Gallstones diet: foods to eat and avoid

What are gallstones?

Gallstones occur when bile - which is normally fluid - forms stones in your gallbladder. This is the organ that sits beneath your liver. Most commonly, gallstones contain lumps of fatty, cholesterol-like material that has solidified and hardened.

You can have just a few small stones or a great many. Occasionally, just one large stone is formed.

How common are gallstones?

About one in three women and one in six men form gallstones at some stage in their lives. Gallstones become more common as you get older.

The role of the gallbladder in digestion

The gallbladder plays a part in the digestion of food. It collects and stores bile, then releases the bile into the small intestine when food enters the small intestine from your stomach. This helps with the digestion of food because your gallbladder contains bile salts and other substances which break down fat.

The bile duct, which connects your gallbladder to your small intestine, can become blocked by gallstones.

The stone may cause a blockage and make it difficult for the bile to be released from your bile duct.

Gallstones diet

Foods to eat with gallstones

There is no specific gallstones diet, but eating a healthy balanced diet that's very low in fat can help with symptoms.

This includes:

• Plenty of fruit and vegetables - aim to have at least five portions each day.

• Plenty of starchy carbohydrates - examples include bread, rice, cereals, pasta, potatoes, chapattis, and plantain. Choose wholegrain varieties where possible.

• Some milk and dairy products - 2-3 portions per day. Choose very low-fat dairy products.

• Some meat, fish, eggs, and alternatives - such as beans and pulses.

• Limited amounts of foods high in fats and sugars - limit saturated fat that is found in animal products, such as butter, ghee, cheese, meat, cakes, biscuits, and pastries. Replace these with unsaturated fats found in non-animal products, such as sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. But remember that unsaturated fats can also trigger gallstone pain.

• Make sure your diet is high in fibre - this can be found in beans, pulses, fruit and vegetables, oats, and wholegrain products, such as bread, pasta, and rice.

• Drink plenty of fluid - at least two litres daily, such as water or herbal teas.

Will a gallstones diet cure my symptoms?

Most people with gallstones will have surgery to remove the gallbladder in an operation called a cholecystectomy. However, eating a low-fat diet is likely to reduce symptoms while you are waiting for the operation. This is because fatty foods stimulate the gallbladder to release bile into the small intestine.

Once you have had the operation there is no need to follow any particular diet, although of course it is always a good idea to eat as healthily as possible.

If you are overweight, attaining a healthy weight will be beneficial. However, it is important to do this gradually, as rapid weight loss has been associated with the development of gallstones. A safe weight loss of 1-2 pounds - 0.5 to 1 kilograms - per week is recommended.

Cutting down on fat

A high-fat diet and fatty foods can sometimes cause discomfort and painful symptoms. They may also cause fatty poos (steatorrhoea), which are oily, pale, and smelly. Steatorrhoea is a sign that fat is not being digested properly.

Here are some ways to cut down on fat in your diet.

Note: many processed foods that are low in fat can contain high amounts of sugar. Check the labels for high-sugar products and try to keep these to a minimum. A product that is high in sugar contains more than 10 grams of sugar per 100 grams.

Reduced-fat, light and low-fat are not the same thing. If a product is low-fat, this means that the product contains 3 grams or fewer of fat per 100 grams and is actually low in fat. A reduced-fat product does not mean that the product is necessarily low in fat. It means that the product contains 25% less fat than the original product, which is usually a very high-fat product, such as mayonnaise or Cheddar cheese.

This is similar for 'light' products, which contain about a third fewer calories than the original product, or 50% less fat. Therefore, keep these to a minimum when choosing reduced-fat or lighter products.

How to prevent gallstones

You can also reduce your chance of developing gallstones through what you eat.