What to bake when one's gall bladder is removed?

ange164, Jul 23, 3:11am
Hi all.
My sister has (some time ago) had her gall bladder removed. I'd like to do some baking for her as her birthday is coming up, and some other family functions are in the pipe line too.

She now must eat low to no fat,low to no eggs (definitely not on their own, and only a little in baking if necessary), and not very much refined carbs. Inadvertently she's gone low sugar too.
I have googled and the no egg recipes seem high in sugar and average in fat. Do you think there *is* such a thing as doing baking with these strictures in mind!

245sam, Jul 23, 3:48am
ange164, I am puzzled that your sister has those dietary restrictions after having had her gall bladder removed. I, like all those I know who have had their gall bladders removed, have far less dietary restrictions/problems than prior to having the gall bladder and gall stones removed, when for me low (or preferably no) fat was definitely the order of those times and eggs were never a problem.As far as carbs of any kind go, the consideration there is necessary for weight reasons but certainly nothing to do with my not having a gall bladder.I do find that I need to be careful about the acid content of what I eat e.g. I love citrus fruit, especially grapefruit but find that they are too acidic.

Good luck - I hope you are able to help your sister in the very thoughtful way that you are hoping to.:-))

ange164, Jul 23, 4:21am
thanks. I didn't know that her restrictions were unusual. Eggs and fats give her stomach cramps and the trots so its definitely an issue for her. She avoids pasta now - but that could be the surgery or weight loss reasons, I couldn't be sure which. But you say low acid too - good to note.

mothergoose_nz, Jul 23, 4:47am
did she have her stomach stapled at the same time.! i did and found eggs to be a bit rich,sugar gave problems.it was much like her diet.after a long time my tummy got used to the new arrangement and i can eat what i like.more or less

ange164, Jul 23, 4:52am
Well, I guess it's possible; though she has never said so.

samboy, Jul 23, 5:25am
I had my gall bladder removed about 30 years ago, I was 26.Sometimes I get pain with what I eat however I recently had a scan due to my abdomen swelling.I am only 53kg so not overweight and never have been however the scan came back showing "fatty infiltration of the liver", after my followup visit to the GP he has advised me to go on a liver diet, similar to "The Liver Cleansing Diet" and it is much the same as OP's sister's diet, no eggs, no dairy food, minimal or no meat.I bought the book "The Liver Cleansing Diet" and while I do not follow it religiously I am eating similar to what it advises and am feeling better in myself and the abdominal swelling (originally thought to be due to an ovary problem) has gone down.GP said that once the gall bladder has been removed entirely then a lot of foods are not advisable to eat and in my case causing the fatty liver syndrome.Perhaps its the same with your sister and she is wise to watch what she eats.

esther-anne, Jul 23, 7:03am
Times and medical opinions change so much I am not surprised that we ordinary mortals get confused.

Like samboy I had my gall bladder removed and a hiatus hernia repaired at age 26.But I am older than samboy - mine was done 52 years ago and was considered major surgery at the time - more specifically the hiatus hernia repair was complex.

I could scarcely eat anything solid for the first month as I vomited it back up.So the GP advised just mushy foods but try solids occasionally.That is all the medical advice I was given.

Eventually I could keep everything down and I can honestly say that in all these years I have been able to digest any darned thing without any trouble whatsoever - and hot curries are a great favourite.

Some weeks ago I had to have a gastroscopy and colonoscopy due tovery low iron and a concern there was undetected bleeding somewhere.Thankfully there wasn't - but they did find a small new hiatus hernia which I was unaware of, symptom wise, and I was given Losec daily to lessen any future problems.

Sometimes I wonder about the power of auto-suggestion - it was suggested to me 52 years ago that I could eat anything after surgery - and lo and behold I could.And I am not obese but try for good nutrition as most of us do.

Sorry that was long winded.OP-I wonder how long it is since your sister's surgery!Hopefully she is like me and given time can enjoy all the foods she previously did.

ange164, Jul 23, 7:07am
not quite a year I think.

245sam, Jul 23, 7:23am
ange164, aha.that explains it.My thoughts above were based on "My sister has (some time ago) had her gall bladder removed."My own surgery was a number of years ago (! probably 10-12 years ago) and I do recall that I had to be careful with some things for the first year or so, although having said that our first meal out with our dining group, only a few weeks after surgery, was at an Indian restaurant where we sampled dishes from all the different regions of India - I was able to enjoy that meal without any unpleasant after effects.A close familyparticularly enjoyed bacon and pork but these were both off her menu for the first year or so, then like me she found that she could and still is able to enjoy almost anything.:-))

ange164, Jul 23, 7:51am
awesome. Thats hopeful then.
I still remain with the original dilemma for now though.
Perhaps I could start with investigating non-fat main meals at least, and then I saw some delicious looking purely tropical fruit smoothie drinks when searching for the liver cleanse diet ideas.
Then maybe something like pureed dates and walnuts type truffle things rolled in coconut for a dessert/sweet.

245sam, Jul 23, 8:08am
ange164, your mention of dates reminded me of the Bliss Balls that were made on Good Morning - maybe they would be suitable for your sister.Have a look at:-

http://tvnz.co.nz/good-morning/bliss-balls-4964706

Hope that helps.:-))

kuaka, Jul 23, 8:25am
I had my gall bladder removed 4 years ago after waking at 3am in excruciating pain.Hospital on Wednesday, decision made Thursday, op Friday, home Sunday.No dietary restrictions whatsoever.Just told to take things easy for a week or so.I basically eat what I like/fancy and no problems at all.

ange164, Jul 23, 8:35am
perfect sam

momma1, Jul 23, 8:34pm
Like you I had mine removed ohhhh ummm 26 yrs ago, left hospital with NO comments about what I should and shouldn't eat. I have since learnt that gall bladder assists in storage of bile which is what breaks down fat, so maybe she should be a bit careful with fats BUT its only a storage vessel not production so she can still break down fat. I've not had any issues since the surgery.

nellbee, Jul 23, 8:47pm
Mine was eight years ago. It's fats and dairy for me - don't have a problem with eggs, but had to wave goodbye to things like cheesecake.

Generally moderation works best - I'm not always a moderate person, but have learned that life is easier that way.

winnie15, Jul 24, 9:36pm
Snap! i have the same reaction with eggs and fats -i had my gall bladder removed in feb this year, was told to eat as per normal.
Glad to know it's not just me!if i eat out at a cafei have to be so careful to what i choose . if i choose the wrong thing i usually find out within 15 mins .