.

The first stage of the diet should be started on the day of the operation, and it will last for at least a week. It is during this period that the diet is considered the strictest, since it has many restrictions. Fasting is recommended on the day of the operation. It is strictly forbidden not only to eat, but also to drink. In case of strong thirst, it is only allowed to wet the patient's lips with a damp cloth. In extreme cases, you can rinse your mouth with a herbal decoction. And most likely, you will not want to eat after the operation.

The day after laparoscopy, the patient is allowed to drink water. It is better if it is mineral water, from which all the gas has been released in advance, or purified water again without gas in quantity. You can try drinking rosehip decoction, but the total volume of liquid on this day should not exceed 1 liter.

When 36 hours have passed after the operation, tea or liquid jelly without adding sugar can be introduced into the diet. Tea should be weak, jelly should not be concentrated. Only low-fat kefir can be added to the table from food. The volume of liquid on this day should not exceed 1.5 liters.

The patient receives full nutrition only on the third day. But diversifying the table does not mean starting to eat solid food. This moment should be approached gradually.

On the third day after surgery, the following is introduced into the diet:

• fruit and vegetable juices (preferably apple, carrot, pumpkin), which stimulate digestion and saturate the body with useful vitamins and minerals; it is desirable that the juices are not store-bought, but freshly prepared,
• soups with mashed vegetables, cooked in weak broth (with the doctor's permission, you can add a teaspoon of sour cream or a small piece of butter),
• mashed potatoes or pumpkin,
• fruit jelly,
• steamed protein omelette,
• lean boiled fish.

Tea can be drunk on the 3-4th day, adding a little sugar to it. But you need to be careful with food. Yes, the patient's diet can be significantly expanded, but the portions should remain minimal, no more than 200 g at a time. But the number of meals can reach 7-8 times a day (ideally - 5-6 times a day, as required by the principles of fractional nutrition).

When 5 days have passed after the operation, you can add a piece of yesterday's bread or a few crackers to the broth, and biscuits to the tea. The mass of flour products eaten per day should not exceed 100 g.

After another day, pureed porridges (wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal) are introduced into the diet, which are prepared with the addition of milk. The consistency of the porridge should be liquid or semi-liquid, a little later they switch to viscous porridges.

Now meat dishes are allowed. Lean meat should be boiled and chopped in a blender until puree. For variety, you can mix 2 types of puree: meat and vegetable and add a spoonful of sour cream or butter.

It is not necessary to chop boiled fish, it is enough to just chew the food well.

Fermented milk products are gradually added to the table. At first, kefir was preferred, but now you can eat yogurts with or without fruit filling, sour milk, sour milk, cottage cheese. For now, it is advisable to rub the cottage cheese through a sieve and add a little not too fatty sour cream to it.

The volume of fluid entering the body during this period becomes the same as for a healthy person (from 1.5 to 2 liters).

A week after the operation, the doctor allows you to move on to the second stage of the diet - nutrition according to the requirements of diet No. 5. The transition to a new stage of the diet can occur earlier (on the 3rd-4th day), if the doctor considers the patient's condition satisfactory. However, you should not rush to eat solid food yet.

You should also refrain from eating foods that can cause increased gas formation: black bread, legumes, etc. Because bile enters the intestines insufficiently concentrated, it is no longer able to fight the pathogenic microflora that lives there, causing fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract. These processes cause bloating, provoke frequent painful gas discharge. Patients encounter this problem already in the first month after surgery. If you also eat foods that can promote fermentation of food, the situation becomes noticeably more complicated, and the patient's health worsens.

Principles of diet in the recovery period

Diet No. 5 combines the principles of proper and fractional nutrition with strict adherence to the meal regimen. But this does not mean that it consists of only restrictions. It is not about removing all tasty dishes from the patient's table, leaving only vegetables and mineral water. Nutritionists emphasize the need to adjust the diet taking into account the needs of the body and the limited capabilities of the digestive system.

The main components of all food products, by which the nutritional value is assessed, are proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Protein is the building material of the body's cells, which, of course, is necessary for the liver so that it can renew its cells and function normally. As for protein foods, as a source of protein, then as products for the therapeutic table it is worth considering not only the white part of the chicken egg, but also cottage cheese, lean meat and lean fish.

As for fats, the attitude towards them is twofold, because fats can be different. Animal fats are considered a source of cholesterol, but, as we remember, gallstones can form from it, which means that the consumption of such products as lard, fatty meat or fish will have to be strictly limited. By the way, animal liver and chicken egg yolks also contain a lot of cholesterol. They will also have to be removed from the diet.

But vegetable oils are a source of unsaturated fats, which are necessary for the body to function. In addition, they can make bile more liquid and prevent the formation of stones in it. This means that such products must be included in your diet. Not only the sunflower and olive oils that are familiar to us will be useful, but also oils extracted from corn grains or flax seeds.

Carbohydrates usually make up the bulk of the diet after gallbladder removal (50%, while the rest is equally divided between fats and proteins). However, caution with them is not a bad idea. Carbohydrates in baked goods and grain products can make bile more acidic, which contributes to sedimentation and the formation of stones.

Easily digestible carbohydrates that do not have a negative effect on bile are found in sugar and dishes based on it. But such dishes contribute to weight gain, and excess weight is a risk factor for the development of gallstone disease, since it is associated with physical inactivity. This means that attention should be paid primarily to slow carbohydrates in vegetables and fruits.

Vitamins are also necessary to maintain and correct liver function. Vitamins C and K, as well as B vitamins, will help the liver to carry out regenerative processes, while vitamin A will prevent the formation of crystals in bile, which subsequently turn into stones.

However, as we remember, a diet after gallbladder laparoscopy is not only about eating the right and healthy foods, it is also about following a diet and eating habits. And we are talking about the following rules, which you will have to adhere to for 3, 6 or more months (in the best case, after a couple of years, a person will be able to afford to eat a minimum amount of prohibited foods and reduce the number of meals to 4-5 times a day):

• Fractional nutrition. This is a mandatory condition that will help to restore the digestive function in the body faster, facilitating the work of the gastrointestinal tract (after all, it is easier to digest a small portion than a large one). You need to eat a little, but often (at least 6 times a day).
• The requirement to eat often also applies to night time. Long breaks between meals are unacceptable.

Ideally, the break for night rest for the gastrointestinal tract should be no more than 5-6 hours, so it is recommended to have the last meal no earlier than 2 hours before bedtime, and have breakfast early. Under these conditions, the production of fatty acids in the body will be sufficient to dissolve cholesterol.

During night awakenings, it is recommended to drink a small amount of rosehip decoction, this will help reduce the large night interval and allow you to sleep longer (after all, a normal person's sleep should last not 5-6, but at least 8 hours).

• Fasting is contraindicated. Therapeutic one-day fasting is also not practiced in this case. Short-term fasting will not cause much harm to a healthy person (and even vice versa), but in the absence of a gallbladder, it can provoke the formation of stones in the liver ducts. After surgery, the patient has to stick to a diet that limits only the amount of fat consumed, but not the total amount of food per day (the caloric content of diet No. 5 is about 2700 kcal). If you also limit yourself in food, under such conditions the digestive system relaxes, the need for bile disappears, because there is nothing to digest with its help. As a result, we have stagnation of bile in the liver ducts, which leads to the formation of stones in them.
• By the way, in order to not reduce the need for bile in order to prevent stagnation, fats should not be excluded from the diet. Animal fats are considered prohibited in the diet after laparoscopy of the gallbladder, including butter, which can be eaten in strictly limited quantities, but vegetable oils can (and should!) be introduced into your diet as soon as salads and cereals appear in it. Nutritionists believe that you need to eat at least 2 teaspoons of any vegetable oil per day, adding it to dishes 3-4 times a day.
• It is dangerous not only to limit the amount of food, but also to overindulge in it. Excess weight is one of the factors that provokes the formation of stones in the gallbladder, and in its absence in the bile ducts of the liver.
• But doctors recommend drinking a lot of water, because it helps to thin the bile, which means the likelihood of stagnation is reduced. By the way, it will be even less if there is alkaline mineral water on the table.

But coffee and strong tea are considered unsuitable drinks for those who have had their gallbladder removed. The fact is that such drinks stimulate contractile movements of the bile ducts and can cause hepatic colic.

Let's also focus on alcoholic beverages. They are considered unsafe for liver diseases. But our situation is a little different. It has been scientifically proven that alcohol in limited quantities reduces the risk of stone formation by almost 40%, which is quite a lot. Even nutritionists claim that ½ a glass of red wine per day will not only not do any harm, but will also help to avoid a relapse of gallstone disease.

• Another unconditional condition is eating at the same time, for which you should develop a daily routine that includes 5-7 meals, print it out on paper and hang it in front of your eyes. Let the liver get used to producing bile, if not on demand, then at least on time.
• There are also restrictions on the methods of cooking. Frying food is prohibited under any circumstances, and the use of a grill for this purpose is also excluded. And you will have to forget about shashlik on a fire in favor of healthier delicacies. Food can be boiled, stewed or steamed, using for these purposes both a regular gas or electric stove and pots, and more modern devices, such as a multicooker.
• As for the consistency of food, it is recommended to chop food and cook semi-liquid porridges only during the first week after the operation. In the future, only solid foods should be chopped, gradually accustoming the gastrointestinal tract to them.
• New foods and dishes should be introduced into the diet very carefully, listening to your feelings.
• The temperature of food (including water) should not be too high or too low. Ideally, all food should be warm.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables are allowed to be eaten no earlier than 2 weeks after the operation due to their irritating effect. It is recommended to choose sweet and soft varieties of fruits, and grind hard fruits and vegetables on a grater or in a blender, turning into a puree, from which you can make delicious mousses. Such desserts are not prohibited according to diet No. 5.

It is important to understand that by following the dietary requirements, we help our body function normally, and do not do a favor to doctors. At first it will not be easy, but after 1-3 months, a person develops other food preferences that allow him to stay healthy. And the taste of once-favorite forbidden products and dishes is gradually forgotten.

Diet menu after laparoscopy of the gallbladder

Now that you know what foods you can include in your diet and which ones you should forget about forever, you can try to develop a sample menu for a few days. And here it is important to remember that nutrition after gallbladder removal surgery should not only be gentle, but also complete. This may seem like an impossible task to some, but remember vegetarians, they limit themselves to their once-favorite dishes and at the same time feel quite happy and healthy. The main thing is to approach the menu correctly, replacing harmful products with healthy ones.

Let's try to make a complete menu, say, for Monday, taking into account that food should be consumed optimally 6 times a day:

• 1st breakfast: weak black tea to wake up the gastrointestinal tract
• 2-breakfast: mashed potatoes with a piece of boiled fish, vegetable salad with vegetable oil
• Lunch: vegetable soup with a piece of boiled meat, juice from sweet apples
• Afternoon snack: ½ cup of kefir with biscuits
• 1st dinner: protein omelet with vegetables, chamomile tea
• Light dinner before bed: warm dried fruit compote

The menu for the next day (in our case, Tuesday) should not be repeated. It should include other dishes and products, which will allow you to diversify the table and give the body everything it needs.

• 1st breakfast: compote of sweet fruits and berries
• 2nd breakfast: oatmeal with milk, baked apple
• Lunch: borscht with vegetable broth, a piece of cheese on toast, green tea
• Afternoon snack: orange juice, crackers
• 1st dinner: cottage cheese casserole with nuts and candied fruits
• Light dinner before bed: half a glass of bio-yogurt

Let's create a menu for Wednesday in the same way:

• 1st breakfast: a glass of mineral water
• 2nd breakfast: milk rice porridge with crackers
• Lunch: steamed chicken cutlets with vegetable garnish (baked vegetables)
• Afternoon snack: yogurt, fresh fruit
• 1st dinner: a piece of boiled fish, fruit and berry mousse, rosehip infusion
• Light Dinner Before Bed: Carrot and Pumpkin Juice

Armed with knowledge of permitted products and imagination, you can make a menu for a week, a month, and beyond. At first, the menu may not be distinguished by a special variety of products and dishes, but as you recover, the list of products in the diet will grow, and experience and curiosity will help make your table not only healthy, but also attractive both in appearance and taste.

Diet recipes #5

Well, for those who are encountering a diet for liver and gastrointestinal diseases for the first time and are not yet ready to turn on their imagination at full power, we can offer several healthy and tasty recipes that will decorate not only a diet table.

The fact that according to diet 5 after gallbladder removal, dishes should not include fried foods does not mean that the recipes will be lean and tasteless. Let's start with something simple and consider a recipe for a delicious salad that does not include many ingredients:

Salad "Sister Alenka"

We will need:

• small yellow tomato – 1 pc.
• small red tomato – 1 pc.
• gherkin – 1 pc.
• half a blue onion
• vegetable oil – 1 tsp.
• sour cream – 1 tsp.
• green
• a pinch of salt

Preparation: Cut tomatoes and cucumber into small slices, onion into half rings and scald with boiling water to remove the spiciness. If the cucumber is too hard, you can grate it on a coarse grater and squeeze it lightly. Transfer the finished vegetables to a salad bowl, add salt, sour cream and vegetable oil. Mix, let sit for 5-10 minutes, garnish with herbs and put on the table.

We have a tasty and healthy salad. But you can't fill up on salad alone. We need to come up with something meaty for lunch.

Steamed veal cutlets

We will need:

• Veal (can be replaced with lean chicken or turkey) – 300 g
• Yesterday's wheat bread - 80 g
• Small onion – 1 pc.
• Milk – 4 tbsp.
• Vegetable or meat broth - one and a half cups
• Refined vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.
• Flour – 2 tbsp.
• Lemon juice – 0.5-1 tsp.
• Salt to taste

Preparation: Soak the bread well in milk and squeeze it out. Grind the meat and onion a couple of times and mix with the bread. Knead the mince well and form small cutlets from it.

Grease the saucepan with oil and put our cutlets in it. Add a little less than half a glass of broth and simmer for 20 minutes.

Take the cutlets out and put them on a plate. From the remaining broth, prepare a delicious sauce of milk, flour, lemon juice and salt. If desired, you can add 1 tbsp. of tomato paste. Pour the sauce into a saucer and garnish with herbs. Serve it with the cutlets.

As a side dish you can serve mashed potatoes and zucchini, any porridge, vegetable stew, boiled pasta (only from durum wheat).

It's time to take care of desserts.

Oven-baked cheesecakes

We will need:

• Low-fat cottage cheese (fat content no more than 2%) – 200 g
• Semolina – 1-2 tbsp (depending on the moisture content of the cottage cheese)
• Chicken egg – 1 pc. (you can take 1-2 whites)
• Sugar and salt to taste
• Baking powder – ½ tsp.
• Vegetable oil for greasing the baking sheet and cheesecakes

Preparation: Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve a couple of times and mix with the egg and sugar. Add baking powder to the semolina and pour the dry mixture into the curd mass. Leave the semolina to swell for 20-30 minutes. Then heat the oven and grease the baking sheet.

Form small balls from the semolina-curd mass, press them on both sides, give them the desired shape and place them on a baking sheet. Lightly coat the cheesecakes with vegetable oil on top and place them in a preheated oven.

When the cheesecakes are browned on top, check their readiness with a toothpick, which should come out almost dry. When serving, the cheesecakes can be sweetened with a mixture of low-fat sour cream and boiled condensed milk, if desired.

Dessert "Fruits with ginger-mint sauce"

We will need:

• Tangerines – 3 pcs. (can be replaced with oranges)
• Banana – 1 pc.
• Kiwi – 2-3 pcs.
• Apples – 2 pcs.
• Raisins – 70 g
• Dried mint – 1 tbsp.
• Ginger powder – ¼-1/2 tsp.
• Oranges – 2 pcs.
• Sugar – 1 tbsp without a slide

Preparation: Peel the tangerines, separate them into segments and cut each segment into several pieces. Cut the banana and kiwi into cubes or circles. Peel the apples and cut into slices. Steam the raisins with boiling water and then dry them.

For orange syrup, prepare juice. Brew mint with boiling water for 10 minutes (a quarter of a glass) and strain. Add sugar and ginger powder to the infusion and bring to a boil. Now pour in orange juice and boil for no more than 2 minutes. Cool the syrup, strain and pour it over the prepared fruits.

What about the first courses? Should we make borscht for tomorrow?!

Vegetarian Borscht

We will need:

• Cabbage – 100 g
• Carrots – ½ pc.
• Potatoes – 1 pc. (larger)
• Celery root, leek, green beans - 30 g each
• Tomato – 1 pc.
• Beetroot – 1 pc. (small)
• Tomato paste – 4 tbsp.
• Flour – ½ tbsp.
• Eggs (whites) – 4 pcs.
• Sour milk – ½ cup
• Salt to taste

Peel and seed the vegetables, shred the cabbage, and cut the beans into pieces. Place the ingredients in a steamer and add water. Cook for about half an hour.

Mix the chopped onion with flour and lightly fry in a dry frying pan, add tomato paste, a little water, salt, simmer and add to the steamer.

Prepare the beets in advance, as they cook for about an hour. Cut the boiled beets into small pieces and add to the borscht at the end of cooking.

The dressing for the borscht will be whipped eggs and sour milk. Serve the borscht sprinkled with parsley.

And finally, a delicious and simple recipe for chicken breast.

We will need:

• Chicken breast – 1 pc.
• Orange – 1 pc.
• Salt to taste

Cut the breast lengthwise so that a pocket is formed in it. Coat the meat with salt and leave it to soak.

Peel the orange, divide it into segments, and then remove the white films from them. Place the prepared orange segments in the meat pocket, wrap the breast in foil and put it in the oven (200 ^o C) for half an hour.

As we can see, despite all the strictness of the diet after laparoscopy of the gallbladder, it still does not prohibit eating tasty food.

Benefits

It should be said that a diet is prescribed for any disease when the digestive system is disrupted. The diet is prescribed to stop the inflammatory process in the affected organ of the digestive tract and to facilitate its work during the recovery period.

With the gallbladder, everything is much more complicated, so diet No. 2, which is usually prescribed for gastrointestinal diseases, will be useless here. After all, it is necessary to normalize not only the work of the gastrointestinal tract, but also to provide conditions for stabilizing the liver. Plus, it is also necessary to provide conditions under which gallstones will not form either in the gallbladder (if it was not removed) or in the bile ducts (after cholecystectomy). The latter condition can be fulfilled only if you exclude from the diet dishes that contribute to stone formation.

Typically, the liver produces about 600-800 ml of bile per day. Bile gradually enters the "storage", where it not only accumulates and is stored until the right moment, but also reaches the desired concentration. It should be noted that the concentration of bile at the entrance and exit of the gallbladder differs by almost 10 times.

After the gallbladder is removed, the situation changes, bile still enters the duodenum in the same amount, but not when it is needed, and not in the right concentration. Not only does it irritate the intestinal walls, but its concentration is also insufficient for digesting fats, stimulating the work of the intestines, liver and producing enzymes that break down protein, i.e. for performing the functions assigned to it.

Now congestion can be observed in the duodenum. And since bed rest is indicated for some time after the operation (again, this hypodynamia), the motility of the gastrointestinal tract slows down, the pancreas suffers, and food is slowly and with difficulty digested (and not always in full), which makes the whole body feel bad.

The diet after laparoscopy of the gallbladder (diet No. 5) not only facilitates the work of the gastrointestinal tract, since it excludes hard-to-digest foods and fatty dishes. It is also aimed at teaching the liver to work according to a new scheme, providing for the needs of the entire digestive system.

If before the gallbladder was removed, the liver began to produce bile when food entered the body and the process of its digestion began. That is, part of the bile left the gallbladder, and it was necessary to replenish its volume. Now the liver has nothing to focus on and it constantly produces a caustic digestive enzyme. There is nowhere for it to linger, and it flows directly into the duodenum regardless of whether it is needed or not.

To teach the liver to produce bile only when necessary, it is not enough to simply change the diet, excluding dishes that stimulate the outflow of the caustic enzyme. You need to completely revise your diet.

If you eat food in small portions, but regularly at the same time, a conditioned reflex should develop in the body: the liver will actively produce bile only when food enters the gastrointestinal tract. This is possible only if you follow a strict diet, which includes: eating only permitted foods in small portions, following a diet (eating frequently at the same time).

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What can and what can not?

Well, here we come to the main question: what can you eat? After all, without knowing which products are allowed and which are prohibited, it is simply impossible to create a normal menu. But the nutrition of a person after laparoscopy of the gallbladder, according to doctors, should be complete, providing for all the needs of the body.

So, according to diet No. 5, the following products are permitted:

• Diet meat with a minimum percentage of fat. This can be chicken, beef, rabbit, turkey meat, the main thing is that it is lean and cooked in the appropriate way, i.e. boiled or baked.
• Lean fish, both sea and river. It can be boiled or steamed.
• Any low-fat dairy products, sour cream (in limited quantities).
• Hard cheeses with a fat content of no more than 30% (in limited quantities.
• Weak vegetable broths and soups based on such vegetarian broths with the addition of cereals and vegetables will also help diversify the diet of patients both after surgery and in the following time. But it is strictly forbidden to use "frying" for such soups. Egg white or a piece of processed cheese can be used as a dressing. Pieces of boiled meat can be added to the soup without the broth in which it was cooked.
• Low-fat and weak broths based on dietary poultry meat.
• Any porridge is first cooked liquid, then viscous, and only when the condition stabilizes (after about a month and a half) crumbly porridge is used.
• Sweet fruits and berries are first consumed as cooked dishes, and after 2-3 weeks, fresh fruits are included in the diet. Watermelon is considered a healthy berry.
• You can eat any vegetables (boiled, baked, steamed, and later fresh).
• Sweets and desserts such as honey, jam and preserves are eaten in small quantities, monitoring your weight.
• You are only allowed to eat yesterday's bread or in the form of crackers, and preferably white bread, which does not cause fermentation processes.
• Egg white in the form of a steamed omelette, after 1.5 months you can eat 1 egg per week with the yolk.
• Meat products: meatballs, cutlets, meatballs are steamed or baked. After 1.5-2 months, you can introduce good quality boiled sausage into the diet in small portions.
• Whole milk in warm form is allowed no earlier than 1.5 months after the operation. Before this time, it could only be used for cooking.
• Any vegetable oils that are recommended to replace animal fats.
• Fresh herbs will be a source of vitamins and microelements.
• Any dried fruits.
• Fruit and vegetable juices, green tea, compotes, mineral water, herbal infusions. Weak black tea in limited quantities,

When preparing food, it is not only the food itself that is important, but also how it is prepared. It is forbidden to oversalt food (it is better for it to remain undersalted) and add various spices and seasonings that stimulate the secretion of bile. Recommended methods of processing food: boiling, baking, stewing, steaming.

However, the diet after gallbladder laparoscopy would seem too soft if we did not mention what you cannot eat. Let's now look at the prohibited products of diet No. 5:

• Any fatty meats and dishes made from them, sausages and smoked meats are strictly prohibited. A little boiled sausage is allowed.
• Fatty fish in any form. Salted, dried and smoked fish, both fatty and lean varieties.
• Fatty dairy and fermented milk products. Sour cream is used only as a dressing, whole milk is introduced little by little only after the condition has stabilized.
• Any fats of animal origin, including butter.
• Any canned meat and vegetables, seasonings, marinades.
• Flour products, pastries, cakes, which can cause weight gain.
• Black and white fresh bread, baked goods.
• Strong black tea, caffeinated drinks, soda.
• Ice cream, any cold desserts and drinks.

Any fried food is prohibited. And you need to get used to it, because you will have to adhere to the requirements of diet No. 5 for a long time (at least a year). But it is better to immediately set yourself up for proper nutrition and stick to it for the rest of your life.

Contraindications

There is no need to worry that a diet with many restrictions will negatively affect your health, because it does not have a single contraindication. The fact is that, despite all the restrictions, nutrition during the diet remains complete. The body receives all the substances it needs and recovers faster after surgery.

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Possible risks

It should be said that the risks associated with the diet are practically reduced to zero. The rules and menu of diet No. 5 fully comply with the requirements of healthy eating, which has never harmed anyone. By the way, removing animal fats and flour from the diet can only benefit you. It is not without reason that many women use diet No. 5 not only for medicinal purposes, but also for weight loss.

Having read numerous reviews, one cannot help but notice that almost everyone who followed the diet for about six months, as a plus, noted a weight loss of 5-7 kilograms. And this is despite the fact that after laparoscopy of the gallbladder, patients have a tendency to gain weight.

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Complications

When talking about possible complications after surgery, we cannot help but mention the appearance of such symptoms as nausea, pain in the right side, bowel movements, belching, heartburn, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, flatulence, etc. If a person does not stick to a diet, he will have to live with such symptoms until he realizes the need to change his eating habits. Some people come to this conclusion immediately after surgery, while others take 8-10 years to achieve this. But both note that the painful symptoms disappear after 1-2 weeks on a diet.

Those who did not immediately listen to the doctor's advice are especially pleased with the opportunity to gradually, without harm to the body, get rid of the extra pounds that have accumulated in the body during the time when a person adhered to the old way of life and diet.

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Diet Reviews

According to all the rules, therapeutic diet No. 5 after gallbladder removal should become the basis of patients' nutrition for many years. It is clear that not everyone tries to adhere to the requirements of the diet, which seems too strict to them, since it excludes many favorite dishes and products. But it should be taken into account that all healthy products remain in the diet, and only those that are difficult to digest or contribute to the accumulation of cholesterol, which subsequently forms stones in the bile ducts, are subject to exclusion.

Yes, many patients who follow a diet after gallbladder removal complain that it somewhat limits their freedom. After all, you need to eat more often than usual, and your diet should be complete, not snacks in the form of fast food. At first, food does not seem tasty enough without the usual seasonings, and the lack of salt affects the taste of the dishes. You may lose your appetite for a while or become constipated. But all these troubles go away after 3-4 weeks. The body gets used to the new rhythm and way of life, to new taste sensations, and the despair that some people feel in the first days of the diet is replaced by calm and ease.

Light food, which is the basis of diet No. 5, creates lightness in the head. Some reviews are simply surprising. People say that the diet helped them fight depression, which had gripped them long before the operation, fatigue, which haunted a person at work and at home, bad mood. The phrase "as if born again" becomes reality for patients.

Those who had been on the diet for a long time noted the absence of digestive problems even after eating a small amount of prohibited foods and dishes. That is, on a holiday they could treat themselves not only to half a glass of red wine, but also to a piece of grilled chicken or a delicate cake. At the same time, no unpleasant sensations appeared.

By the way, few people wanted to return to their previous diet after 2-3 years. People simply do not see the need for it. If during the recovery period the body got used to healthy and light food, which was guaranteed by the diet after laparoscopy of the gallbladder, and the person's health became even better than before the disease, why change anything. After all, proper nutrition is not only health, but also a long happy life.